I have no idea where to start. I used a referral service for the assisted living home that my sister has been in but they don’t refer to nursing homes and I’ve heard nothing but horrible things about them. If you’ve chosen a nursing home for a loved one, how did you go about doing this?
We visited each place twice, once with an appointment and once just showing up.
The smell test is important. One place stank and the nurse said "oh, someone just had an accident". 2 days later, same smell. Nope.
Other than that, we based our decision on access to religious services and distance.
The thing that totally turned me off is when the owner told one of the residents to go wait on her room with the door closed while she gave me the tour. None of the other residents were visible. And all the bedroom doors were closed. It made me very uneasy about what kind of care or activities would be available.
The other MC facility was nice, but I didn't get a warm feeling. The residents that I saw were clean and neat and the facility was clean and odor free, but there was no joy.
The one I decided on was warm and inviting. The residents were all sitting in the living room playing as best they could, a trivia game. The building was spotless, odorless, and bright. There are activities scheduled every 30 to 60 minutes. What impressed me the most is the obvious love the staff showed to the residents. One lady was noticeably upset about something and the staff member knelt down, held her hand while listening to her, then hugged her. The lady sighed and settled down.
That is the care I want for my husband.
Knowing nothing about it, I chose the one nearest my home that had the best parking, just barely before the ambulance taking her AWAY from the hospital pulled away. The distance paid off big time.
She had rehab there, and following a long very difficult 9 months being cared for in my home, returned there, and it was a sweet and wonderfully cared for life for 5 1/2 years before she died there.
As it happened, their public state and National ratings were top notch, but every other thing about it was wonderful too, a faithful and devoted care staff, some of the best therapy I, as a therapist myself, had ever observed, and an going sense that the needs of their residents came first.
Choosing? Pleasant cozy atmosphere, smells good, safety first always, aromas of something yummy at lunch, smiling residents, smiling staff, access to TV, activities, entertainment, welcome feeling as soon as you enter.
Actually, after you’ve past the care ratings, you can trust the decision making to where you’d like to be if you were frail or confused or ill.
I’ve already told the care staff at my mom’s SNF that if I were ever to need the type of care they offer, I’d want to be living right there with them, and they AND MY FAMILY know I MEAN IT.
But, I'm considering a Live In since the cost would be at least half of hiring several Caregivers doing 12 hr shifts.
I did think about a Nursing Home and I wouldn't put a Love One in a Nursing Home unless I've stopped by a few different times unannounced and looked around and talked to a few of the residents.
Main't thing I decided was if the Nursing Home wouldn't allow a Camera in a Lived Ones Room then I wouldn't check my Lived One in that Nursing Home.
I use Nest Cameras at my Dad's house so I can watch him and see how the Caregivers are treating him any time I want 24 7.
Nest Cameras are easy to install and gave me Peace of Mind.
Prayers
I understand and appreciate your desire to be able to maintain surveillance, but there are privacy concerns too.
Online reviews for these facilities are very unreliable and often times the reviewers can be paid to write them and negative review can be removed specially if management company or ownership changes.
Make sure to ask for move in incentives. :-)
Best wishes and good luck. .
you may find this website helpful.
Word of mouth, reading and visiting are all essential.
Check into Medicaid and what documentation you’ll need to begin to gather. Good Luck!
When I decided to place my brother into hospice care, I was adamant about moving him from the nightmare place. Even hospice nurses didn’t like that he place. I looked up facilities that looked good to me and the hospice social worker called around. He ended up going to one that had an overall three star rating and five star for resident care. He has Medicare and Medicaid and nursing homes like to limit the number of beds with this kind of payment because it’s less than what a pay out of pocket payment would be. He’s actually improved. I also found this hospice on the Medicare website. It was one out of two that all the various ratings were high and above the national average and they’ve been great. I wish more people knew about Medicare’s rating system. And of course tour these facilities.