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Understanding the Admissions Process at a Nursing Home

In nursing home admissions, what do you face on day one? When you take mom or dad to a nursing home, what do you experience? The admissions process sets the stage for everything that comes after. It’s also a unique opportunity for the family to learn about elder care and what it entails. Paying attention can help you to understand your family’s rights and how to spot signs of trouble.

Here are some of the components of a nursing home admissions process that you should be aware of.

Arrival

Nursing homes will want to know where the patient came from. This can have an effect on care. It can also have an effect on cost.

You want to be clear about whether your family member came from a hospital, or from home. Both have very different rules attached, so that’s one thing that nursing home staff will have to document.

Assessing a Resident

The nursing home will also look at a loved one’s health conditions.

It’s important to note that nursing home admissions can involve researching both physical and mental issues. In some cases, a family member is unable to physically care for himself or herself. In other cases, it’s more a question of being mentally unfit. In either case, skilled nursing facility care provides the solution. Residents are monitored and taken care of within a safe environment – at least, that’s the idea. A good nursing home will keep excellent records and be attentive to a resident’s health. Other homes may only give a cursory attention to someone’s care and needs.

Medicaid and Medicare Rules

Most likely, the admissions process will also involve talking about the two government programs that help people pay for skilled nursing facility or nursing home care. Admissions staff should go over basic Medicare and Medicaid rules with the family. If there’s not enough information presented at admission, that can be a problem later. It’s important to look out for your family’s rights when conferring with nursing home staff on admission day.

For example, Medicare Part A will pay for some nursing home costs in certain situations. This should be something that staff will fully explain to a family.

In terms of Medicaid, another government program that can help with cost, different limitations come into play. Medicaid requires a certain “limit” to assets, which means that families often deplete resources waiting for Medicaid assistance to kick in. Admissions staff should at least go over some of these big issues with families, and help them to self-advocate financially.

Talk to the law office of Steve Watrel about what constitutes good nursing home care, and what you legal rights are for a family member in a nursing home. As a local Jacksonville nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer with an excellent reputation in the community, Steve Watrel can help you to understand your rights under the law.

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Need Help? Contact Steve.

Steve Watrel, P.A. is the only accident and injury law attorney that has been personally fighting against nursing home abuse for 30 years in Jacksonville. Contact us and see the difference today.

136 East Bay St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
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