Researching Your Nursing Home Options

Like many that come to us here at The Hughes Law Firm PC, you may have neglected to account for yours or your loved one’s long-term care in your estate planning. Planning for the potentially losing the security of self-sufficiency now avoids you or your loved one being left to the mercy of others in Denver if it ever does happen.

Part of planning for yours or your loved one’s long-term care may require selecting a nursing home that has the resources to meet your needs. However, admittance to a facility can bring with it the potential to experience abuse or neglect at the hands of caregivers. Indeed, the National Center on Elder Abuse reports that in 2014 alone, 14,258 claims of nursing home neglect, abuse and exploitation were reported to authorities.

While there may be no surefire way of knowing whether you or a loved one may be subjected to such abuse, you can do your due diligence in researching your available options to see which facility seems best equipped to prevent cases of violence or neglect from ever happening. Ask the following questions when speaking with facility representatives:

• Are all of its employees subjected to background checks prior to being hired?
• How many licensed nurses are on duty at a given time?
• What is the ratio of residents to staff?
• Do residents have secure areas to store money and financial documents?
• Is the staff trained to deal with conditions such as dementia?

It is also encouraged that you tour a facility and observe if residents appear clean and well-groomed, if the facilities are well-lit and equipped with safety equipment, and even if the food tastes good.

More information on preparing for yours or a loved one’s long-term care can be found here on our site.