Make a Smart Decision about Long Term Care Facilities
Consumers are provided a wide variety of options when it comes to long term care facilities. It is important to come up with a smart and good decision especially since the health care and social life of your loved ones will highly depend on the choices you make. Additionally, by doing your own research and selection of facilities, you can find reliable care and affordable services.
The fact that you are provided with numerous options for care settings make it quite hard for you to settle on one choice. However, there are some ways to make your selection quick and wise. Whether you are looking for a nursing home, senior day care, an assisted living facility, rehabilitation facility, inpatient behavioral health facility or a long-term chronic care hospital, just follow some of these tips and be guided while you find the perfect place for care.
1. Track the performance history of the facility.
When you already got your eye on a certain care setting, be sure to do an extensive background check. Check out what independent rating agencies have to say about the performance of your selected setting. Additionally, you can join health forums particularly those on long term care and senior health. Members usually have discussions about nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the like. They talk about the good and the bad about the care provided, staff members, safety issues, complaints, and other topics that can help you determine if that place would be a good choice.
There are bureaus or departments that can help you find out if there had been any complaints formally filed against a certain facility and whether there had been resolutions. Moreover, if you are pondering over a nursing home, there are a number of websites that give out scores to facilities based on recent inspections. They also provide comparisons and therefore can help you see which homes are really the best. The same goes for continuing care retirement communities too. There are also some websites that can assist you in your research. Furthermore, for a quick and comprehensive information about all types of long term care facilities, each state and usually, each regions or localities have their own LTC ombudsman which is a great resource for more specific details when it comes to care settings.
2. Take time to visit and personally see the facility.
After reading and knowing necessary information about a certain facility, try to make time and schedule a visit. Do not just be satisfied looking at the place’s pictures or reading about its location. Go there yourself and see if it is safely situated, convenient for visits, conducive for the health condition or situation of your loved ones, and most of all, check out if it is clean. Also, meet the staff and don’t hesitate to shoot all your inquiries.
3. Hear what current residents and their families have to say.
Upon your visit in the facility for your personal inspection, take the opportunity too to meet the residents. If you chance upon their loved ones, also try to inquire from them. They can provide inside information on how the facility operates and what it is like to live and receive care in that kind of setting. Ask them if they are happy and if they can recommend that place. Similarly, ask them if they have any complaints or problems.
Use these three steps to guide you in your selection of long term care facilities.
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