Finding a Place

When you come to the hard decision of admitting a loved one to a nursing home, or rehabilitation center you should do several things prior. Treat it as though you were inspecting a daycare for your firstborn. Visit a few in the area and stop by at all hours of the day, as long as they fall under visiting hours. Things that I think should be on the top of the list, one location. Why? Because if they are not conveniently located to the “visitor” then in reality how often are you going to go by? Ever heard of the saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease?” Well how can you report things if you aren’t there enough to see concerns that should be addressed. Do you work full time? Is the place close to home or work, where you can stop by at least weekly? These should be considered highly. Another thing that you should consider, parking. Nothing like spending your lunch time trying to find a parking spot so you can have a ½ hour visit with someone. Trust me, this comes from experience, if parking sucks it will become an issue in time.
When you narrow your choices down by the easy things listed above, then you can work on the harder things, like good staff. Just because a place is new doesn’t mean the staff is friendly and caring. Also one bad apple doesn’t mean the whole basket is rotten. Getting a feel for the staff can be much harder than picking out a place with good parking. Observe how they are with other residents, are the patients well groomed and appear happy or at least have their needs met. Two things that can raise a red flag; language, unless the patient speaks something other than English you should only hear that. That is a big complaint, especially to the older generation. The other thing to look for; cell phones. Staff should not be using theirs in common areas.

A resident at the Brevard Zoo...he's happy