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As The Population Of The Elderly Increases, So Does The Need For Quality Elder Care Information. That's Where We Come In. Welcome To ElderCares.net—A Free Information Resource That Will Answer All Your Questions About Elder Care. As
You Explore This Site, You'll Discover...
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5 Mistakes People Make While Choosing A Nursing Home |
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Everything You Must Know About Elder Care, Home Health Care, Assisted Living, Nursing Home, And Assisted Living Facilities.
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Nursing Home Secrets Revealed
The Secrets Nursing Homes Don't Want You To Know!
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Fit Over 40
Amazing Inspirational Anti-Aging, Health And Weight Loss E-Book.
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Compare Nursing Homes
Author: Shannon Davis
Finding the best nursing home is easier than you might think. That is assuming there is more than one nursing home in your area so that you have something to compare. The sad part is that the best nursing home is just the one that meets your expectations better than its competitors. That doesn't mean it is a good nursing home, it might even mean that it just isn't the worst.
A good source of information and feedback on local nursing homes is the attending physician for the residents. The staff at the physician's office works closely with the nursing home staff scheduling appointments and transportation, prescribing medication, and treating ailments as well as serious medical conditions. We found the best nursing home for my grandfather from the recommendation of our cardiologist's nurse.
One of the most valuable tools to compare nursing homes is a nursing home report you can get through Check My Nursing Home.com. This report will tell you about complaints against the nursing home, inspections of the nursing home, abuse and neglect cases, and other valuable feedback that potential residents need to be aware of.
This report is definitely a necessity, but the most valuable tool to compare nursing homes is personal interviews with residents, staff members, and family members. Remember when talking to residents and caregivers that we all compare things based on our own perceptions. For example, my grandfather is getting excellent care and unbelievable attention at his nursing home, but thinks he is being abused and neglected because the food is so bad.
Find out what the employees like and don't like about their working environment and employer. The attitude and contentment of the staff will have a direct affect on the care and attention your loved one will receive. Compare nursing homes based on how good of an environment it is for nurses to work in, and you'll get a clearer picture of how good of an environment it is for residents to live in. Ask questions like, "How often do you have to do someone else's work that is not your job?" You'll learn a lot about how work is managed, but most importantly, you'll get a clearer picture of the attitude of the person you are interviewing. Do they have a resentful attitude or a cooperative one? Do they mind helping outside of their job descriptions, or do they see the staff as a team where everyone works together no matter what the task? These keys will give you a good indication of what is going to happen when your loved one needs help going to the potty when the nurse's aide assigned to their room is busy with another resident.
Always ask specific questions to compare programs and care, such as "Tell me about your physical therapy routine, what exercises you do, and how often?" Asking, "How's physical therapy here?" will only provide you with personal opinion. And even if the therapy is excellent—if the resident doesn't like the PT nurse, you're liable to get a negative response. My grandfather hates the resistance bands his physical therapist uses, and really feels stupid sitting there stretching rubber bands. If you asked him what he thought about physical therapy at his nursing home, you are going to get an earful of how it's a useless waste of time. But if you specifically ask him what his physical therapy routine consists of and how often he has physical therapy, you'll get some facts mixed in with the soap box venting.
So to compare nursing homes, visit them personally, ask lots of questions, and interview not only staff, but residents and their families as well. Once you have your choices narrowed down to one or two, order a report on the home to check out what is really happening behind the scenes. And once you've chosen the best nursing home, keep checking on them to make sure the care your loved one receives continues to meet your expectations and their needs.
About the Author
Shannon Davis is a consumer advocate and freelance writer for the health care, nursing home, and long term care industry. What does Shannon have to say about your local nursing home? Visit www.checkmynursinghome.com
Article Keywords:
Elder Care |
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A Quick Note
From The Publisher...
If you like the article above, you may be
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Introduction
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition that damages areas of the brain involved in intelligence, memory, behavior, judgment, and language. It is the most common form of mental decline in older adults. Alzheimer's gets worse over time, but the course of the disease varies from person to person. Some people may still be able to function relatively well until late stages of Alzheimers disease. Others may lose the ability to do daily activities in earlier stages. Over time, Alzheimer's disease causes severe mental and functional problems and eventually results in death.
Causes
Scientists do not yet fully understand the causes of Alzheimer's disease. There probably is not one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently.
Recent studies indicate that amyloid beta protein may cause Alzheimer's disease. In healthy people, this protein can cross the blood-brain barrier (the wall of blood vessels that feed the brain and regulate... |
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Elder Care, Home Health Care News |
Hungarian Government Funds Major Research Project to Transform Care of Elderly Citizens; GE Healthcare to Lead $5.3M ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) CHALFONT ST GILES, United Kingdom & BUDAPEST, Hungary----A major new collaborative research programme to transform the care of elderly citizens was announced in Hungary today. A broad consortium of private and public sector organisations, led by GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company , has secured HUF 895 million from the Hungarian government to research and develop new ways of ... Elder suicide risk persists in long-term care (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Suicide has not declined among elderly people living in long-term care facilities as it has among community-living elders, research hints. Integrating Adult Vaccines into Your Routine Care (Palatka Daily News) (ARA) - Every year, nearly 50,000 Americans, mostly adults, die from diseases that vaccination can prevent and millions more need to be hospitalized, get too sick to care for loved ones, like children or elderly parents, and are forced to miss work. Charge dropped in home care case (BBC News) A prosecution against four care home workers, charged with neglecting elderly residents, is stopped by a judge |
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