Assisted Living Ratings – Helping You Make The Right Choice In A Hard Decision
When making the decision to relocate your parents to an assisted living home, there are various factors to consider, how far away is it from where you live, what are the costs, what are the services offered, what is the environment like, do you and your parents like it or feel comfortable there and many more. There is also the challenge of convincing your parents that this is the best option for them and helping them cope with the stress and misgivings that accompany such a huge life change. This is why assisted living ratings play an important part in helping you choose the right facility for your loved ones to move into.
It is wise to keep in mind that this is not a short-term option; you cannot keep relocating your parents if they do not like the place, or if the services are poor. It is best to do the maximum amount of research before you actually decide on a facility rather than making a hasty decision and having to undo it later.
Assisted Living Ratings can help you make the right decision. For example, the Gannett News Service found that the worst assisted living nursing homes were concentrated in 12 states, and 83% of the violations occurred not in state or government funded homes but in for-profit homes across the country. So it is wise when making a choice to factor in this information as well.
One of the best ways to compare homes in your area is to look at their ratings on the Federal Governments Nursing Home Comparison website. This site allows you to find all the nursing homes within your state or zip code and then compare and view information about each of them.
These ratings evaluate assisted living facilities based on whether they are Medicare or Medicaid certified, the appearance of the residents, the living spaces offered, the staff behavior and background, the condition of the living space of the residents, public area hygiene, menu and quality of food offered, activities offered, and facilities for safety and care. It also takes into account any violations filed against the facility and feedback from residents and their family members.
A good checklist to follow when selecting an assisted living nursing home is:
• Use a checklist like the one above to evaluate the facility
• Keep in mind that state and government funded facilities may actually be better
• Do a Google search to see if the facility has any serious violations against it
• See if information about the facility is listed on any government websites which will provide you with a reliable and accurate rating
• Talk to people in the area and see if anyone has family members living in the centre, what they say about the facilities can also be important.
While it is true that assisted living ratings may not give you the entire picture about a facility and the services it offers, they will however provide you with a more clear and unbiased picture on which to base your decision.
Mr. Allen Caller is a senior advisor & expert of assisted living last years. He contributes through this article how can find best assisted living management with great outdoors, fishing, shopping and many other facility activities in the world. For more about assisted living cost, visit http://www.tiddee.com/health/assisted-living today.
August 3, 2010 | Posted by kevinram 
Categories:
Tags:
Recent Comments