How to Find the Right Nursing Home

Having to place a loved one in a nursing home facility can be a very difficult decision to make. A serious illness, inability to function at a high level or a medical condition such as dementia or Alzheimer's are common reasons why loved ones are placed in a long-term care facility. As a result, finding the right nursing home is extremely important and is something that you should spend considerable time researching before you make your decision.

There are a number of factors which go into choosing the right nursing home. One of the most important will be the distance of the nursing home from family members and friends. If the nursing home is far away, there will likely be fewer visits to your loved one, which can subsequently lead to your loved one falling into depression and/or feeling isolated. Moreover, studies show that the more you visit your loved one, the less likely he or she will fall victim to nursing home abuse.

Another factor to take into account when researching nursing homes is the quality of the facility. Poorly maintained facilities should be avoided, despite any short-term cost savings. While the amount of money available to pay for long term care will have a notable impact on the quality of the facility, a person should do their best to choose the highest quality nursing home at a price that he or she can afford. It's worth noting that if you do some extensive research, you may uncover a few hidden gems.

Finally, another important factor when choosing a nursing home is the home's staffing level. Understaffed nursing home facilities are one of the biggest predictors of poor care, abuse and neglect. Nursing homes which house Medicaid and Medicare residents must have certain staff to resident ratios, including a specific number of nurses and nurse assistants which must be on staff at all times. These facilities must be properly staffed or they risk not being able to accept Medicaid or Medicare patients.

Despite these challenges of finding the right nursing home for your loved one, there are a number of great nursing homes available that will likely meet your location, quality and staffing requirements. A good place to start your research is at Medicare.gov. On the website, hover over "Resource Locator" at the top and then click on "Nursing Home Compare". On the website you can not only search nursing home facilities, but also review the results of the nursing homes' health inspections, staffing levels and much more.