If it is necessary to place a loved one in a nursing home or to transfer that person to a different nursing home, make sure you have thoroughly researched the home. Medicare.gov can provide you with a listing of nursing homes in your area. They have a checklist of items that you should consider before placing anyone in a nursing home. While some homes are good, others can be neglectful and dangerous places. Even with research, you may not be satisfied with the home you selected. If so, you can transfer your loved one to a different home.
Instructions
1. Check the nursing homes in your area. It is better if the nursing home is near family and friends so that regular visitors will see your loved one.
2. Compare the quality of the nursing homes. Medicare developed a Five-Star Quality Rating system that rates health inspection results, staff and quality measures. Health inspection refers to all aspects of care the residents receive. This covers 180 items. Staffing tells you how many staff members there are per resident, and quality refers to if the staff provides a good quality of life.
3. Visit the nursing home. If you are making these arrangements out of state, arrange for someone to pre-screen the homes for you. Even though Medicare may have given a home a high rating, it is best to visit it yourself. Bring a checklist with you and be confident that the nursing home you are considering transferring your loved one to meets the criteria. There is a reason you are transferring your loved one. You do not want the same problem to occur again, because it can be hard on the patient to transfer homes.
4. Choose a home. Once you have found a home that you like, contact them to make sure they have an available bed. If not, they may put you on a waiting list. They will notify you when the bed is available and either they or you will notify the present facility of the transfer. An ambulance will move the patient.
5. Be there or have someone else be there for the move. You can make sure all the belongings are there. Sometimes, personal belongings get "lost" in nursing homes, particularly during the moving process. If you are there, you may be able to locate these items. Then, after the transfer, you can help set up your loved in the new facility. Having you or another family member or friend there helps the patient with the transfer.
Tags: nursing home, your loved, make sure, homes your, homes your area, nursing homes