The options discussed in the previous section may work for people who require less than skilled care, or who require skilled care for only brief periods of time. Many people with long-term skilled care needs require a level and amount of care that cannot be easily handled outside of a nursing home.

If you decide that a nursing home is the right choice, begin to gather information about the nursing homes in an area near your family and friends. Ask your friends and neighbors if they know people who have lived in local nursing homes, and if they were satisfied with the care provided.

Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs can be a good source of information and can be an important resource to nursing home residents, their families, and friends. Ombudsman volunteers visit nursing homes on a regular basis. They can provide information about how homes are organized and regulated. Ombudsmen should know about the strengths and weaknesses of nursing homes in their area. They can work to resolve problems such as poor care, dietary needs, and financial issues. Ombudsmen also can help you determine how problems in nursing homes can be best handled.

Although Ombudsman programs are not allowed to recommend one nursing home over another, they can provide the results of the latest State inspection on the home and some information about the nursing home's complaint history. They can also help explain any information that is not clear and can give general advice on what to look for when visiting nursing homes.

Nursing Home Comparison database at Medicare 's Internet website www.medicare.gov, which gives you information about every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country and the results from their latest nursing home inspection. You can search for nursing homes by geographic area and get a side-by-side comparison of important information like quality of care in an easy to read chart format.

Nursing Home Report Cards

Citizen Advocacy Groups (CAGs)