When You’re Considering A Nursing Home Facility
Some primary considerations: Can the facility provide the
level of care your family member needs (skilled care,
respite care, hospice)? Is there availability? What are the
costs, what expenses are reimbursed by Medicaid and
Medicare? What am I responsible to pay? If your family
member will be receiving assistance, V.A. Medicare,
Medicaid, etc, check and see if the facility is certified in
these areas.
When you visit the nursing facility...
• You should be able to meet with the Administrator/Director
of Admissions or Director of Nursing.
• They should give you literature about the facility (costs,
services) so that you can take information home for future
reference.
• Have your questions ready - the person visiting with you
should be very comfortable answering your questions.
They will need to ask you questions about the current
level of care required by your family member to determine
if their facility can meet that need.
• Once you have visited with the Administrator, Admissions
Coordinator or Director of Nurses, you should be taken on a
tour of the facility. If your time is limited, come back for a tour
at another time because it is extremely important to see the
facility. You should be able to visit the facility at
unannounced times.
• As you walk around - what is the general atmosphere?
It should be “home-like” (personal furnishings, pictures,
etc.) and pleasant and clean. You should see housekeeping
staff and janitorial staff on duty. How do the individual
residents look? Are the residents, dressed, hair combed and
seem happy? Those that may be in bed - do they belong
there at the time of day? Do they seem uncomfortable? Do
the care providers seem pleasant and look neat? Are they
attentive to the residents?
What is the staffing ratio? The staffing ratio should be
posted in a conspicuous place. Is the staff observing
Residence Rights by providing privacy for personal Care?
• In addition to showing you general areas of the facility, they
should show you some resident rooms. (If the room is
occupied, they will need the resident’s permission to allow
you to see the room.) See if any Activity Calendars are
posted, if an activity is taking place, ask if you can observe.
Do they have a variety of activities? Again, it is very impor-
tant that the organization have a variety of activities that
stimulate the senses.
• Although Health Department rules prohibit tours of the
kitchen, you may see the dining rooms - ask about the menu
and special diets.
• Look for the posting of the license for the Facility and
Administrator, Residents Rights and survey results all of
which are required to be posted in a conspicuous place.
• Ask about whether rehabilitation services are available, even
if your loved one doesn’t need the service right now. Ask
about how medications, laundry, beauty/barber shop are
handled.
• Are there visiting hours? Can family members participate
in care if desired? Are children and pets allowed to visit?
Are there outdoor areas for the residents? Are the
grounds well maintained?
• As you tour the facility, do you see fire evacuations plans
posted? Do you see fire extinguishers? Smoke Alarms?
Sprinkler system? Certainly feel free to ask more questions!
Once you have had an opportunity to visit all the nursing
facilities on your list, it is good to make a second visit -
perhaps unannounced to follow up on what you learned
the first time.
