Selecting a Safe Nursing Home

Placing a loved one in the care of others is a challenging decision. Once this decision is made, you should follow a checklist for selecting a safe nursing home for your loved one:

• Obtain as much public information about the nursing home as possible. Contact a local senior services office about nursing homes in your area. Nursing Home Compare, an online service offered by Medicare, provides a summary of the licensing survey for nursing facilities in each state. Oregon information can be located through Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at <http://www.oregon.gov/LTCO/facilitypick2.shtml> and Washington information can be located at <http://www.ltcop.org/ChoosingFacilityMain.htm>. To receive a FREE copy of the most recent survey on a nursing home that you are considering for a loved-one in Oregon, please feel free to contact a lawyer at the Northwest Nursing Home Law Center at 1-800-800-1004 or 503-595-4132.

• Personally visit the facility several times. After you review the public information on specific nursing homes, personally visit those homes, using all your senses. Using you eyes, ears, and nose, you should inspect as much of the facility as possible. You should also taste the food to evaluate it for its nutritional value. The nursing home should be clean, and the staff should be interacting with the residents in a respectful manner. You should evaluate for yourself whether there is enough staff to give your loved one the attention they need. You should make your inspections at various times of the day to give yourself a broader picture of how the nursing home operates.

• Ask questions of as many people as possible. Interview current residents, their family, staff, the director of nursing, and the administrator. Ask the administrator about any complaints.

• Contact the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. This Office can inform you about any history of complaints of neglect and abuse filed against a nursing home. The Oregon office can be reached at 1-800-522-2602 and the Washington office can be reached at 1-800-422-1384.

• In choosing a nursing home, it is preferable to choose one that is conveniently located to family members who will make frequent visits to the nursing home. This is necessary to ensure that their loved one is receiving proper care and not being subjected to neglect and abuse.

• Review all documents carefully. Be sure to read the details of all forms and contracts that you may sign on behalf of your loved one. You should also insist that any binding arbitration clause be removed from any documents. Removing the arbitration clause will ensure that you have access to a court to resolve any dispute with the nursing home.

After you choose a nursing home, maintain regular contact with the staff to monitor the care of behalf of your loved one.