Tips for Conducting a Nursing Home Tour
Once you have narrowed down the list, the next step is to tour the nursing home. You should contact the nursing home and set up an appointment. If you are unable to go on a tour, try to send a friend or family member.
Please visit the nursing home's page on WhereToFindCare.com to get their address,
contact information, and driving directions. Some nursing homes have contact forms on their WhereToFindCare.com page, so it may be possible to email them to set up the tour. When visiting the nursing homes, please be sure to mention you saw them on WhereToFindCare.com!
When conducting a nursing home tour, keep the following tips in mind:
- How accessible is the nursing home? Does it have plenty of parking for visitors? What are the visiting hours? Is there a common phone for the residents to use? Or do residents need their own personal phone?
- Examine the nursing home with all your senses. How do the residents appear, what condition is the furniture in, what types of safety equipment do they have, how noisy is the facility, are there any odors?
- Inquire about dietary. What types of meals are served? Snacks? Specialty diets?
- Inquire about fees they charge. What are the basic fees? Are there any special fees? What insurances do they accepted?
- Inquire about the activities program. Ask to see the activity schedule. Do they support outings?
- Ask to see the latest inspection report. If any corrections needed to be made, ask if they have been made and what was done to correct them.
- Interview patients, family, and staff. Ask how satisfied they are with the nursing home.
- Inquire about staffing. How many doctors, nurses, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are on staff? Does staffing change on weekends? After hours? Holidays?
- Inquire about languages. Communication with a patient is important. Ask what the primary spoken language is and if any other languages can be accommodated, for example sign language.
- Inquire about religious support. Do area churches visit the nursing home?
- Ask questions. If you see something unusual, don’t be afraid to ask questions. It may help to explain nursing home policies.
- If you have any questions after the tour is done, contact the nursing home.
- Don’t be afraid to ask to tour the nursing home again. This is a very important decision. It’s always good to go back on another day or during a different time to see if anything has changed.
- Inquire about the services they offer. Do they specialize in any illness? If yes, what makes their program different from other nursing homes?
Do you know of any more tips? Please contact us and let us know! Use either our
contact us form
or visit our
blog
and add your comments. Our blog may contain more advice from other users, so be
sure to check it out!
Share your experience!
Please remember to share your experiences with us. If we helped in your decision
marking, please
contact us and share your story. Also, please
rate all nursing homes
you visit. Some users may be unable to visit a provider. Sharing your experience will help make it easier for them to make an informed decision.
|