Nursing Home Inspection

What to look for when Inspecting the Nursing Home

When you start your nursing home inspection, your first stop at each care home is to ask to see their licenses and other credentials. Many facilities have these licenses on display. If they don’t, ask to see them. Don’t take them on their word that licenses exist – you’ll want to see them yourself.

In addition, ask to see a copy of their most recent inspection report survey. This report details how well the facility meets Federal and state health and safety requirements.

Should you notice any low marks in any particular area on the report, ask them how they’ve remedied it since the report.

Note: you may also be able to receive these reports online at www.medicare.gov.

If the nursing home is unable or unwilling to show you their licenses or reports – or if the reports are unfavorable – cross this facility off your list and move on.

It's a good idea to make an appointment when visiting the nursing/convalescent home for the first time, this way you can expect to be taken on an 'official' tour. However, don't stop at this one visit. If there are several homes that you're interested it's prudent to visit them once if not twice more, preferably at different times of day, say during the evening or at weekends when there are likely to be 'weekend' staff on duty.  Try to visit say on a Monday morning or at supper time on Friday to get a more rounded idea of what goes on at the different times of day. 

Arrange to visit during a meal time and during an activity time so you can view interactions between the staff and the residents, for example, do the staff make eye contact and call the elderly residents by name?  Is there a happy atmosphere within the nursing home?

So what should you look for when you visit a facility?

Outside the Building

What is your first impression of the outside of the building?

Does it look inviting?

Is there a garden/yard and flowers for the residents to enjoy?

Is there a hospital nearby?

Inside the Building

What are your first impressions when you step inside the building? Does it seem warm and inviting? Is the temperature comfortable? How is the sound level? Does it seem clean and free of odors?

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