Elder Care Zone - Caring for the Elderly, Elder Health Care Services, Elder Home Care and More
    (Add to Favorites  |  View All Articles  |  Resource Directory)

How to spot a good assisted living facility


Assisted Living: Tips on How to Choose a Facility


It is easy to be fooled by fancy drapery or expensive furniture that may decorate a care facility. Even though a facility looks high class doesn't always mean the care provided is first class. The following are just a few simple guidelines to follow when selecting either a nursing home or an assisted living facility:

1. Talk with people in the community who are familiar with the facility you are looking at. Get their opinions and feedback.

2. In order to get the feel of the residents and their activity level, tour the facility during meals times, or right before or after a meal. Activity level is usually higher during these times. This will give you a general idea of the atmosphere and the quality of food being served. Great meals are one of the lasting enjoyments our seniors have.

3. Pay attention to the residents in the facility. Do they appear to be happy? Unhappy residents could indicate their needs are not being met properly. Do the caregivers know the residents by name? Is there adequate interaction between caregiver and resident?

4. If you have concerns about the facility, don't be afraid to ask the staff questions and voice any concerns you may have. Did you receive adequate answers? Was the staff professional? Ask the administrator about the staff turnover rate. If it's high, ask for the reasons why.

5. Examine all license and state or county inspection results for the facility. Each facility is required to display these items. A facility with little or no deficiencies is most likely a facility that wants to get the job done right the first time.

6. Research the facility using resources on the internet such as the Nursing Home Compare at www.medicare.gov or view license and enforcement action information with the appropriate state agency.

7. Trust your instinct. If you feel uncomfortable about a facility, there is a reason why. If a second unscheduled visit yields the same uneasy feeling, go with your gut feeling.

Overall, being familiar with a few simple guidelines will help make your selection process much easier. Selecting a care facility for a loved one is a very important decision. The care your loved one receives will ultimately affect their quality of life. In the end, if you cannot see yourself living in a certain facility you're visiting, then chances are you shouldn't place your loved one there either.

You have permission to use this article as long as the author's full bio is present as well as any hyperlinks to author's website.

Torey Farnsworth has over 12 years of experience working with seniors. Ms. Farnsworth's vast expertise encompasses a wide variety of senior issues ranging from adult care to elder law. Most recently, Torey served as Elder Law Director and Paralegal for a Phoenix based law firm where she provided assistance in a variety of areas including long term care planning, estate planning, ALTCS eligibility and Medicaid planning. Ms. Farnsworth is also a certified caregiver with the State of Arizona as well as a Certified Senior Advisor. Ms. Farnsworth has spent her career in senior care as her family owns and operates assisted living homes.

Ms. Farnsworth owns and operates a senior care placement business in Arizona called Horizon Senior Care Referral. Her placement services are free to seniors and their families. For information on placement services in Arizona, visit http://adultcarecentral.com/


MORE RESOURCES:

News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News

Course Teaches Officers To Spot Elderly Abuse
South Florida police officers are learning how to spot abuse of elderly people and what to do about it.

Elderly care: Who should pay? - One News Page

Elderly care: Who should pay?
One News Page
yourlegalhelp BBC News Elderly care: Who should pay?: Dame Joan Bakewell tackles the dilemma of who should pay for the care of o... http://bit.ly/cNg7xA ...

and more »

The Technology for Monitoring Elderly Relatives
Technology offers growing options for keeping an eye (or an ear) on aging parents.

Two women charged with ripping off elderly residents - Mid-Hudson News

Two women charged with ripping off elderly residents
Mid-Hudson News
POUGHKEEPSIE – Two women, one a home health care aide, have been arrested in connection with the theft of cash, jewelry and personal checks from elderly ...

and more »

[news] Compassionate Caring : Monterey center offers offers badly needed help to elderly. - Monterey County Weekly
Daycare isnt just for children. The organizers at Central Coast Visiting Nurse Association Adult Day Centers are hoping caregivers in Monterey will embrace that idea. Since the CCVNAs first adult daycare center opened in Salinas in 1987, its mission has been simple: Provide caregivers of the elderly a weekday respite from the taxing job of caring for a loved one by providing daytime activities ...

Plan care of elderly parents as soon as possible
The increasing number of Baby Boomers caring for their elderly parents need to take steps to avoid allowing the task to become a depressing, full-time endeavor, one expert warns. "Taking care of your parents happens before many of us even realize it. First, we're shopping for them. Then, we're taking them to doctors' appointments," personal finance expert Eric Tyson said. "And then we're helping ...

Trust apologises to elderly patients
The director of nursing at Belfast Health Trust has apologised after claims some older people leave hospital malnourished. Related Stories Motorcyclist dies in crash Ulster Bank and group make Splash on activity garden On the Grapevine - July 28 Asbestosis group to help sufferers Councillor issues suicide alert over bridge jumpers

Tech engineers eye policy shift in elderly care - International Business Times

Tech engineers eye policy shift in elderly care
International Business Times
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) called for a policy shift in elderly care on Monday urging authorities to focus on ...

At home elderly care option - NECN

At home elderly care option
NECN
(NECN: Latoyia Edwards) - Caring for elderly loved ones can be extremely expensive. But people in Massachusetts have a new option from the state that will ...

Family's 'horror' over Ian Goodchild elderly care cuts - Get Surrey

Family's 'horror' over Ian Goodchild elderly care cuts
Get Surrey
THE family of Ian Goodchild have said they want his name stripped from the Camberley building that bears it, in protest at council plans to ...

home | site map | articles
© 2006