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MISSOURI COALITION FOR QUALITY CARE |
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Home Missouri Coalition for Quality Care |
Are You looking for a nursing home or long term care Facility? One of the
hardest decisions you may have to make, and one of the most important, is the
decision to place a loved one in a nursing home or long term care facility. So
how do you make the right choice? There are many nursing homes, assisted living
facilities and long term care facilities to choose from. If you live in a metro
area you will have numerous choices. If you live in a rural area your choices
may be limited. But in either area, what you are looking for is the same. 1) Print off the MCQC checklist of what to look for in a facility. Use it as your guide of what questions to ask and what to look for. Nursing Home Checklist. 2) Contact the Area Agency on Aging in your area. Explain your situation and they will assist you in finding facilities in your area that may meet the needs of your loved one. They can also assist you with questions on how to pay for the costs of the facility, such as is the facility private pay only? Do they accept Medicaid pay? Or do they accept both type of payment? You can find the Area Agency on Aging office in your area on their website: www.moaging.com. Click on” nursing home information”. 3) You can also go to: www.medicare.gov to find a list of nursing homes in your area. Click on “Resource Locator”, then on “Nursing Homes”, then click on “nursing home compare”. You can search by city, State and zip code. Other sources are www.nursinghomes.com and www.caring.com. 4) Once you have a list of potential facilities check our Nursing Home Violations page to see if the facility has had any violations against them in the past. A violation doesn’t mean it is a bad facility but does give you an idea of the care they provide. You can search by year and region. Click on Nursing Home Violations on the MCQC website. Another resource is www.memberofthefamily.net. If you find that the facilities you are interested in have had violations, ask the administrator how they corrected the problem. 5) Visit each of the nursing homes. Do not, if at all possible, place someone in a facility without first visiting the facility. Take the checklist with you. Use it as your guide on what to look for, who you need to speak with and what questions to ask. This is also the time to ask about any violations the facility may have had. Ask the Facility Director how they corrected the problem. Also speak with the Head Nurse, Dietitian, Social Worker, and Ombudsman. Ask about activities they have for the residents. No one wants to be in a nursing home, but you need to make sure that the facility is a place that your loved one will be able to maintain a decent quality of life. Ask about safety in the facility, especially what do they do in case of fire, tornados and floods. Are evacuation plans posted and how often do they have fire drills. How often is staff trained on the procedures? 6) If you have questions concerning Medicare issues, the following website will assist you. www.medicare.gov. Click on “Medicare basics” for general questions. You can also click on “nursing home compare” for more information on nursing homes. 7) If you have questions concerning Medicaid go to www.dss.mo.gov. This site will answer general questions about the Medicaid program and will give the contact information for the Division of Family Support office in your area. 8) If you have any questions concerning Elder Care Issues go to www.health.mo.gov. This site provides information on elder care issues. Once you have placed your loved one in a facility, be an active participant in their stay at the facility. Find out when they do their staffings concerning your loved one and attend these staffings. Makes sure they schedule them when you can attend. They are to be scheduled at your convenience not at the convenience of the facility. Attend some of the activities. Have breakfast, lunch or dinner with them. Make yourself well known to the facility and the staff. Remember the nursing home works for you and your loved one. You will pay a lot of money for their care, so make sure they get the care you expect. Do not hesitate to question the care if it is not what you think it should be. Hopefully this helps you in your search for a good facility for your loved one. In addition also check out www.memberofthefamily.net. Click on Nursing Home Surveys, Ratings, Complaints and Repeat reports of violations. Click on the appropriate State. Both sites will give information on nursing home violations in Missouri. If the nursing home that you are interested in has had violations, ask the administrator of the nursing home how they corrected the problem. Compare Nursing Homes in your state. Go to
http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/home.asp |