Nursing homes are a necessary part of end-of-life care for many individuals. They provide care for seniors who are no longer able to receive care in their own homes, but who don’t require the level of care offered by a hospital. Until recently, nursing homes were rigid and institutionalized, more focused on rules and regulations than on quality of life for their residents. Now, culture is changing throughout many nursing homes to one of resident-centered care. They want their residents to feel as though they’re at home, as comfortable as possible in spite of their medical challenges. Knowing what to look for in a nursing home can help you find the one that’s right for your needs.

The Initial Search

When you’re looking for a nursing home, it helps to start with referrals. You may find that others in your community already have plenty of experience with the nursing homes in the area. Listen to what they have to say about those nursing homes and educate yourself as much as possible about the ones in your area that receive positive reviews—as well as the ones that stand out in negative ways. Then, ask yourself these questions:

What are my medical needs going to look like throughout the duration of my stay? If you know that your medical condition will worsen over the next few months or years, you’ll need to take that into consideration. Make sure that the nursing home is equipped with everything you’ll need for your increasing medical challenges.

How close is the nursing home to my loved ones? You want to be sure that your nursing home is easily accessible to the people who mean the most to you so that they can visit often throughout your time there.

Looking Deeper

After you’ve found a nursing home that you think will answer your needs, you can plan a visit to look it over. Talk with the residents, staff, and medical professionals who work with the nursing home if possible. There are several things that you should look for on this visit.

The Facility: Take in the sights and sounds of the nursing home as you walk through, using all of your senses. Do residents sound happy? Is it easily accessible to their family members? What about the food: does it look appetizing? Use all of your senses. While a “medical” smell isn’t uncommon, if the nursing home smells dirty, unclean, or otherwise unpleasant, it might not be the right place for you. Also, look over the amenities offered by the facility. A pleasant seating area for visiting with friends and family, comfortable rooms, and other options will make your stay in the nursing home more pleasant and make you feel like you’re at home. Examine the facility design and the options offered in the rooms. Evaluate the friendly, professional nature of the staff. All of these things will help you develop an accurate view of the facility.

The Residents: Take the opportunity to speak with some of the residents. Get a feel for the overall mood of the nursing home population. Are families visiting cheerfully? Are conversations generally pleasant? Feel free to ask residents what they think of their experience in this nursing home and take the time to talk with a few of them. Do their personalities seem to fit with yours? What about their attitudes? As you talk with the residents, you’ll be able to discern whether or not your personality will mesh with others in the nursing home.

The Nursing Home Quality Report: A look at the quality report will give you a good idea of the overall quality of the home. There will be an overall rating that gives you an idea of what qualified professionals think of the nursing home quality. You’ll get a look at the number of registered nurses on the staff, their health inspection, and other important information. The quality report will also help you assess how the admission process works.

Don’t forget about cost. Ultimately, the cost and payment options available in many nursing homes will determine whether or not they are a viable option for you. The most wonderful nursing home facility in your area still needs to have reasonable payment options. It’s also important to know whether or not your nursing home will work with your existing insurance or Medicaid coverage—which may help pay for your nursing home stay.

Being educated about nursing home care and the options in your area will help you make informed decisions about nursing home care. Planning ahead will prevent you from making unexpected, hasty decisions. You may spend many years in a nursing home. Seeking out the information you need ahead of time will allow you to be comfortable throughout those years.

To find out whether you are eligible for Medicaid coverage, please visit our FAQs page or call us today for your free Medicaid consultation.

Geraldine was in her late 80s when she decided it was time to find the right home care aide for her needs. She especially needed companionship and help with housekeeping. She had always been very particular about who she allowed in her home and for how long.

Although her daughter had tried on several occasions to have home care aides come over to help with tasks such as mopping the kitchen floor and dusting around the house, Geraldine found it very difficult to allow someone else to do the work.

She was a very independent woman with a can-do attitude. Having grown up in the bay area of California, she was one of the first women in her family circle to go to college. She enjoyed reading books upon books about anything and everything. She secured a job as a typist and was highly adamant about learning new technologies.

She was among the first women of her generation to transition from a regular typewriter to an electronic typewriter and then ultimately a computer. Even in her late 80s she was sending out emails to relatives and friends.

In her late golden years, her favorite activities were dancing and talking on the telephone.

The right home care aide finally came when a newly trained home care aide arrived at her doorstep one summer morning. The home care aide treated Geraldine with respect and talked with her about family, work, and the local news. The defining line for Geraldine in finding the right home care aide was that she needed someone who was out-going, yet able to do tasks without making Geraldine feel incapable or disrespected.

At first, finding the right home care aide may seem limited to friends and nearby relatives. But this is not necessarily the best option and closes the avenues of help that your loved one may receive.

A friend may end up spending the whole morning chatting with the senior and not lifting a single finger to get urgent tasks completed around the house. Relatives may not have the resources or time to be able to consistently help out the senior causing frustration on both sides.

A great avenue to consider is online reviews of home care and word-of-mouth referrals. When someone can vouch for the home care aide’s experience, demeanor, and professionalism, it can make a world of difference to the senior.

After personal safety, another important item to look for in a home care aide is their compatibility with the senior in the home. Do they treat the senior with respect? Do they answer questions in a cordial manner? Are they able to work and listen/talk at the same time? Do they meet all or most of the wants of the senior?

Does your home care aide charge by the project or by the hour? I find it’s easier to pay by the project so that you know what tasks will be performed. Others, however, prefer to pay hourly rates so that they can include or take out specific services during a session. Speaking of cost, it’s also important to note that if you’re eligible for Medicaid, you may be able to use that to help defray the cost of in-home care services.

Home care aides may take care of a range of other responsibilities as well, such as: meal planning, light cooking, following up on doctor appointments and check-ups, and ensuring that the senior they are taking care of is in good health.

Even though some home care aides may not have the same chemistry with your loved one that they share with others, having a solid understanding of your loved one’s needs is a great way to begin the search process for the right home care aide. Keep communication open, and be willing to explore all of your options!

Please visit SeniorAdvisor.com for more tips on finding a caregiver for your loved one.

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to share with you a great service that can help our senior population. I had the privilege of getting to know Joe Santoro who is one of the founders of Personal Property Managers.

Personal Property Managers play a pivotal role in the process when Mom or Dad are transitioning to a Long Term Care Facility. They assist clients in content and asset liquidation that complies with Medicaid guidelines. They assist families with helping their loved ones transition from their homes of many years to a senior care community.

They offer a full spectrum of services

Home downsizing services

Home clean out services

Estate sales services

Full service real estate (home sale) services

Home watch services

Moving services 

This is a great service that really alleviates a lot of stress from families that are going through this process. It’s a complete package in one phone call. Please reach out to Joe or Nick at 908-368-1909 in NJ or 215-485-9272 in PA or visit their website at www.personalpropertymanagers.com.

We at Senior Planning Services would like to take a moment and convey our deep appreciation to our Veterans. The brave men and women who defend our country, and enable us to live with the freedoms we have. These are our true heroes May these brave men and women be blessed for their selfless dedication and services to the United States of America.