Nursing Homes
Long-Term
Care: Choosing the Right Place
Many of us hope to stay in our homes as we grow older. Often we are able to do that. But later in life—usually by our 80s and 90s—some of us need a hand with everyday activities like shopping, cooking, or bathing. Where do you go for help? Here are some answers to that and other questions that you might have as you look for the best place for you or your relative to live.
Long Term Planning Tool
This tool is to help you understand:
- What long-term care services are available,
- How much you can expect to pay for long-term care, and
- What financing options are available to support your long-term care costs.
Nursing Home Compare
Provides an interactive tool that allows Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers to access comparison information about nursing homes. It contains information on every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country, including over 17,000 nationwide. Nursing Home Compare includes:
- Nursing home characteristics such as number of beds, type of ownership and whether or not the nursing home participates in Medicare, Medicaid or both.
- Resident characteristics including percent of residents with pressure sore, percent of residents with urinary incontinence and more.
- Summary information about nursing homes during their last State inspection.
- Information on the number of registered nurses, licensed practical or vocational nurses, and nursing assistants in each nursing home.
Nursing Home Checklist
Provides a detailed checklist for rating different nursing homes visited based upon, Quality of Life, Quality of Care, Nutrition and Hydration, and Safety. The checklist also elaborates on how to use the information discovered through Nursing Home Compare when visiting nursing homes.
Paying for Care
Provides basic information about Medicare, Medicaid, and Long Term Care Insurance as they pertain to Nursing Home Care.
Steps
to Choosing Long Term Care
Choosing long-term care is a very important decision. You should plan and think about long-term care before you need care or before a crisis occurs. Planning ahead allows you the time to talk with your doctor about your health and any problems you may be having. This source gives you some steps that may help you choose the type of long-term care that meets your needs.
