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When
looking for a nursing home, it is vital that you find a facility
that will provide proper car for your loved one. How can you feel
confident that you have found such a home? To answer
this question, you must consider four areas that are critical
to helping you make the right choice.
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| Reputation |
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Choosing a home with a long-standing,
good reputation is one of the best ways to be sure you make
the right choice. Does the home have a reputation that
inspires confidence? What do people say about their own
experiences there?
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| Staff Longevity |
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Finding a home with
lower staff turnover is an excellent guide to making the right
choice. How often do they change the Administrator, the Director
of Nursing or other top positions? High turnover plagues many
nursing homes, hospitals and other health care facilities,
and it decreases the quality of the care they provide. How
committed are their employees to the care of their residents?
How much turnover are you going to have to put up with?
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| Inspection Record |
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Selecting
a home with a good track record of state surveys is another
very important factor. You must consider how the home fared
in its most recent inspection by the Department of Health.
Were there any “quality
of care” deficiencies? Where there any deficiencies that
resulted in “actual harm” to a resident? Can you
trust this place with your loved one?
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| Atmosphere |
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| For your loved one’s
emotional health, it is important that you choose a facility
that has a homelike atmosphere and an environment that is conducive
to getting better and enjoying life to whatever extent is possible.
For many residents, this may be their permanent home. Does
the staff treat them – and you – like they are
part of the family? Is the atmosphere more like home, or does
it resemble a hospital? |
