How To Evaluate Nursing Homes

This section covers how to evaluate skilled nursing homes and nursing homes. In this section, we cover specifics. This part of the selection process starts after you’ve down-selected to a few facilities. Learn about identifying options here.

Reading up on a facility using a search engine, or the facility’s website is a good start. But if you’re picking a new home for a loved one, you want a lot more information.

You Already Have Evaluation Skills – Use Them

You’ve been evaluating what’s right and wrong for you for years. How do you select and plan a vacation? You ask friends for ideas. If you’ve found some destination you want to visit, you ask your friends if they’ve been there. You look up the destinations ratings. also look for reviews of people that have stayed at the hotel you want to try.

CarePlanIt will help you take you’re existing skills and transfer them to the modern world of selecting skilled nursing homes and nursing homes. This process isn’t that different. Priorities and objectives may are different, but the evaluation process should be the same.

The diagram below, and the sections below the diagram cover the areas and things you should ask about. However, our complete questionnaire includes 20 pages of detailed questions. Get it here.

Eight Key Areas To Evaluate When Choosing Nursing Homes

1. Gather Public Information

There are lots of public reviews of skilled nursing homes and nursing homes. You can find them on Google and Yelp. The government maintains a national database grading skilled nursing homes and nursing homes, and rehabilitation facilities. You can find that database here. Skilled nursing facilities are reviewed by the state. These reviews and remediation plans submitted by the facility in response, are available to the public. Make sure you get copies. Also, understand the five-star rating system. CarePlanIt reviews this system at the bottom of our page on Skilled Nursing Homes.

2. ADL And IADL Services Offerred By Skilled Nursing Homes

In skilled nursing homes, activities of daily living (ADLs) are King. Learn about these here. Get specific. You need to know the extent of help your loved one needs, and how the facility provides that help. If they offer help and supervision bathing, what does this mean? Do they support bathing, showering, or both? Can you request the gender of the aid? If the facility supports feeding, what does this mean? Does an aid help with meals? Do they provide the same aid? Does the aid work across multiple residents during a meal? Do they help with dressing? How does the aid support work for dressing? Mobility is another key ADL. How does the facility manage transfers? Do they have lift machines? How many?

3. Medical Planning And Services

In many nursing home environments, initial assessments and regular updates are critical. Any time a senior is in a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation, it’s critical they are monitored for improvements and ongoing needs. However, residents permanently in nursing homes may get less attention. Often their ability to improve is low and they basically slowly decline over time. Ask the facility how they track and monitor long-term residents. Also, make sure you know what medical and medical-related services they have? Do they have onsite doctors, nurses, nutritionists, or physical therapists? If they don’t have onsite medical professionals, do they have part-time professionals? Can the professionals visit the resident? Do they have a room where the visit takes place or does it have to occur in the residents’ room? What medical procedures (e.g., enteral feedings, intravenous injections, intramuscular injections, etc.) are performed onsite?

4. Activities And Amenities

When you evaluate nursing homes, you want to understand all the activities and amenities available. Activities include memory classes, movie nights, game nights, sing-alongs, and fitness classes. Amenities are things like food services, beauty shops, and game rooms. Can a resident receive meals in their room? Under what circumstances? Are the activities permanent, or can they be canceled? Also, well-run facilities have calendars listing activities. Ask for activity calendars. Finally, sit in on these activities and explore the amenities.

5. Staff Is Key When Evaluating Nursing Homes

The staff will care for your loved one. Who the staff is and how well trained they are, will have a significant impact on the residents. The government five-star rating system uses staff counts as a key measure of overall quality. Make sure you know the facilities rating in this category. What is the composition of the staff (i.e., aids, nurses, etc.)? What languages are spoken? Is English competence required? Are there training or certification requirements? What for, and for who? What’s the staff turnover? Also, are there any lawsuits against the facility for staff actions?

6. Facility

You’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t judge a book its cover?” When you’re evaluating a nursing home you can, at least partially, judge a book by its cover. Are there bad smells in the hallways or coming from residents’ rooms? Expect some, it’s hard to keep all areas of nursing home smelling good. But if multiple areas of the facility smell, you’ve found a problem. Is the facility well maintained? How convenient is the parking? Is the facility secure? Are the grounds nice? Are there patios, places to eat outside, walk areas? What are the showers and bathrooms like? Do they have safety features? Can wheelchairs fit into the bathrooms?

What are the eviction procedures? Under what circumstances can a resident be readmitted? It might sound simple, but what the facility looks like is a reflection of their attention to detail.

7. Overall Convenience of Assited Living Facilities And Nursing Homes

Is the facility nearby the senior? Is it nearby relatives? What are the transportation options? Are their faith-based options nearby for your loved one?

8. Costs And Pricing Of Nursing Homes

Who is responsible for paying? Will the facility accept Medicaid? If you start as private pay, will the facility accept Medicaid when you run out of money? Who signs the contract? When do you pay (daily, monthly, etc.)? Is everything included, or are there a la carte charges for services? What happens if you fail to pay?

Make Good Decisions When You Evaluate Nursing Homes

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