Tips In Selecting A Nursing Home In Missouri

How To Choose The Best Nursing Home 

When determining the best nursing home for a loved one, it is critical to ask several questions and to visit multiple facilities before making that decision. Choosing a nursing home for a loved one involves a number of very emotional and overwhelming decisions. Hopefully you can find a good nursing home close to you and your other family members so you can visit often. When selecting a nursing home, you should ask the hard questions as well. Some of those questions include:

1. Is the facility accredited?
2. Does the patient’s doctor serve the facility and what kind of reputation does the medical director of the nursing home have?
3. What is the reputation of the nursing staff and what is the turnover rate of the nurse’s aides?
4. Is the facility operated based on the needs of the staff or the patient?
5. What do others in the Kansas City area think of the nursing home? Ask around for referrals.
6. How are the meals? It is probably smart to go observe a mealtime and look at what kind of food is being fed to the residents. You may even want to ask if there is a dietician on staff.
7. How have the regulators of the nursing home rated the facility?
8. How does the facility rank for their patients’ falling rate?
9. What kind of supervised daily activities and exercises are provided to the residents?
10. What does the institution do to prevent the spread of staph infections?
11. How does the facility handle staffing shortages?
12. What kinds of programs are offered to the residents?
13. How are individual care plans developed?
14. Is the staff pleasant, caring, and accommodating to residents as well as visitors?
15. Do staff members undergo background checks before being hired and are required to do regular evaluations afterward?
16. Is the facility wheelchair accessible? Do the hallways and bathrooms have handrails and non-skid floors to help prevent falls?
17. How clean is the facility? Are there any unpleasant odors, such as garbage, urine or mold? Are residents clean and well groomed?
18. Does insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, savings or other sources of income to cover the cost of care at the nursing home?
19. How are emergencies handled and whether there is transportation to and from doctor’s appointments