How to Find Out if Your Loved One’s Nursing Home is Safe

Moving an elderly family member into a nursing home can be emotional and difficult. But then you remember you made this decision because it’s the best option for your loved one. When you place them in a community’s care, you want to know that their quality of life is at the highest level.

Some nursing homes are better qualified to take care of seniors than others. Luckily, research and an attentive visit can help you determine if your loved one’s nursing home is safe.

Should you discover your loved one is in an unsafe nursing home in Georgia, you might need an Atlanta nursing home abuse attorney. Bey & Associates will fight for your rights and give you and your family the support you deserve.

Signs of a Safe Nursing Home

Keep an eye out for these following signs that your loved one is in a safe nursing home:

Good Reputation

You can look up your loved one’s nursing home on several sites that give grades, reports, and rankings:

• Nursing Home Report Cards shows you how the nursing homes in Georgia compare to the rest of the country.
• Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare tool looks at reviews of nursing homes within your zip code. It uses the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services five-star quality rating system. It covers the overall rating, health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.
• National Nursing Home Rankings lets you select your state and review how all the nursing homes compare.

When you’re visiting the nursing home, ask other visitors what they think of the place and if they’re happy with how the staff treats their loved one. Try to speak with as many people as possible and certainly aim to talk with families who have had a loved one in long term care for a while.

Adequate Staffing

Your loved one’s nursing home should have a low staff to resident ratio. This ensures that there are enough staff to care for residents, and the staff won’t be overworked and exhausted when they should focus all their attention on their residents.

Support for Families

You and your family might want to meet to discuss concerns or ways to improve your loved one’s care. A safe nursing home should provide a way for this conversation to happen and should be communicative and helpful.

Healthy and Delicious Meals

Get an idea of the food quality the nursing home serves. See if you can get one for yourself so you can taste the food first hand. Safe nursing homes have quality meals that are also high in nutrition.

Wide Variety of Activities

Nursing home residents need interesting activities to keep them social and maintain a high quality of life. Check your nursing home’s calendar and see what kind of activities are offered. Do they have frequent senior exercises? Are there activities that your loved one would find enjoyable?

Has Your Loved One Been a Victim of Nursing Home Abuse?

If you suspect your loved one’s basic rights have been neglected in a nursing home, you can take legal action. Bey & Associates is ready to work with you and support you throughout this process. Call us today at (404) 344-4448 or send us a message and we’ll discuss your options.