There comes a point in many peoples’ lives when they need to research nursing homes for their parents or sometimes even themselves.  Generally, a nursing home may be needed for a number of reasons, such as transfer issues, advanced dementia or chronic health care issues.  Placement can be an emotional time for you or your loved ones, so you need to go into the process with as much knowledge as possible.  While financial considerations are important, there are a number of things to consider before making your choice. There are also a few online tools that can help make the decision easier.

Initial Considerations

Most people enter a nursing home following a three-day hospital stay, where Medicare pays for the first 20 days.  After the first 20 days, there is, typically, a co-pay of $147.50/day, which may be paid for with a good Medi-gap policy.  If you have an HMO, the rules are similar, depending on the policy.  Typically, the initial stay is part of your rehabilitation to get back to where you were before the hospital stay.  Unfortunately, longer term care becomes necessary.

Make A List Of Potential Candidates

The reality is that finding a good nursing home is not always easy.  The discharge coordinator from the hospital may be helpful but you still need to do your own, independent research.  Medicare has a great tool to help you find and compare nursing homes. When using the tool, make sure the location of the facility is a part of your decision. Proximity is important to ensure the patient has a better chance to have visitors from friends and family.  However, it may be worth a longer drive if the facility you finally choose has a higher star rating and clean health inspections. You can also find out information about the staff at the nursing home, the results of any facility fire inspections, and any  Medicare “quality measures” the facility may provide. Also, be sure to check the Florida Licensed Nursing Home Administrators board to ensure the facility administrator is licensed and there haven’t been any complaints on the facility.

Visit Before You Choose A Nursing Home

Often the top candidate on paper is not the top candidate in person. Take a trip out to each facility and make sure they are a good fit for you or your parent. The most important thing is how you are treated and the current residents should appear happy and well cared for. Try to get a feel for why the staff works at the nursing home. You want a place where the staff cares about the well being of the residents. Look closely at the cleanliness of the facility. No nursing home is completely spotless, but it should at least look like it is cleaned regularly and with attention to detail. Have at least one meal at the facility to investigate the quality of the food preparation and how the facility can accommodate special feeding or dietary needs. Most importantly, take your time. You need to spend an hour or two in each facility taking notes and getting a very good idea of what life in the nursing home is like.

Get Help Making the Arrangements

Many people don’t realize that very few lawyers specialize in helping elderly patients. For instance,  elder law attorney “Rep” DeLoach can help you create a living trust, apply for Medicaid and veteran’s benefits, he and his staff  can help you or your loved one in some unexpected ways, including help with  finding  an assisted living or nursing home facility that provides the specific type of care you need. He will help you with life care planning, and care coordination, in addition to the more traditional asset protection and estate planning. Rep’s focus on educating seniors and moving elder law in the right direction has led him to become specially trained and board certified in elder law.  Added to his increased knowledge in elder law is his deep familiarity with care facilities in the Tampa Bay and Pinellas area. Utilizing his knowledge can help shorten your search time for a nursing home or assisted living facility. He has also assembled a robust elder care team, including medical staff that will help you choose the facility best suited to caring for you or your family member.  Most importantly, his experience allows him to know the questions you may not think of until it is too late. To get expert help in finding a nursing home that fits your needs make an appointment with our elder care lawyer today.