How to Find a Reputable Nursing Home for Your Elderly Parent

For every son or daughter, there might come that sad day when your parent needs additional assistance to live on his or her own. If they are having trouble with their memory, motor skills or are having a hard time with taking care of themselves, your best option is to find a nursing home so that they don’t hurt themselves by falling or get ill by forgetting to take their medication or not eating. It’s a true and sad fact, but as your parent gets older and more vulnerable your best option is to move them into an assisted living home where they will be best cared for. Yet, it is important to consider that about 30% of the nursing homes are ill equipped to fully take care for the elderly and a smaller percentage of them are actually neglectful. Luckily, there are a few different ways to find a reputable nursing home for your elderly parent.

One of the first steps is to ask your friends and family if they know of a good assisted living center. You can also ask your doctor or your parent’s physician if they know of a good nursing home. If your parent has more unique needs than you need to find the right hospital for them, so asking a doctor or a physician will probably be your best bet.

After you have a list of about 5 nursing homes you should go and visit them to inspect the premises. Most of the time they will be a part of a hospital, or if they are privately own they will look more like an apartment complex. Be weary of privately owned nursing homes, because they can be understaffed to save money and make a profit, and thus be more neglectful. When you do visit a nursing home, make sure there is plenty of light, nurses, fire alarms and lots of safety precaution.

It is also important to know that an online reputation won’t tell you everything. A quality nursing home will need to clearly state their rating on their website or somewhere else near their online listing. This rating is based on 150 local and state requirements that nursing homes must follow; from the type of light bulbs they use to the way they store food. If they don’t have a rating, it might mean that they are not fully qualified.

Next it is important that you weigh the costs. Often times, the most expensive facility is not necessarily the best. It is important to know what some of these costs are. For instance, are these costs going to around the clock care if your parent needs special assistance? Or are these costs arbitrary with vague terms and agreements? Many times, if an assisted living home is trying to gouge you, it probably isn’t the right one.

Lastly, any great assisted living center will have an adequate number of nurses on staff. By state law, all nursing homes need at least 8 nurses per floor. You want to make sure that your parent has the care they need, from bathing, to eating, and even companionship and friendship. Most of all, a nursing home should feel like home for your aging parents.