5 Things to Consider when Selecting a Nursing Home

Finding the right nursing home for your loved one can be difficult. We all have different needs and it's important to make sure you find the nursing home that can provide your loved one with the best care. Here are five things to consider when selecting a nursing home.

1) Location. If you are going to be visiting frequently, you will want to find a place that’s convenient and close to you. This way, you will find it much easier to visit as often as necessary to make sure your loved one is being properly cared for and the nursing home is fulfilling their responsibility.

2) Parking. Look at the number of handicapped spots, and make sure there are ramps that are easily accessible for people in a wheel chair, or for those having to use a walker. Make sure the lot is well lit at night, in case you’re visiting in the evening, when it gets dark.

3) Walk-in smells. When you enter, do a smell test. Does it smell clean, with disinfectant, or does it smell more like housekeeping is not attending to keeping the place sanitized? This is a good indicator for determining whether a place is hygienic. Your loved one probably doesn’t want to be living somewhere that smells like an outhouse.

4) Lighting. Look at the lighting of the place. Is it bright and cheery, or dark and gloomy? People’s moods are easily affected by the ambience of a room, so if the room seems depressing, then your loved one could become depressed as well.

5) Services provided. Make sure you find a facility to offers services specific to your loved one’s needs, such as physical therapy, speech therapy, social services and so on. Since services differ from facility to facility, you want to make sure you find the one best suited for your loved one’s care.

It’s important to do your homework to find the best place for your loved ones, because placing them in a facility that is best for them, is also best for you.