Selecting a Nursing Home for your loved one

Nursing home selection is an extremely trying event. At a time when one is relling from the sudden(or in some cases a long drawn out process) life changing event. This decision is one that is made as a family an effects everyone and, unfortunately, the person being placed is often overseen.

The senior being placed is going through an extremely stressful life changing event. Many times they feel that they are being "ripped" from their homes and that they are going to be abandoned. Sadly, at times this is indeed the truth. But more times that not is it a matter of safety. With aging many independent functions/abilities are lost due to illness, disease, or abrupt changes in condition. This is the natural aging process.

For those families that have experience with Long Term Care, they have an understanding of the process and hopefully have developed an eye for the details. Being able to "see" all that is going to be involved with the care of a loved one is the most valuable tool one can have, but this only comes with much experience.

One must be able to evaluate the surroundings to determine the truth of the setting that they are exposing their loved one too. Here are a few of the details that are good to note from the beginning:

1)Did anyone from the nursing home go to the hospital to meet you?

2)Was your loved one presented with The Resident Bill of Rights? This is legislation enacted by Congress. All residents have rights.

3)Did the nursing home offer to assist with discharge planning from the hospital?

4)Was the very first person you met from the nursing the Social Worker or a Nurse? This is a important part of the admission process. Most social workers are only there to determine payment method and determine placement upon these means. Usually this topic has already been discussed and reviewed before they even meet the senior. If the first meeting is with a nurse, then the nursing's home emphasis is on patient care and this is a very good sign.

5)Once at the nursing home how friendly or unfriendly was the staff? Did they seem busy? Did they welcome you at the door or come to you in your room? Did you have to wait over 30 minutes before anyone greeted you?

6)How long was it before a nursing assistant greeted you? This is extremely important as these are the staff memebers that will be providing direct care. If you had to wait over 30 mintues to be greeted by a nursing assistant, this is not good. They are either overworked and could not get to you in a timely manner or they are perhaps not very motivated to do their work. No one should have to wait longer that 10 minutes(at the extreme) to be acknowledged.

7)How long before the nurse greeted you? Another very important person involved in your care. If the nurse does not greet you within 10 minutes of arrival; this is not a good sign. The nurse is either extremely busy with too large of a work load or is busy doing your admission paperwork. Either way, it is not very professional to not greet and recgonize you.

8)Was the nursing staff friendly? Did they smile? Did they offer up their name and title? These are basics for any introduction, but in this very intimidating setting it is even MORE important to be presented with a warm, comforting individual.


9)Did the nurse offer any type of comfort? Blankets, Pillows, beverage, snack or meal (if close to meal time)? Did they describe any of the recreational events that take place? Did they ask about family relations or personal likes or dislikes?

10) When you entered the building, does it smell clean or smell foul. If the facility has a foul odor at the front door, odds are the residents are not getting sufficient personal care. Take note of this and proceed with a skeptical eye.


This is simply the beginning. There are many, many signs that can be seen to determine if the quality of care is going to be good or bad. I will continue to offer information about the nursing home process.

The goal is to provide information so that we are not blindfolded into the process. What we do not know can definetly harm us or our loved one. The ones we love deserve nothing but the best and hopefully this information will arm us all with the ability to give them the very best.