Questions to Ask When Exploring Nursing Home Options

Choosing a nursing home for your loved one is no small decision. All of the different options can be downright confusing, particularly when you are trying to balance concerns such as affordability, individualized care options, services offered, and medical care provided in terms of the needs of your loved one. Fortunately, there are some common questions that you can and should ask when inquiring into long-term care options for your family member or loved one.

First, you want to a get a sense of how the facility will offer your loved one individualized, personal care. Will your loved one’s caregivers know his or her name? Will he or she have the same caregivers on a regular basis? How will staff members know about your loved one’s individual needs?

Next, get a sense of what type of schedule your loved one will enjoy in particular facility. Is your loved one required to get up at a certain time? How flexible are meal times? Can your loved one obtain food in between meals if needed, or a different meal if he or she does not like the main entree? Are there recreational activities available for your loved one on a daily basis? Is your loved one required to go to bed at a certain time each day? Are there are any differences in the weekday and the weekend schedules? How often can my loved one bathe or how do staff members ensure that he or she bathes on a regular basis?

Another important question is the role of the family in your loved one’s care. Are family members welcome at all times and on all days? Can family members eat meals with nursing home residents? Are there are any restrictions on when family members can be present in the resident’s room or the common areas of the nursing home?

You entrust your loved one to the nursing home so that he or she is properly cared for. If a facility fails to provide your loved one with an even basic level of reasonable care, it is likely that negligence occurred, which may make that facility liable for the resulting injuries. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be entitled to compensation for the losses that you or your family member has suffered. Call our Wisconsin nursing home abuse attorneys at Boller & Vaughan and learn what we can do for you and your family.