What to Look for In a Potential Nursing Home

If you need to have your elderly loved one go into a nursing home, it’s important to understand the various things to look for in your potential choices to ensure your loved one will be safe and well cared for. Here are the major things you want to keep in mind:

• Resident Rooms: Be sure to check the areas where your loved one will be living. The resident rooms should be free of any potential hazards, provide enough privacy, and give your loved one a sense of comfort.
• Staff & Resident Interaction: How the staff interacts with patients is a big deal. It shows the comfort level between the residents and the staff tasked with caring for them. You may also be on the lookout for any apprehension from the residents to specific staff members, which could be a red flag.
• Recreation Areas: Check to see some of the activities offered to residents. See what’s important to your elderly loved one and if they would be comfortable with the activities offered.
• Medical Attention: If your loved one requires constant medical attention or needs to have a doctor visit from a medical facility, make sure this is something that is allowed and that the nursing home offers these services.
• Dining: You want to ensure that your loved one will be properly nourished which means regular dining situations and healthy meals. You don’t want your loved one going hungry or without certain parts of dietary restrictions if called for.
• Past Reports: Before you have your loved one stay in a nursing home, make sure you check the past history of the nursing home and any reports of abuse. While it’s not a sign that nursing home abuse still exists, it could be a red flag that you would want to ask about.

These are just a few of the things you want to look for when it comes to ensuring your loved ones safety in a nursing home.