Several weeks ago, a dear family friend of mine suffered a devastating stroke. For a few days, his family members didn’t know if he would survive this event. Thankfully, he did. Now, he is undergoing the slow recovery process in a nursing home. Since his stroke, his family has been amazing. They visit him daily at the nursing facility. They have even decorated his room in an effort to make him feel like he is at home. If your loved one has recently been admitted to a nursing home, don’t despair. You may be able to help your loved one adjust to this living situation better by being supportive. On this blog, you will discover the ways to make your loved one’s transition to a nursing home easier.
A Home Away from Home
3 Things You Need To Consider When Looking For A Nursing Home
Johnny Rodriguez
No one wants to think about putting a loved one in a nursing home. In a way, it's like you are admitting defeat and saying that you can't take care of them. But that's exactly why nursing homes are there - to help you take care of your loved ones in the way they need to be. Selecting a nursing home is a very important decision that should never be made without careful thought. Here are three things you need to consider when looking for a nursing home for your loved one.
1. The cost.
One of the biggest things you have to take into consideration is how much it is going to cost to have your loved one stay in a nursing home. Depending on your loved one's age or the circumstances surrounding the need to put them in the nursing home, you can likely get help from several sources.
If your loved one is on Medicare, the coverage will only pay for up to 100 days of care if it immediately follows a hospital stay of at least three days. You just have to be sure the nursing home is certified to provide care under Medicare.
Medicaid can also be an option if your loved one has little to no finances available to pay for their stay in the nursing home. There are asset restrictions with Medicaid, so if they have more than $2,000 in cash and equivalent assets, they won't qualify for assistance. That is just for the individual needing to stay in the nursing home though. A spouse can have some additional assets only in their name. Also, if your loved one owns their home, that is usually not included in the assets used to determine their Medicaid eligibility.
Some regular health insurance policies also provide assistance towards the cost of a nursing home stay. The amount of coverage and circumstances for requiring coverage vary depending on the insurance policy, so you would need to call the policy provider to find out the benefits available to your loved one.
2. The staff-to-resident ratio.
Something that not a lot of people think about when looking for a nursing home is the staff-to-resident ratio. You really don't want to pick a nursing home that doesn't have enough staff to care for the number of residents they have. If the nursing home is Medicare certified, then there has to be an RN on duty for at least 8 hours every day of the week. Beyond that 8 hours, there needs to be either an RN or an LPN on duty for the rest of the day. However, there are no other requirements for support staff, such as certified nursing assistants, who handle most of the daily care of the residents.
There is no rule of thumb to go by on the perfect staff-to-resident ratio. However, the larger the resident population at the nursing home, the more support staff you will want there to be. Just be sure to look around the facility and see how many staff members there are taking care of residents. If you rarely see any staff during your tour, you may want to reconsider going with that nursing home.
3. The activities the staff plan for residents.
Many nursing homes will plan activities for the residents. These can range from having hair stylists come in to do their hair to playing bingo - and some even have informal dances for the more mobile residents. If your loved one likes to have an active social life, you should look for a nursing home that keeps a lot of activities on the calendar. It will help them make friends there and help them feel more at home during their nursing home stay.
Keeping these tips in mind should help you make the best choice as you work to find nursing homes services for your loved one.
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