QUESTION: We need to find a nursing home for my mother “ quickly. What should we be thinking about when considering different facilities?
"YOUR NEST" RESPONDS: Take a moment to review the article in Your Nest, entitled: How To Tour a Nursing Home. You’ll find many helpful overview suggestions there.
In addition, visit www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Checklist.asp. The folks at Medicare have developed an all-inclusive checklist which you should use for each Nursing Home facility that you visit. Their checklist includes the following categories: Basic nursing home information; Nursing home specific information; Quality of Life; Quality of Care; Nutrition and Hydration; and Safety. Their checklist asks other questions, too. These include questions about residents with: physical restraints; pressure (bed) sores; bowel and bladder incontinence; eating dependencies; restricted joint motion; unplanned weight changes; and behavioral symptoms.
Another helpful hint: visit the Your Nest Housing Options search feature to find a nursing home in your area.
