JJR512
New Member
If you ever have a relative/friend/other loved one (anyone you give a damn about) who has to go into a nursing home, please do them a favor and take the time to pick one that's not a dump. The good ones are few and far between, but are worth seeking out.
For the record, my advice and opinions come from working in the private ambulance industry (commercial, not municipal), which takes me into many nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical facilities.
The insurance company will probably have a list of approved homes, and the doctor will select one based on which facility best meets the needs of the patient medically (many homes have a particular specialty) and has space available. Find out where the doctor wants to send your loved one, then go and visit that place. Have someone take you on a tour, showing you the room where your loved one will live, all the common areas, the kitchen, dining areas, rest rooms and bath rooms, and the outside areas as well. Talk to the nurses, techs, aides, other care givers, and even the cleaning staff who work in the area of the home where your loved one will be. See if they seem intelligent, competent, and caring. Check out their attitude. Make sure they speak English intelligibly enough for your loved one to understand (you may laugh now, but visit a few nursing homes and you'll see why I mention this).
Many are so damned crappy I wouldn't let them pay me to keep my worst enemy there. Some are nice enough that I would pay to stay there myself.
If you don't like the place, consult the doctor and the insurance company and find out if there are any other places possible. Explain the issues you have with the first choice and demand something better.
Keep in mind the question: Would you stay where they want to send your loved one?
For the record, my advice and opinions come from working in the private ambulance industry (commercial, not municipal), which takes me into many nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical facilities.
The insurance company will probably have a list of approved homes, and the doctor will select one based on which facility best meets the needs of the patient medically (many homes have a particular specialty) and has space available. Find out where the doctor wants to send your loved one, then go and visit that place. Have someone take you on a tour, showing you the room where your loved one will live, all the common areas, the kitchen, dining areas, rest rooms and bath rooms, and the outside areas as well. Talk to the nurses, techs, aides, other care givers, and even the cleaning staff who work in the area of the home where your loved one will be. See if they seem intelligent, competent, and caring. Check out their attitude. Make sure they speak English intelligibly enough for your loved one to understand (you may laugh now, but visit a few nursing homes and you'll see why I mention this).
Many are so damned crappy I wouldn't let them pay me to keep my worst enemy there. Some are nice enough that I would pay to stay there myself.
If you don't like the place, consult the doctor and the insurance company and find out if there are any other places possible. Explain the issues you have with the first choice and demand something better.
Keep in mind the question: Would you stay where they want to send your loved one?
