Nursing Home
If you are considering placing a loved one in a nursing home, please review the checklist below. We suggest you make copies of this list and take notes at each facility you visit, then you can compare them later. It is also a good idea to visit AHCA's Nursing Home Guide to determine what type of facility is best for your family.
Think about these points as you search for the best nursing home:
1. General Levels of Service
Talk to the staff members, especially those providing hands-on services to residents. Do they appear competent and content in their jobs? Are residents treated with respect? Can you picture your relative being cared for by these people? Are residents well groomed, dressed, out of bed? Are residents out of their rooms? Is there privacy during personal care or treatment? Are residents' calls for assistance answered promptly? How many residents does a nurse or nurse's aide care for during the day, evening or night?
2. Rooms and Facility in General
Are rooms attractive, comfortable, clean, well kept? Have residents personalized their rooms? Do bedrooms open onto a corridor and have windows? Are there handrails in hallways? Are the hallways wide enough to permit two wheelchairs to pass with ease and wheelchair ramps for easy access into and out of the home?
3. Resident Lounge Areas
Is there sufficient space and furniture for visitors, conversation, TV watching?
Is there a variety of leisure equipment available? Are residents enjoying it?
Is there a place for private visits?
4. Activity Programs
Is a schedule of daily events posted?
Do the activities cover a range of different interests?
Do residents participate in planning activities? Is there a resident council?
Are there activities for patients confined to their bedrooms?
Does the home have volunteers?
5. Dining Area and Menu
Is the mealtime atmosphere to your liking?
Has the home served the same meal listed on the menu? Are hot foods hot and cold foods cold?
Does the kitchen separate food preparation, garbage and the dishwasher areas, and keep perishable foods refrigerated?
Does the food appear appetizing?
Are residents satisfied with the quality of the food?
Can residents get substitute meals when they do not like the menu?
Are residents who need assistance helped promptly?
May visitors join residents for meals?
6. Bathrooms and Showers
Are bathrooms, showers and tubs close to bedrooms? How many residents share each one?
Is there a call button near the toilet?
Is the toilet facility designed to accommodate wheelchairs?
Are there grab bars?
7. Health Care
Is a physician available for emergencies?
If the resident needs hospitalization, which hospitals does the home have a contractual relationship with?
Who is the facility's pharmacist or pharmacy consultant? Can residents use their own pharmacy?
Is there a variety of therapeutic equipment?
Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect does take place in homes. If you suspect someone is a victim, visit the Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center.
For more information on this and related topics, please visit the following sites:
- American Association of Retired People (AARP)
- The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
- The National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform
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