Nurse Navigator, Finding Care Providers for Your Elders
One of the biggest decisions that families have to make is finding a nursing home or a long-term health facility for their loved ones. Since the selection is often done during difficult times, families are often under a lot of stress and confronted with various emotions. Thus, they find it hard to scout and choose their elders’ soon-to-be new “home”. This is where a nurse navigator becomes convenient and useful.
Families should give a lot of importance in finding the best health care setting for their grandparents or parents. As this facility will be their residence for a long time, children should see to it that they will take them to a place of quality health care and comfortable living. Most family members are also busy with their work and daily lives, they are not able to perform care giving tasks, and thus a nursing home that provides full-time care is the best option.
As there are about a thousand of facilities in the United States, checking out each of them would be a great challenge. Finding a place for care within the state or within the area where the family lives can help in narrowing the choices. A nurse locator can aid in the search as it can quickly deliver relevant results. But aside proximity, there are still other considerations that families have to make before finally settling on their selection.
In finding a care setting, it is also important to check each facility thoroughly. Elders are sent in care homes because they have a special situation that calls for specialized and skilled care. That is why families should see to it that their chosen location has all the facilities that can cater to the patient’s condition.
Aside from relying on a nurse navigator, families can also consider referrals from relatives and friends who have had a loved one sent in a nursing home too. First-hand experiences are valuable bases for selection. Similarly, physicians and care specialists would also have insights on where to find the right facility. However, always remember that each situation is unique. The needs of each patient call for a different treatment so weigh recommendations properly.
Additionally, families must also do their homework and do personal research about nursing homes. This can help them create a checklist of what a good care facility must have such as details about a facility’s license, staff count and credentials. It is also recommended that they sign up in senior health forum and get access to online senior care resources to gain access to nursing homes reviews and ratings. What are the families of other seniors have to say about a certain nursing facility? Do they have positive or negative opinions?
Before planning a visit, be sure to use a nurse navigator first to be able to create a shortlist of choices. This can also provide the locations and contact details of each facility and therefore ease the families in preparing for their visit. Also, it can offer families discounted rates in their chosen care setting.
Processing your request, Please wait....
