How to protect a loved one when choosing a nursing home or assisted living facility
NEW YORK -- Sometimes it’s a fall that brings a broken hip and a loss of mobility.Or memory problems that bubble into danger.
Or the death of the partner who was relied upon for care.The need to move to a nursing home, assisted living facility or another type of care setting often comes suddenly, setting off an abrupt, daunting search.It’s likely something no one ever wanted, but knowing what to look for and what to ask can make a big difference.What to do when looking for a long-term care facility:Regulation of assisted living facilities varies greatly from state to state, meaning there's no centralized standards or source for information.
If you’re looking for a nursing home, though, they are monitored by the federal government.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services maintains records on nursing homes, including data on who owns the facility, how robust its staffing is and what types of violations it might have been fined for.
It assigns homes a star rating, from one to five.Sam Brooks, director of public policy for the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, says while the star rating “can be notoriously unreliable,” due to its reliance on self-reported data, it can still provide some clues about a home.“One or two stars, expect it to be bad,” Brooks says.Ratings can be a resource to rule out the worst options, but not necessarily to find the best.Still, Brooks suggests taking a closer look at four- and five-star facilities and to consider a home’s ownership, too.
Nonprofit homes are often better staffed.You could scour inspection reports and online reviews for clues, too, but eventually you’ll need to make a list of potential candidates and start making visits.“The data,” Brooks says, “only goes so far.”When visiting a home on your list, be careful not to be too swayed by decorative touches that might be designed to lure you in, like a lobby’s furniture, dangling chandeliers or vases of flowers.“When I tour a...