Hi! As the title suggests, my family has recently come to the acceptance that it is time to put my grandmother in a skilled nursing facility. She has been living in a senior independently living facility and up until a few months ago was functioning decently with family checking on her every few days. Well her memory has now detoristed to the point where she forgets to eat, take her meds, and even clean herself after going to the restroom. She's become incontinent and needs pt a few times a week as well. She has Medicare andwe are trying to find the best care for her without going into debt ourselves.
When we begin meeting with diffent facilities, what are things we should be looking for as a sign its a loving place vs. a place to run for the hills. What are any buzz words we should pick up on? Or what do you wish you could tell your resident's family to be weary of when choosing a home?
She is the first one in our family to go through so many issues and need extra care that we are not able to provide with her moving in with us, so I thank you in advance for your advice and help during this difficult time!! And thank you for compassionately caring for people like my grandma :)
in addition to the advise everyone else has given, do some research for yourself. Just because they say their staffing ratio is one thing doesn't mean it is. The facility I used to work at made a big deal about x amount of nurses on duty and x amount of CNAs. What they failed to tell everyone was that those numbers were simply the amount of nurses in the building. Not the ones who were on the floor doing patient care.
Most facilities will have low numbers, its just the name of the game. Go there yourself and look around. See how many call lights are on, count the number of CNAs and Nurses. (usually they wear color coded uniforms).
Watch for patients who are getting ignored and for how long. And, when you do admit her, don't be afraid to go in and visit and help out with her care, if you are allowed. Make your presence known and voice any concerns. Good luck. PM me if you need to.
Glycerine82, LPN
1 Article; 2,188 Posts
in addition to the advise everyone else has given, do some research for yourself. Just because they say their staffing ratio is one thing doesn't mean it is. The facility I used to work at made a big deal about x amount of nurses on duty and x amount of CNAs. What they failed to tell everyone was that those numbers were simply the amount of nurses in the building. Not the ones who were on the floor doing patient care.
Most facilities will have low numbers, its just the name of the game. Go there yourself and look around. See how many call lights are on, count the number of CNAs and Nurses. (usually they wear color coded uniforms).
Watch for patients who are getting ignored and for how long. And, when you do admit her, don't be afraid to go in and visit and help out with her care, if you are allowed. Make your presence known and voice any concerns. Good luck. PM me if you need to.