It is unknown how many of our vulnerable elderly fall victim to neglect or abuse each year since such actions are easily hidden from view and underreported. In fact, according to the National Center for Elder Abuse (NCEA), 84 percent of abusive situations involving older adults go unreported or unrecognized.
HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT NURSING HOME? PART 3
In the first article on “What is the Best Way to Pick a Nursing Home?”, we talked about the different resources available to the public to assist you when you’re deciding which nursing home to choose for yourself or your loved one.
In the second article, we discussed three specific things to AVOID when choosing a nursing home.
In this article, Attorney Allen Tittle discusses the five most important categories to look for when choosing a nursing home and explains the significance of each factor.
Five Categories to Look For When Choosing a Nursing Home
What are the five things to look out for when trying to choose the right nursing home?
- Location
- Size
- Non-Profit or For-Profit?
- Services Provided
- Staffing Levels
Transcript: Allen Tittle here, Cleveland Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawyer. This is part three of our three-part series of “How to Choose a Nursing Home”. The third thing I want to discuss is, what things to look for in a nursing home, things to consider when choosing a nursing home for a loved one. First of all, you need to take into consideration the location and the size of the nursing home. First, it may be really important to you to have the location of the nursing home close to your home so you can visit mom or dad. Obviously that’s something that you want to think about and take into consideration when choosing a nursing home. But also, you want to think about the size of the nursing home itself. There are large nursing homes, and there are small nursing homes, and you have to think about your loved one. Where would they be most comfortable, what environment? The other thing you have to think about is, is the nursing home a for-profit or non-profit facility? Again, that information can all be found on Medicare.gov’s website. But that is something that’s very important to me. If I was choosing a nursing home for my mother, my father, I would want to make sure that they were going to a non-profit facility. The other thing that I think that’s important to take into consideration is, what services are provided for the residents of the nursing home? And what I mean by that is this: Meal time- is there a choice of meals or does everyone get the same thing all the time. Activities- it’s very important that your loved one has the opportunity, if he or she so chooses, to be involved in social activities. You don’t want your loved one to become depressed, and so, it’s important to sort of figure out what social activities that facility has, whether it be bingo, whether it be group trips, it’s something that you really need to look into and take into consideration of what activities your loved one would want to do and which facility offers those activities. And finally, and again most important to me, and I keep harping on this, is staffing. When you visit the nursing home, do you feel like there’s enough staff? What is the staffing level on Medicare’s website? What is the staffing level on our own website on the interactive map? I cannot stress enough that in order to get the best care, there needs to be the proper amount of nursing staff. I hope that these three videos have sort of given some guidance on how to choose a nursing home. But if you need more information, please visit our website, download our free eBook, check out our interactive map, or just give us a call, 216-285-9991. My name’s Allen Tittle, I’m a Cleveland Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawyer, and I’m here to help. Take care!
Contact an Experienced Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawyer
If you or a loved one has fallen victim to a form of nursing home neglect or abuse, Tittle & Perlmuter can help you get the justice you deserve. Fill out a contact form online or call 216-285-9991 for a free consultation with a Cleveland Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse lawyer today.