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When it’s time to find a nursing home for an elderly parent or your spouse, the decision can be the hardest part of the process. But it’s not the only tough part. Gathering information can make the task even more difficult.
One source is Medicare’s nursing home comparisons (www.medicare.gov, then put nursing homes in the search box). Enter your ZIP code and you’ll get an list of places within 25 miles. They’ll each be rated with stars for health inspections, fire safety, staffing, quality of resident care and penalties.
Make special note of this last category; it can reveal a lot. Penalties can include the past three years of fines and denial of payments if the nursing home failed to correct a citation for health or fire safety. In a serious situation, a manager or state monitor might be called in to oversee the facility.
Staffing is another big issue, especially if the nursing home doesn’t have enough employees. Medicare keeps track of how many registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing aides and physical therapists are on staff, and how many hours per day are devoted to working with patients. RNs, for example, are in charge of the patient’s overall care plan and supervise the other staff. Even having the right number of nursing aides per patient is critical to ensure that bathing, grooming, eating and more are managed for each patient.
What might be most crucial, however, is how you feel when you first walk through the door. Do you hear any staff members speaking in a rude tone to any of the patients? Would you be able to visit all day? Is it noisy?
Use the free online Medicare booklet about choosing a nursing home to understand your rights, learn who pays for what and how to get help, or call them at 1-800-633-4227.
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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