Finding a Nursing Home for Grandparents

do you or any of your relatives work for any large companies? check the benefits. Many companies have an employee assistance program and one of the free services they offer is information on senior care facilities. At one time, they provided me with a list of names and ratings of nursing homes in South Florida which i provided to my brother which helped him narrow down the list and select a nursing home for our mother. I was out of state and couldn't help him check the homes on the list, but it sure gave him fewer to look at to make a decision and also some helpful questions to ask. They provided information on state ratings and other industry standards.

A few years back my husband became the guardian for his grandmother suffering from Alzheimers and we were going to move her into town. We knew nothing of elder care or how to find it! I found a great FREE resource in the web site A Place For Mom (www.aplaceformom.com). You type in the basics of what you need (city/state; day care, assisted living, home health, dementia care, nursing home etc.) and they will give you a list of places in your area. I am sure it is not a comprehensive list, but the 6 or 8 that were sent to us were good options (even though we went with another place recommended by a co-worker). Even better, you are assigned a sort of case worker who emails you to see if you have all you need and help you in your search. Ours would send us articles related to elder care that she thought would be helpful to us. I saw this type of service listed elsewhere with a pricey hourly rate!

I'm not from TX so I'm not sure how far away the towns are that you're mentioning re: being 'between the two' but I would highly recommend, if it constitutes a long drive for you, that you figure out if the brother and his wife are really interested in helping out/ visiting, etc. B/c if they aren't as committed as you and your hubby seem to be then you will want to choose a facility as close to you as you can so that as time goes on and you may be called to the facility for different reasons it is not a hardship for you.

I also believe you can look up via a state agency if the facility has had any issues.. they are regularly visited/ rated by the state. Good luck.

There should be a social worker on staff at the assisted living facility. Ask to speak to them and tell them what you are trying to do and ask for recommendations or lists they may have, as well as places to stay away from. Then you can call specific places, visit them, etc.

http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Include/DataSection/Que...

This is the medicare website with your info but tour the facilities in person also. Most, if not all, places will readily offer a tour and Q and A session. Avoid anyone that won't. The medicare website also has a list of questions you can ask each place. Hope you find the right place for your family.

Ask friends if they have any recommendations.

I bet you can get his physician to refer you to social services at a hospital nearby and they can make recommendations. Think of it as important as if you were choosing your child's daycare. You want loving people and a small ratio of patient/nurse. Visit, visit, visit! Ask the residence and ask their visitors. Eat a meal there. Smell the hallways..really.
Make sure you have power of attorney and a medical power of attorney.
Good luck!

The state's Department of Human Services is probably the agency that licenses and inspects nursing homes. I'd start with a phone call to them. I think that they'll be able to give you the numbers for other resources to learn about the homes.

Once you've narrowed the field to 2-3, then visit them more than once. Have a meal there. Talk with residents. If possible have a trial period for your grandparents before signing a lease.

Perhaps the DHS will have a check list to use when looking at nursing homes. Here is one I found on the Internet.

http://www.healthyadvice.com/nursing-home-caresearch-30a2...

Here is a site on which to find nursing homes in the area. The list includes the company name which may be different than that particular facilities name. Googling the company name may give you more information.

http://www.healthyadvice.com/nursing-home-caresearch-30a2...

Here is another helpful sight which might lead you to a rating system.

http://www.healthyadvice.com/nursing-home-caresearch-30a2...

The Internet has lots of available information. I googled "check list for nursing home."

http://www.aplaceformom.com/?kw=3234-ZZ+Nursing+Broad+Tar...