For consumers, choosing a nursing home for a loved one shouldn’t be a process validated by trial and error, but one guided by a well-informed shopper, reports The New York Times in a blog post.
The second of a two-part column on navigating the nursing home search process, the NY Times article published Monday raises awareness for what consumers should look, ask and learn more about when shopping around for skilled nursing care.
Highlighting the experiences of one individual, whose mother had been in and out of two nursing facilities before landing on her third, favorite community, NY Times emphasizes the importance of “thorough footwork well in advance of the need to place a loved one in a nursing home.”
“The important message to families: It’s not a sign of weakness—more likely a sign of strength—to move a loved one with advancing dementia to a nursing home,” the article states. “But it isn’t easy to find a place that offers the services and the environment that the patient needs.”
Several essential topics the article urges consumers to consider in their search include determining if a facility’s dementia unit is large enough so the resident doesn’t feel confined, activities and programming offered, staff’s training and ability to handle patients with dementia and their reaction when patients “act out.”
The article also suggests shoppers consider if a facility has a positive environment—one that is colorful but not overly stimulating—and if a nursing facility is using any types of technologies to ensure resident safety, including wander guard systems among others.
Read more at The New York Times.
Written by Jason Oliva
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