How To Tour Nursing Home Facilities

The decision to transition a loved one into nursing home care is never an easy one to admit. A move like that signifies that your family member needs help that you can no longer provide. However, you can help facilitate the transition by finding the best nursing home facility to match the needs of your loved one. That will bring peace of mind to everyone in the family. 

One of the areas that you need to look into is any history of nursing home neglect or abuse associated with the facility you’re planning on touring. These incidents are typically the result of understaffing or improper training.  

You will benefit from touring at least three to five facilities. For your tour, you should bring a notebook to write notes about what you see, who you talk to, and your impressions. This will help you make a thorough assessment.  

You want to delve into the following topics on your nursing home tour. 

Accessibility to Your Loved One 

One of the most important things to remember about a nursing home transition is that, even though the staff is working full-time to care for the residents, you will still be considered their primary caregiver.  

That means you need to have consistent access to your loved one. The nursing facility will have official visiting hours, but must be flexible. You might want to spend more time with your loved ones without having to “watch the clock.” 

Outside of your visits, you should also find out how easy it will be for your loved one to communicate with others. If your loved one has a smartphone, iPad, or laptop, you might be able to set up video calls to check in with them. That means the residents need easy access to Wi-Fi.  

Accessibility also extends to the facility’s staff and administrators. You should be able to communicate directly with them through email, phone, or text.  

Variety of Choices 

Another benefit for nursing home residents is the variety of choices to occupy their day. Before the move, your loved one might have been spending a lot of time isolated at home. The nursing home strives to keep the residents engaged with various activities designed to keep them physically active and mentally alert. You’ll want to note what a typical day and week look like at the nursing home.  

Will the residents have access to supervised activities? Is there a common room where they can socialize? Are there classes for enrichment? Your loved one doesn’t have to participate in all the activities, but they should be given choices.  

The variety of choices also extends to the food. There should be choices that meet the nutritional needs of the residents.   

Respect From the Staff  

You’ll absorb a lot of information when you go on your tour. It is important that you take the time to observe how the staff interacts with the residents. Do they know them by name? How fast do they respond to calls for assistance? Can you sense that the staff is respectful of the residents?  

A Clean and Safe Environment 

A nursing home must have a clean and safe environment for all residents. There will obviously be incidents where a cleanup is required. However, it should be a concern if you are on your visit and it doesn’t appear that the staff is attending to a spill, or if the rooms and bathrooms aren’t clean.  

Picking the right nursing home for your loved one is a major decision that the entire family should be involved in. My Nursing Home Abuse Guide provides many resources to help families with concerns about nursing home care.  

It helps to be fully informed about all aspects of your loved one’s care.