How To Select A Nursing Home For Your Loved One

If someone you love can no longer safely live on their own, the thought of placing them in a nursing home might be frightening. Residents at nursing homes are particularly vulnerable to elder abuse because they do not have an advocate around all the time to look after their well-being. Because of this, it’s important to know how best to select a nursing home to prevent your loved one from becoming a victim of elder abuse.

Nursing Home Selection Tips

1. Look for a documented history of complaints against the institution with governing state and/or federal agencies.
2. Research previous lawsuits filed against the facility.
3. Look at federal, state, and local data on the nursing home.
4. Visit nursing homes you are considering more than once, and at least once without warning.
5. Look at staff turnover and the ratio of staff to residents.

Visit Potential Nursing Homes

While the Internet holds a plethora of information about nursing homes, including reviews, pictures, and testimonials, it’s crucial to visit a nursing home in person. In person, you can see and hear the environment that your loved one will experience on a daily basis. See how the staff members address the residents and each other to ensure they are attentive and considerate.

In addition to quality staff, make sure the nursing home has quality food. Does the food being served smell and look healthy and adequate? More importantly, does it taste good? This is the food that should be enticing elderly residents to eat every day. If your loved one has special dietary restrictions or needs, make sure the nursing home can accommodate them and look into the facility’s processes for ensuring those needs are met.

It’s also important that the nursing home has a regular schedule of activities that are interesting and engaging for the residents. While a nursing home may offer a broad range of activities, some of the most basic activities give insight into the quality of care. Check to see if television programs playing are of interest to the residents. If the staff has set the television to programs they find interesting, rather than what the residents find interesting, this could mean the staff is unconcerned with the needs of the residents.

Lopez McHugh: Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

If despite your best efforts, you or a loved one experiences nursing home abuse, retain the services of nursing home abuse lawyers who can confront those responsible in a court of law. The nursing home abuse lawyers at Lopez McHugh LLP can help determine negligence and get you the compensation you serve. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and put a stop to the abuse.