Showing posts with label nursing home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nursing home. Show all posts

How to Choose the Best Nursing Home for Your Loved One

lady reading email to an elderly loved one


We all want the best for the seniors in our lives, and as they get older, they may need more attention than you are able to provide. In that case, you have a big decision to make, and the only suitable option may be putting them in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. There are a lot of options for different facilities, and you need to ensure you can afford the associated costs. Here are some tips for how to find the best home for your senior.


Consider the Services


While many people may just rush to the nursing home that has the best reviews, you also need to consider the services that your senior needs and whether or not that home provides them. For instance, some seniors have issues with remembering basic tasks and they may need more memory care than anything else. The case may also be that your home will require more around-the-clock monitoring with an emphasis on incontinence care.


The point is that you need to first talk to the senior or their doctor so you can decide what they need the most and then determine if the facility can provide in that way. While you can find a lot of information online, it is better to take a tour of the home and ask all necessary questions so you get a clear picture.


When considering a healthy diet, remember that all nursing homes are required to serve at least three square meals per day, so if your senior cannot cook on their own, then you will be covered in that area. If your loved one has certain dietary restrictions, you will want to talk to the facility to ensure that they can provide what is necessary.


Read Reviews


You may find a great facility while you are searching online that appears to offer everything you are looking for, but just because you may be excited, you shouldn’t sign up just yet. The next step is to take a deep dive and read the reviews to ensure that the place is clean, the staff is polite and attentive, and that the services mentioned are really offered.


There are many review websites where you can find this information or you can search for that particular facility on a site like Google or Bing. When you read reviews, make sure that you are not only seeing those written by the family member paying the bills, but also the senior that lives there if possible. Only a senior who is within those walls 24-hours a day can really tell the whole story.


Consider the Cost


While senior care facilities may seem like a godsend, it is basically common knowledge at this point that placing your senior in a home can be exceptionally costly. Currently, the average cost is almost $8,000 a month for a private room, so if you don’t have that cash on hand, then you will need to make some decisions.


If you don’t have that money available, but finding a nursing home is absolutely necessary, then one way to free up cash is to sell your home. Those who own their home outright will have an easier path, but even in that case, there are many fees to consider. It is a good idea to use a home sale proceeds calculator which can factor in how much you could make when you sell your home plus realtor fees and commissions so you can have a clear picture. If selling your home is not an option, then you may be able to use Medicaid or take out a loan.


In the end, realizing that you need to put your senior in a home is a tough decision, but by taking it one step at a time, you will figure out what is best. If you want to know more about senior care or the role of caregivers for your loved ones, check out the Daily Devotions For Caregivers blog for more great information.

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