When you start looking at facilities for your aging loved one, you probably focus on what’s obvious. Are the floors clean? Is the staff professional and pleasant? What do the rooms look like? And those are all important things to check, but there are some details that aren’t as easy to spot.
Certainly, your motives are pure and your research is thorough, but no matter how hard you plan, you’re bound to overlook some factors. And that ‘something’ could be a warning sign.
In this article, we’ll take a step back and reveal some information that is quite crucial, yet most people tend to overlook it.
How to Assess Facility Standards Beyond the Surface
Things like polished floors and smiling staff are all part of the presentation, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you put the presentation aside, you’d be able to see the things that really matter.
One of those things is staff turnover. If you’re constantly seeing new staff, it’s almost never a good sign because it usually points to deeper, systemic issues, like poor management or low pay. Both can have a huge impact on the quality of care that is provided. Keep in mind that a caregiver shouldn’t just meet the basic standards, they need constant training to handle special needs, like dementia or helping with mobility. Another thing to check is the facility’s compliance history.
No fines and no warnings means that the facility is up to the standard and they adhere to all regulations. However, you’ll need to look further than this.
State regulatory databases are a good place to start, but you should also talk to the current residents and, if possible, their families to see what their experiences are like.
Warning Signs Most People Miss
Let’s say you have already moved your loved one into a nursing home and now you’re worried that you haven’t done enough research on it and you’ve possibly endangered your family member.
Should you call them every day to see how they are? Do you need to go check on them? Can you put a camera in the nursing home room, so you always know how they are?
These are all peculiar questions, and it’s a tough situation to be in, but you wouldn’t be in this situation if you knew what to look for. Let’s see what some red flags are that a lot of people tend to miss.
1. Lack of Social Activities
Social interaction is very important for mental health, especially when it comes to those that are older because they (often) already feel isolated. If the nursing home doesn’t offer regular, fun group activities or can’t accommodate residents with limited mobility, people will feel depressed and lonely. When you’re checking the facility, ask the staff how frequent and how versatile activities are.
Do the activities include people who have physical or cognitive limitations? Look at the activity schedule and talk to some of the residents, too, to see what they think about the activities.
2. Medical Care Transparency
Medical care has to be transparent, but most families forget to check this. If you don’t get a quick response when you ask about emergency protocols or the policies about doctor visits are unclear, it’s not a good sign.
Certain facilities tend to delegate the provision of medical care, which isn’t ideal as it may lead to erratic service delivery, as well as delays in treatment. Do ask the staff (in detail) how emergencies are dealt with, whether there is any medical personnel on the premises, and enquire about the frequency of doctors' visits.
If you get an ambiguous answer, that is (probably) a facility that you should not waste your interest in.
3. Hidden Hygiene Issues
In the course of the visit, you will most likely be taken on a tour of the clean corridors and shared spaces, but how about shared washrooms, laundry, and kitchen areas? Those tell a different tale.
This is why you need to ask about cleaning routines for these spaces and, if you can, it would be great to take a look at them while you’re visiting.
But beyond having the facility clean, proper hygiene for the residents should also be monitored and encouraged and ultimately taken care of. Not only for obvious reasons (health and odor), but also because a clean body is great for mental health as it improves one’s mood and it decreases stress levels.
4. Off-Hours Staffing
The facility could look like it has enough staff during your tour, but unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee that there’s enough staff there during weekends, holidays, even evenings.
Less staff is never a good thing because there’s just not enough of them to supervise all residents and to respond in a timely manner in case of emergencies. If you want a complete picture, come visit on a weekend and ask about the situation on holidays and evenings.
Conclusion
What you see during the tour is important, but what you don’t see is what really counts. Everyone can stage a presentation, which is why you need to look where most people wouldn’t think to.
Ask as many questions as you think you need, be annoyingly persistent if it’s necessary until you get a clear answer, and pay attention to details that get overlooked.
Don’t rush – if you do, you risk placing your loved one in incompetent arms.
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2 Interlinking Opportunities:
From https://www.inkl.com/glance/news/private-nursing-homes-deliver-worst-quality-care?section=personalized with anchor quality care indicators
From https://www.inkl.com/glance/news/a-st-louis-nursing-home-closes-suddenly-prompting-wider-concerns-over-care?section=personalized with anchor steep challenges
