How to Find a Good Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility

Although nursing home abuse is a growing problem in the United States it is still possible to find a good nursing home or assisted living facility for your loved ones. It will probably take a bit of time and effort but will provide you with priceless peace of mind.

Start by putting together a list of nursing homes in your area. One of the first things that you'll want to do is to visit them and observe what is happening. You will have to schedule an appointment to visit with the facility's administrator on your initial visit. If you are happy with what you've found on that visit you should plan to return to the residence unexpectedly.

While there you should make every effort to talk with both the residents and the staff. In order to have the best possibility of getting honest answers and reactions to the questions you ask you should avoid talking with the staff while their supervisor is in the area.

Ask both the residents and the staff what, if anything, they would change about the facility. And when you talk with members of the staff inquire as to whether any of their family members live in a nursing home. If they answer "yes" find out if it is at the residence in question. If not, ask them why.

When you speak with the residents find out how long they've been living there and ask them if they are planning to stay there.

In addition, it would be a very good idea to go to the dining room during meal time. Ask if you can sample the food. Find out if the menus accommodate specific ethnic needs and/or dietary needs of the residents.

Are the meals served hot? Do the residents have an ample amount of choices on their menus?

If you see that the staff is offering assistance to the residents in the dining room you should take that as a good indication of how much they care about their patients.

Next, get a list of the week's activities. In order to keep the residents active and stimulated, most long-term care facilities offer a pretty wide variety of activities. Different activities will help to maintain the resident's mental and physical well-being. Find out if there's a bulletin board that features the activities and if the activities include field trips outside of the residence. If the nursing home that you're visiting does not offer activities for its residents then you should cross it off your list.

By doing the proper research you can help to ensure that the residence where your loved one will live will take good care of its residents and not abuse them.

However, while doing your research, if you find elderly abuse taking place at any of the facilities you visit you should contact the proper state authorities and speak to a nursing home abuse lawyer.


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You can find an experienced Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer at http://www.sokolovelaw.com/legal-help/nursing-home-abuse/

Wendy Moyer on behalf of Sokolove Law.