
Caring for your aging parents is not easy. Once you have decided to entrust them to more professional service, first you have to make sure you choose the best facility.
Get a list of nursing homes nearest your house. This is to encourage you to visit them often to make sure they are taken care of and they’ve got everything they need. Even though you’ve given them a new home, they still need to see you regularly.
Research about your prospect. Some things you have to research on are the licenses, credentials, and institutional facilities made available to your patient. Make a lot of inquiries on the services they provide and their systems of operation. It would also be an advantage if there are Social Services Workers who can provide professional care.
What is the institution’s facility on recreation? Your patient has to have activities that will make his day more proactive. Ask for the facility’s list of activities and recreation they provide their patients. Some nursing homes put stress on the establishing a community and neighborhood camaraderie among the residents. You want the nursing home staff to treat your patient more like family than a regular patient. This setup makes it easier for the elderly to adjust to their new environment and their new home.
How does the institution secure safety? Ask about procedures they run during emergencies — emergency exits, floor plans, and fire detectors.
Is the nursing home responsive to your feedback? You want a nursing home to be able to cover the needs of your patient. The facility should be concerned of the quality of their service delivery and this is best achieved if the management is open to your complaints and suggestions.
One Response
Carlotta Katra
October 17th, 2008 at 6:41 am
1Having worked in a nursing home I also recommend that families go visit in the evening when management staff is not there. Walk around and talk to residents. Ask if they are happy there. You have to be careful of who you ask if they are happy there because 60% of people in a nursing home have some level of dementia. Talk to families to see if they are happy and talk to the staff. Is it clean, no or little smell of urine, food good, building well maintained are some of the things you want to look at. A beautiful building doesn’t guarantee that your loved one will get good care. I worked at one of the oldest and ugliest buildings but we gave some of the best care. Just looking at their Medicare Report Card or state health inspection isn’t a true indicator of the care they give. All nursing homes involve people and these inspections are based on record keeping. The requirements for all the documentation take away from patient care. To find out more about choosing a nursing facility go to http://www.agingavenues.com.
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