Nursing Home Inspection contd.

What other sorts of therapy or services are available to residents? Are any of them included in the cost of the facility stay? Ask to have charges and rates listed and explained, and ask for a list of services included in these charges.

Do the staff encourage residents to remain independent? For example, some nursing home staff encourage residents to ride in wheelchairs rather than walk to the dining room, simply because it’s quicker and easier for the staff to get the resident places. However, this encourages dependence, and soon the residents rarely leave their wheel chairs. It’s better if the staff encourage residents to do as much as they can for themselves, even if it is slow or clumsy.

Do the staff appear competent, and do they appear to enjoy their jobs?

Are residents attended to promptly when they ring their call bells?

Are the residents clean, dressed, groomed, and out of their rooms during the day?

What sort of transportation arrangements are available to residents?

How does the nursing home safeguard against theft and loss?

Is your loved one’s primary language spoken by the staff at the nursing home?

How and when does the nursing home use physical restraints?

Talk to other residents. Do they enjoy living at the home? What do they like and dislike about the nursing home?

If you or your loved one has a complaint, who can you talk to?

Is there a family council that you can join?

Ask how long the medical director has been with the facility.

Ask if they have any verbal references that you can talk to.

What is the staff retention rate?

Does the state long term ombudsman regularly visit the facility?

Ask to see a copy of the admission contract. Ask if they have a social worker on staff to help make the transition easier.

Ask to see

Do the staff wear name tags?

 the nursing home’s general policies to see if your loved one will be comfortable with them.

Are there safeguards in place to deal with residents who get confused and wander around? For example, are there staff who patrol the halls to help? Are their guards at the doors both for general safety issues but also to prevent confused residents from leaving?

Do the staff wear name tags?

Does the nursing home do background checks on staff?

What are the resident’s rights?

Are there isolation rooms to isolate a resident who’s dealing with a contagious disease? Are they near the nurse’s station?

By the time you’ve evaluated the nursing homes by inspecting them on all the above criteria, and you’ve visited several of them multiple times, you should have a good idea of which one your loved one will be most comfortable in. The decision is never easy, but listen to your gut, your head, and make the decision.

Nursing Home Questions

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