What are some of the big differences in nursing home facilities that families have to be aware of?
Not all nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities are the same. It’s important to understand how to pick a good option for an aging family member.
Type of Facility
When you’re talking about nursing home facilities, the jargon and terminology that’s used can get confusing. There are assisted-living facilities, which are essentially places where elderly people can live on their own, lightly assisted by nurses or others. Then there are skilled nursing facilities that have 24/7 skilled nursing care. But how does a skilled nursing facility differ from a nursing home?
Experts at AgingCare.com explain that they’re really much the same, except that skilled nursing refers to a core service, and nursing home refers to a for-profit or nonprofit community offering that service. Skilled nursing is the thing that customers are looking for, and nursing homes is the way in which they get it.
Nursing Home Qualifications
Nursing homes have to be evaluated by Medicaid and/or Medicare – these government programs often set some of the standards for long-term care facilities.
Medicare and Medicaid certification requires various achievements, and a quality indicator survey helps provide information on rankings.
Clean and Habitable Spaces
Another big difference in nursing home facilities is something you can see with your own two eyes the moment you walk in the door.
The best facilities renovate often, and keep an aesthetic that’s pleasing to the eye. They maintain safe and sanitary spaces, and you can see this just walking down the hall or inspecting individual rooms.
It’s also relatively easy to tell when these standards are not being followed. Making a quick list of observations can show whether the nursing home in question is dedicated to high standards, or whether it’s basically falling apart.
Friendly and Professional Staff
In evaluating nursing homes, it’s also important to talk to staffers at various levels. You want to talk to leaders and management individuals to get a sense of the mission, but you also want to talk to direct care staffers to understand how their teams work.
Some of these conversations will be planned and scheduled – others would ideally be candid and informal. Either way, this is giving the family a lot more information on how nursing home facilities differ from each other.
Call Jacksonville lawyer Steve Watrel if you have concerns about a family member’s well-being in a Florida nursing home or skilled nursing care facility. As a trusted legal office in the community, Steve Watrel provides active counsel on elder abuse, nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect cases. Let a professional with a good reputation guide your family toward accessing your rights under the law.
