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- Be certain that a nursing home is what your loved one really needs. Less
restrictive community alternatives such as Assisted Living, Adult Day Care or in-home
services may be more appropriate.
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Make an assessment of the items and services which are a priority to your loved one. Divide the assessment
into two parts: Quality of Care, and Quality of Life.
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Get a list of nursing
homes in your area. This can be obtained
from the Agency for Health Care Administration by calling 1-888-419-3456.
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Choose at least 5 or 6
nursing homes from the list. Select those
that offer the services your loved one needs, and ones that are closest to family members.
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Tour each facility. Use a checklist, and make notes. Visit at odd
times, such as dinnertime, nights and on weekends. Pay
attention to smells. Observe how the
residents are dressed and groomed. Find out
how many CNAs work on each shift. Watch how
staff talk to the residents. Review the
activity calendar. Look at patient rooms,
activity areas, dining areas, bathing areas. Observe
call lights and how quickly staff answer the lights.
Check to see if residents are restrained.
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Talk to residents and
family members if possible. Ask them what
they like about the facility, and what they dislike.
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Talk to staff if possible. Ask how long they have worked
there. Ask if they always work with the same residents,
and if not, how they are assigned to patients.
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Examine the most recent
survey results, which should be posted in a prominent place.
If it isn’t posted, ask to see it. Pay attention to how many and what type of
deficiencies the facility was cited for. Check the facility’s
rating. A “Superior” rating doesn’t
necessarily mean that the facility is exceptional, but a “conditional” rating
indicates problems.
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Ask to see an admission
contract. Read it, and make sure that the
facility has not disclaimed, misrepresented or ignored state or federal nursing home laws
and regulations. The most common areas that
nursing home corporations attempt to deceive or confuse a resident are:
Including reasons for involuntary discharge that are not in federal law failure
to inform residents of their legal right to appeal an involuntary discharge including
agreements to “vacate” the facility if the facility claims the resident owes
money to the facility
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Having
residents waive their rights to be readmitted following a hospital stay of more than 7
days
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Having
residents waive their right to refuse an intra-facility transfer from a Medicare bed to a
Medicaid bed
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Having
residents release the facility from responsibility for the actions of physicians
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Statements
that the facility is not responsible for resident’s personal property
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Requiring
residents to have his or her income directly deposited to the facility
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Requiring
the resident’s family or friend to become personally liable for all of the
resident’s nursing facility charges
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Inclusion
of a statement that ignores or disclaims a resident’s right to not pay for charges
while Medicare is considering payment for the same charges
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Failure
to include a list of the items and services included in the daily rate
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Failure
to list charges for the items and services NOT included in the daily rate
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Failure
to notify a resident of their right to refuse treatment
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Restricting
the visiting hours of a resident’s family or friends
- Call the local ombudsman
office and ask how many complaints have been filed against the facility, the type of
complaints, and the number verified. Ask
about the most recent facility inspection.
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Remember, every nursing home you visit
will have strengths and weaknesses. The key
is to select a facility whose strengths most closely meets your loved one’s
individual needs. And once your loved one is
admitted to a nursing home,visit frequently and
insist on good care!
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