Guide To Choosing a Nursing Home
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Trying to choose a nursing home for a loved one?
Your options might be a little easier with a new online rating system from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which provides ratings from one to five stars for 16,000 nursing homes in the U.S. Just 12 percent got five stars overall.
Go to the web site to look up a nursing home in your area by zip code or city.
The rating is based on annual inspections, staff size and the number of nurses. There are in all ten key quality measures, among them, how often residents come down with bed sores, a sure sign they are being left too long.
Some critics say the star-rating system is ‘poorly planned, and prematurely implemented,” and that the information is already available online. But you’d probably have to know how to look for it.
Obviously, an on-line rating system is no substitute for common sense and visiting the facility yourself at all times of the day and being very observant. Also talk with other residents and their families as to their satisfaction level.
Find out the home’s turnover level, and remember an inspection from six-months ago, may not accurately reflect what is going on today. Find out who owns the facility and whether it is for-profit or not-fo-profit.
As our population ages, it is very likely that baby boomers will be behind a push for mandatory staffing levels because without that, too often just the minimum standards are followed. Some guidelines are found in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog as contributed by HomewatchCareGivers. The group provides personnel for in-home and assisted living as well as skilled nursing facilities. Some suggestions include:
1. How long has the agency been providing private duty home care?
2. Is a written, customized care plan developed in consultation with the client and family members, and is the plan updated as changes occur?
3. How are emergencies handled after normal business hours?
4. Do they closely supervise the quality of care, including maintenance of a daily journal in the client’s home and non-scheduled supervisory visits?
5. Does the agency employ a nurse, social worker, or other qualified professional to make regular visits to the client’s home?
6. Do they provide a written document that states the rights and responsibilities of the client, and explains the company’s privacy policy and code of ethics?
7. Do they triple-screen their caregiver employees carefully, including use of reference checks, driving records and criminal background investigations?
8. Does the Agency mandate ongoing training of its employees to continually update their skills?
9. Does the agency manage all payroll and employee-related matters and adhere to state and federal guidelines in its employment practices, such as withholding appropriate taxes and providing Workers’ Compensation and other benefits?
10. Do they also use independent contractors? If so, who employs the person and pays the mandated taxes and withholdings in this case?
