Starting the Nursing Home Search
First and foremost, a nursing home is a home – just one that also provides meals, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, medical services, personal care, and recreation in a supervised and protected setting. But finding the nursing home that's right for your loved one may be one of your most difficult decisions.
To start your search, talk –
- Talk with your loved one who will be living in the nursing home. This eases the major life change that will occur.
- Talk with other family members. Ask for their help in finding the best nursing home.
- Talk with trusted people like a doctor, a nurse in the hospital, or any other health professional or social worker who may have knowledge.
- Talk with nursing home employees, especially the nursing assistants who give most of the care.
- Talk with your clergy.
- Talk with the long-term care ombudsman.
Long Term Care Ombudsman
Long job title, isn't it? Simply put, an ombudsman represents people who live in nursing homes. They are usually a good source of information about the different nursing homes in the area. Why? They investigate problems or complaints about nursing homes. Ombudsman volunteers make regular visits to nursing homes. They can usually provide information about how the homes a reorganized and the different strengths and weaknesses of specific ones. Ombudsman programs are not allowed to recommend one nursing home over another. However, many have valuable information such as the latest state inspection reports and the number and types of complaints they received. They can advise you on what to look for when visiting nursing homes. The Eldercare Locator database identifies the closest Area Agency on Aging (AAA) office and the long-term care ombudsman's office.
Paying for Care
Most people know nursing home care is expensive. Few know how expensive. The average cost is more than $50,000 a year and rising, but the cost can vary widely depending on where you live. Paying for it is a challenge.
- One way to pay is out of your pocket. About one-third of
nursing home residents pay all of their nursing home costs
themselves. But extended nursing home care eats up a life's
savings quickly. Many people exhaust their personal resources
after only six months.
- About 5 percent have special insurance to cover the cost of
nursing home or other long-term care. This type of insurance is
known as Long-Term Care Insurance. (Employee health insurance
doesn't cover nursing homes.)
- Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older
persons and some younger persons with disabilities, sometimes
pays for short-term – but not extended – nursing home
care.
- The greatest numbers get help to pay for their care from Medicaid. Medicaid is a federal and state health insurance program for people with low incomes or very high medical expenses. At any given time, two-thirds of nursing home residents are receiving Medicaid assistance.
Medicaid helps pick up the cost of nursing home care once patients have used almost all of their savings and assets. (Spouses are allowed to keep some assets including income, savings and a home.) Medicaid will only pay for nursing home care that is provided at a facility that is certified by the government.
Eligibility for Medicaid differs in each state. If a loved one will need Medicaid – even months or years from now – get information about eligibility as soon as possible. Learning about Medicaid early can help to make sure eligibility is met when help is needed.
The Family
Families sometimes find it difficult to admit a loved one to a nursing home. Some feel that they failed their loved one. Instead, when we can not provide the level of care needed, think of it as calling in the experts. It's calling in the professionals who can offer the specialized care your loved one needs. Remember – family involvement doesn't end when a loved one enters a nursing home. The family simply takes on a new role making sure others are providing good care.
AARP Resources
State by State Guide to Nursing Home Performance Data
A "report card" completed by states about nursing homes
in their states.
Original
Medicare: Getting Care in a Hospital, Nursing Home, at Home, and
with Hospice
Explains when Medicare pays for nursing home care.
Additional Resources
Eldercare Locator
Helps older adults and their caregivers find local services for
seniors.
Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
The federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid offers a
wealth of information.
Nursing Home Compare
Medicare.gov sponsors this national database of nursing homes.
Books
Find these books online at Barnes & Noble.com
" Complete Eldercare Planner: Where to Start, Which Questions to Ask, and how to Find Help," Joy Loverde, Crown Publishing, 2000.
