Placing a loved one in a nursing home is hard and stressful. How do you choose? Many families make the mistake simply to choose one that is closest to home. This can be a mistake because there can be huge differences in the type of care provided in different homes. Marketing materials of the nursing home? Forget it. They all make each facility seems like a home away from home. The best place to start is to visit medicare.gov. http://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search. This site rates all nursing homes that participates in Medicare and Medicaid, which of course is the majority of facilities.
This site will rank each home with a low of one star to a high of five stars. Inspection reports based upon state surveys (inspections). Categories such as staffing and quality control measures are assessed and rated.
Its a good place to start. Also ask the parent’s treating doctor for his or her opinion. Many doctors will have seen the results of a lack of care coming from problematic nursing homes.
If you have had a love one seriously injured or killed as a result of neglect or abuse call our offices for a free evaluation. We have represented families that have been victimized in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.
