If you are considering a nursing home for yourself or an old family member, it is essential to compare nursing homes in order to find the one that would provide you with the best quality of life and care and other services that you need. The nursing homes are mainly intended for those who need long-term nursing care due to age, chronic medical conditions, disabilities, or serious injuries. There are different types of nursing homes, such as skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, adult day care, respite care, and hospice care. The Skilled Nursing Homes provide assistance and care 24 hours a day and are mostly for those who are seriously ill and require round the clock medical supervision.
The Assisted Living Facilities are for the people who require assistance with their day-to-day activities. These nursing homes offer many services, including medical care, cooked meals, housekeeping, and laundry services. Independent Living Nursing Homes is a perfect choice for an elderly person, who has certain medical problems, but has the ability to perform daily living tasks. The adult day care centers offer recreational and health facilities to physically or mentally challenged adults during the day. The respite care homes provide short-term care for some days or weeks. The Hospice Care Facilities are for those patients who are terminally ill. Compare nursing homes in your locality to decide which type of nursing home is ideal for you or your dear one.
When you compare nursing homes, the foremost importance should be given to the quality of life and care they provide. The US Department of Health and Human Service Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has initiated a Five Star Quality Rating System to enable elderly persons and their families to compare different nursing homes. The nursing homes with five stars are regarded to have above average quality facilities. You can also compare nursing homes with the help of health inspection data, staffing details, quality measures, and the results of fire safety inspections.
Another method to compare nursing homes is to visit websites like www.medicare.gov, www.medicare.gov or NHCompare and collect the details of nursing homes you are considering. Seek recommendations from your physician, friends, family members, and other people you trust. If you or the person who needs nursing home care is in a medical institution, then the discharge planner or the social worker can help you to get a list of nursing homes in your areas. If you can, visit the nursing home and see the facilities for yourself. It is also advised to make contact with Long-Term Care Ombudsman and State Survey Agency before taking the final decision on nursing homes.
Learn more, click here: http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Include/DataSection/Questions/SearchCriteriaNEW.asp?version=default&browser=Firefox|3.6|WinXP&language=English&defaultstatus=0&pagelist=Home&CookiesEnabledStatus=True
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