Estate Planning Isn’t Just For The Elderly

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Tips for choosing a nursing home

On Behalf of | Nov 10, 2017 | Long-Term Care

New York residents will have a lot of different options available when selecting an appropriate nursing home for their loved one. In fact, the selection process can be confusing as you try to balance your financial considerations with your wish to find the best facility available.

Having a nursing home checklist on hand is a great way to make sure you’ve covered all your bases when reviewing different long-term care facilities.

A checklist for your nursing home search

If you cover the following categories of information in your nursing home search, it will help you find the best facility for your love done:

  • Find a medicare-certified facility: Medicare will help you pay for your loved one’s nursing care in many cases, but you’ll need to find a facility that has medicare certification. Having a medicare approved facility is a great way to afford the expense of nursing care. Otherwise, a nursing facility could cost as much as $200-plus per day. If your loved one’s funds run dry at a non-medicare facility, he or she could get evicted.
  • Consider location: Your loved one will benefit from as many visits as possible. As such, make sure to choose a facility that’s close to your home, which will help you make regular visits.
  • Special needs: Does your loved one have any special needs? For example, does he or she need extra attention due to dementia, or does he or she have special dietary concerns? Ask prospective nursing homes whether they can meet the special needs of your loved one.
  • Get references: Talk to local senior groups and other community members to get recommendations on good nursing facilities. Also, take note of anyone who reports a bad experience with a facility. Further, ask current residents and their family members what they think of the facility, if possible.
  • Look up the facility’s background: Check with state public health agencies to ensure that your selected facility is licensed. Also, check for complaints against the facility and/or any past citations and penalties.
  • Does the nursing facility have a rating? Search online at websites like “”Nursing Home Compare”” to learn how the nursing home you are considering measures up.
  • Make a surprise visit: Show up at the nursing home unannounced and ask for a tour of the facility. This will help you understand more about the nursing home, how clean it is, and how it operates on a daily basis.

Make sure you’re covered for the future

Long-term care is expensive and has the potential for destroying the savings you hope to leave as an inheritance for your loved ones. However, by planning in advance, you can preserve your assets from the high expenses associated with nursing home costs.