I never imagined I’d ever need to deal with the difficult decision of whether or not to place one I love in a nursing home, let alone have to consider which facility. When my own father took a turn for the worse during his battle with Parkinson’s, he ended up with a 6-week hospital stay. At one point, it was unclear how much strength he would regain even with intensive occupational therapy. My mom broached the topic, and it shook me to consider that he might not be able to return home, that he might need more care than we could give him. Once my mind stopped reeling, I realized I had no idea how to go about choosing a medical care facility for my father.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to begin to decide where to place your own loved one, be assured; there are lots of guides and resources there to help you. Every state has an Ombudsman program connected to the Department on Aging that offers patient advocacy and information on choosing a nursing home.

Here are some helpful tips to help guide you through this difficult decision process. Take careful notes as you visit or collect information online about each nursing home. Keeping record of your findings will help you tremendously as you weigh the options.

Location

Keeping close proximity to family members is perhaps the most important consideration. Choosing a Tyler nursing home close to home means frequent visits will be much more doable. These visits can positively affect the patient’s quality of life, outlook on their current situation, and go a long way to reducing stress, depression, and frustration. All of these factors contribute to potentially faster recovery, improved health, or even extention of life.

Quality of care

This is obviously an important consideration. We’ve all heard of or seen examples of poor care and I know of an elder care facility in Tyler Texas that has several negative reports from government inspectors. Inadequate qualified professional staff, staff shortages, old equipment or facilities, and lack of concern for dignity or patient preferences have a huge negative impact on the quality of care a nursing home can offer.

The good news? Other than making a visit to obtain a first hand glimpse of a Tyler nursing home, there are outside agencies who gather quality control reports on each nursing home in your area. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services provides reports on nursing home facilities and their Ombudsman Program provides advocacy and further support. There are also government-mandated quality assurance checks on all nursing homes who accept Medicaid or Medicare patients. These reports are made available at www.dads.state.tx.us/news_info/ombudsman/choosing.html.

Carefully review each location’s quality reports, health and safety inspections. Note any violations as well as what has been done to improve care. For example, if there was a lack of qualified staff working, have more staff been scheduled or hired? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services puts out annual reports on nursing homes who have received a citation for actual harm or immediate jeopardy on this website: MemberoftheFamily.net

Affordability

When it comes to choosing a Tyler Texas home for someone you love, no one wants to base their decision on affordability, but because of the incredible expense involved, this unfortunately has to be a consideration. Temporary or short term care, sometimes required for a few weeks after surgery or for accident recovery, is often covered by insurance. Long term care (100 or more days) is usually not covered. Be sure to ask each facility about financial assistance or payment plans.

Going into this decision making process as fully armed as possible can only help you. Visit facilities personally, make careful observations, gather all the information you can, and take complete notes. Find a friend or an advocate to help you in your search for the nursing home you feel satisfied will best suit you and your loved one.