Choosing the right nursing home for yourself or your elderly loved one is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make. The right nursing home can provide an elderly person with the care and medical serves they need with age, offering around-the-clock care, compassion, and support.
On the flip side, a nursing home with a history of negligence or malpractice can put an elderly person at a greater risk of having an accident or injury. When evaluating nursing homes near you, here are some important questions to ask.
What’s the staff to patient ratio?
Understaffed nursing homes put patients at unnecessary risk. When a nursing home is understaffed, a patient may be more likely to suffer from neglect. What’s more, avoidable mistakes based on being overworked and communication errors, such as making medication mistakes, may be done. In a nursing home, it is incredibly important to make sure that there are an adequate number of staff members, nurses, and doctors based on the nursing home resident population.
What are the nursing home’s official policies?
The policies of a nursing home can have a significant effect on an elderly person’s comforts. For example, make sure you find out the rules regarding the following.
- Visiting hours
- Pets
- Choice of doctors
- Strategy for behavioral difficulties
- Ability to leave
- Meal times
- Phone access
- Medical services
The more that you know about a nursing home’s policies, the better you’ll be able to make an informed decision that’s right for you and your family.
Does the nursing home have any history of malpractice?
It is imperative that you ask whether or not the nursing home has any history of reported nursing home abuse and neglect or misconduct, and whether or not any civil actions have ever been filed against the nursing home. Nursing home abuse and neglect are a serious problem; make sure you choose a nursing home that has no history of malpractice litigation.
What’s the nursing home’s relationship with the Ombudsman program?
The Ombudsman program is designed to support and empower those living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. If the local Ombudsman frequents the nursing home that you’re considering, this is a good sign – an Ombudsman advocates for patients’ rights and high standards of care.
Learn More About Choosing a Nursing Home in Pennsylvania
Asking the above questions is important when choosing a nursing home. For more tips on how to choose a nursing home that’s best for your elderly loved one, refer to 6 Tips for Choosing the Right Nursing Home. If you have legal or malpractice questions, call our Cordisco & Saile LLC today by dialing 215-642-2335.
