Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
Choosing a Nursing Home by Irene Repczuk-D’Alessio The decision to place an older relative in a nursing home may be the most difficult one we ever have to make. It can evoke feelings of guilt, failure at our inability to provide care for our loved ones, and a fear of making the wrong decision. Our elderly parent or relative, on the other hand, may feel that she is be ing abandoned, and that she is no longer worthwhile. Frequently, an older person is placed in a nursing home when a family member is no longer physically or emotionally able to provide the needed care. It is a difficult choice, both for the caregiver and the older person. Most elderly people prefer to live independently in their own homes and want to remain in control of their own lives, and entering a nursing home may signal the end of their life. Therefore, if possible, choosing nursing home care as a long-term care placement should be considered only as a last re sort. If a nursing home becomes the only viable op tion, selecting the most appropriate nursing home is important. In order to choose the best nursing home, we need to become educated consumers. Often this means learning to sort through complex issues that will help us evaluate and select a nursing home that suits our needs as well as the needs of the person who will be living there. Selecting a nursing home can be a daunting task, but good resources are available. One good source of information is a manual entitled “Medi care/Medicaid Nursing Homes Information,” compiled by the Health Care Financing Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Con sumers can also access information on nursing homes at governments website http://www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. The Ombudsman or Area Office on Aging in your state can also be a good resource for helping you to locate a nursing home that is located in the community where the elderly person has lived. This will make it easier for friends and fam ily members to visit frequently. During the selection process, it is best to make two visits to any nursing home under consideration. The purpose of the first visit is to help a potential resi dent and his family decide whether a particular home is worth a second and more thorough look. The second visit is made to validate your first impressions and to observe the home at a different time of the day. Before the preliminary visit, contact the nurs ing home administrator to schedule a tour. It will be impossible to see everything on the first visit, but care ful observations of the residents and the environment can be very informative. Be sure to interview the Ad ministrator, the Director of Nursing, and the Social Worker. Come prepared to ask the following ques tions: • Who owns the nursing home? Who is truly in charge? • What are the qualifications of the administrator? • What type of medical supervision do residents re ceive? Do residents have access to their own private physician? • What is the staff to resident ratio? How many nursing care hours per day does the facility provide? • How are transfers handled? Are residents transferred to other facilities when they run out of money? • What is the nature of activities for the residents? • Does the facility have special care units, such as an Alzheimer’s unit? • Are there provisions for special staff training or han dling difficult patients? If the answers to these questions are satisfac tory, schedule a second visit. Try to visit at a different time of day or on the weekend. During this visit, your observations should focus on the physical surround ings of the home, the appearance of the residents, and the behavior of staff vis-a-vis the residents. • Cleanliness: Observe the cleanliness of the resident areas, the halls, dining area. Are the linens clean? • Check for odors: There should be no urine odor. It is an indication of poor patient care, understaffmg, and poor housekeeping. • Observe the residents: Are their clothes clean? Are they dressed appropriately? How are they groomed? Observe fingernails, hair and skin. Look for signs of physical restraints. Are residents alert or sleeping? How are bedridden patients positioned? Are call but tons answered or ignored? • Observe the staff: How does nursing staff interact with the residents? Do they treat residents with re spect? Are they courteous? Caring? Attentive? • Visit the physical and occupational therapy depart ments: How is physical therapy conducted? How fre quently? What kind? Is there adequate staff? • Nutrition: Observe residents at mealtime. Does the food appear nutritious? Do residents have a choice? Do they have access to snacks? Visit the kitchen. Are there provisions for special diets? Are well-balanced meals served in pleasant surroundings? “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2003 21
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
