Posted on Friday, March 30th, 2018 at 3:58 pm
Taking some time to choose a nursing home is very important. There are many factors that should be considered when making the choice in order to receive quality care and to ensure that the person enrolling as a resident is not mistreated or subjected to elder abuse. Before settling on a nursing home, you should consider the following tips.
Location
If you are interested in staying close to family and friends to make visits easier, you can start by looking at nursing homes closer to your current home or care facility. Once you have identified several homes that may be suitable, you can start vetting them and researching them to ensure that the homes have not been cited or had their licenses revoked for bad conditions or mistreatment of residents.
Regulatory Compliance
A good place to start your research would be by calling the state licensing body, which in Georgia is the Georgia Department of Community Health. You can find out whether the nursing home you are considering is licensed, and if there are any reports filed after state inspections requiring the home to make changes for rule violations.
Staff
Having the right staff can make a great difference in a resident’s well-being. Therefore, you should ask about staffing ratios and staff training to get a better idea about the people who will be caring for you or a loved one. You can get this information directly from the nursing home, but you can also get information on staffing numbers by searching on this Medicare tool.
Communications in Case of Illness or Accidents
Ask about how the nursing home will communicate with your family members or your next of kin regarding falls or other emergencies that you may encounter as a resident. It is important to ensure that while your privacy is respected, your next of kin or the person authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf is aware of emergency situations.
Visit the Home
Always conduct a site visit before settling on a home. You can see the rooms, facility conditions, and even get an idea of what the home smells like. A site visit will also allow you to get a look at other residents and see if they look happy with the conditions.
Other Issues
If you are using Medicare or Medicaid to cover the cost of your nursing home care, you also have to make sure that you meet all the requirements under those programs. In some cases, this could limit your options.
Contact Us for Legal Assistance
Whichever nursing home a person chooses to live in after considering these and other factors, it is important to remember that every person living in a nursing home has a right to be free from abuse, and a right to be treated with respect. If the nursing home staff or other residents interfere with these rights by abusing, assaulting, or harassing a resident, the resident may seek compensation for the injuries caused by these acts. For more information on how you can file a claim on your own, or on behalf of a nursing home resident who has been the victim of abuse or neglect in Atlanta, Georgia, contact Jonathan R. Brockman, P.C. to speak to an attorney today.