Picking the Perfect Nursing Home

If you are in the process of looking for a nursing home for a loved one you will want to find the best possible care available. It can be a trying time when you have to watch a loved one be re-located to a nursing home so it is reassuring to know that you have done your part and looked in detail for high quality care. Empower yourself and your family member by taking the time and effort to research all of the homes available to you. This is a rough guide to help make this process slightly easier.

The first thing to do is to research homes in your area or the area you wish your loved one to be re-located to. This can be done via the internet or using the phonebook and you should look to shortlist at least five or six nursing homes to further research.

Once you have taken the time to research and short-list some nursing homes the next step is to call each of the homes and arrange a tour. One useful tip is to listen carefully to the person's voice who answers the phone, take into account their tone and demeanour as this could be a first indication of what the quality of service will be like. Whilst on the phone take time to ask question and be specific. Ask all of the questions you can think of whether they are about the various medical suppliers the home uses or about the available recreational activities for the patients.

When you arrive for your tours of the various homes make sure aware of your first impression, is it airy, clean and bright? You need to assess the atmosphere and best judge whether your family member will be happy staying in the home. Also take into account all of the little details. What is the hospital furniture like? Ask about the equipment, if they mention something you don't know about like bp monitors then you should ask. One of the most important things to do on a tour of a nursing home is to use your own eyes and ears, the tour guide will only tell you how wonderful the home is so you must be on the lookout for negatives. This is not to say that you should go on the tour with a negative outlook you should just keep your eyes open for anything that does not look good. Also remember to ask for an information package about the home, this will help to further research the home.

Whilst you can receive all the advice in the world about looking for the perfect nursing home nothing will compare to your own instinct. Always keep in mind that your loved one will be living in the home you choose and this will ensure that you pick the best possible option for you and your family.