Questions To Ask When Deciding On A Nursing Home
The decision to place someone you love into a nursing home or assisted living facility is not easy. You and your loved one have decided it is “best” because they can no longer live safely on their own. You have struggled with the decision. You have spoken to everyone you know about it, but do you know the important questions to ask when making this most important decision?
In Tammy Worth's Los Angeles Times article, How to Decide Whether a Nursing Home is the Right Fit, she shares excellent questions you and your loved one should ask before deciding on a facility. Those questions are:
- Does the care meet the needs of your family member? Does the facility have proper medical services? Can residents personalize their rooms with photographs and other items? Are staff members interacting one-on-one with residents? Is the staff smiling and welcoming?
- Does the facility have adequate fire and safety systems? The most recent state inspection report will show if it had deficiencies related to fire drills, up-to-date manuals and policies, or expired fire extinguishers. A fire marshal report should also be posted at each facility.
- Does it have a wanderer alert? These devices are used to make sure a disoriented resident doesn't leave the residence.
- Does it have a pastoral care program of any kind? Such programs suggest the homes are connected to the community and that they value all dimensions of the residents' lives.
- Does it have a volunteer program and, if so, what do those volunteers do? These programs indicate “fresh air in the place.”
- What is the policy on chemical and physical restraints? Obviously, the fewer the better.
- How frequently do patients get pressure ulcers? Such injuries occur when an individual stays in one position for too long and the skin in contact with the bed or other surface begins to break down. Again, the fewer the better. This is listed under a home's quality report on Medicare's Nursing Home Compare.
- What is the medical direction model? This explains what kind of care the facility specializes in providing, i.e. subacute, Alzheimer's, for the developmentally disabled. Ideally, many of the patients at a facility would need similar kinds of care.
- What are the weight loss numbers like? All homes will have some, but they should not be substantial. This is listed under the quality report on Nursing Home Compare.
- Does the facility have a resident or family satisfaction survey, and if so, will they show you the results? Good facilities will be transparent?
Of course, the most important question to ask regarding any facility is whether it has the ability to meet the needs of you or your family member. If a facility does not have the experience or expertise to meet the medical and other needs of your family member, it really does not matter that it "looks nice," or "the food is good." If the facility is unable to meet a potential resident's needs, it should say so. Unfortunately, that may no always happen. That is why it is important for you to be knowledgeable and ask the right questions. Questions, like those Ms. Worth suggests are a good place to start.
