It is important to choose a nursing home that ensures your elderly loved one is safe from nursing home abuse and neglect and provides him or her with the highest-quality of care.
This guide will provide you with tips on how to start your search for a nursing home that will adequately accommodate the individual. If you have any questions about nursing home residents’ rights or would like more information about a particular facility, contact our Harrisburg attorneys.
Which Type of Facility Best Suits the Resident?
Before you begin searching for a nursing home in Pennsylvania, you should consider the elderly person’s individual needs. It is important to know what type of treatment he or she requires and the environment that will best treat the condition.
There are many different types of long-term care facilities that offer residents various levels of care based on their needs, such as:
- Nursing homes
- Independent living communities
- Assisted living facilities
- Residential care facilities
- Continuing care communities
What Does the Resident’s Condition Require?
You should never assume that a facility offers a specific form of treatment or care. The facilities you consider should be able to meet your required needs.
Although you may be limited on time and options, you can compare nursing homes to ensure you find the right one.
Consider these requirements when choosing a nursing home facility that can accommodate the resident’s needs:
- The number of qualified staff members
- Equipment present at the facility
- The staff’s level of training and experience
- The type of care the facility and its staff can provide
Your loved one will have unique needs that must be met in order to ensure he or she is provided with the best care possible.
It may be in the resident’s best interest to consult with a medical professional and determine what his or her condition requires.
What is the Nursing Home Like?
The safety of your elderly loved one should be a main priority when selecting a nursing home. The nursing home you choose should meet the following characteristics:
- The facility is adequately staffed to handle its residents
- The residents have regular access to outside communication
- The facility promotes transparency and is willing to discuss its residents’ concerns
- The nursing home maintains a stable environment with regular routines
- The facility’s staff monitors patients during hours of low activity
- The nursing home is secured and keeps its residents safe
AARP has also written several articles that that can help you choose a nursing home that is safe and meets your loved one’s needs:
Does the Nursing Home Have a History of Abuse?
In Pennsylvania, there are several state and federal agencies that can assist you in identifying a nursing home with prior allegations of abuse:
- Ombudsman Program: This program is a part of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and handles individual disputes with nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
- Department of Health: The Department of Health monitors nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Pennsylvania. It is responsible for conducting regular inspections of facilities receiving federal funding.
- Division of Nursing Care Facilities (DNCF): The DNCF handles all complaints made to the Department of Health concerning nursing homes.
Any allegations of nursing home abuse or neglect are serious. If you encounter a nursing home in which a resident claims to have been abused, cautiously investigate the facility’s handling of the situation and how it was resolved.
Is the Nursing Home Near You?
The nursing home you choose should also be relatively close to where you live. This is important to ensuring the resident is safe and receives the high-quality care he or she needs.
Nursing home staff members are less likely to neglect a resident who regularly receives visits from family members and loved ones. Also, a constant presence of familiar individuals may prevent elder abuse or make it easier to identify.
Choosing a nursing home near you will also allow you to develop a first-hand relationship with the facility’s staff members and caregivers. This can help establish direct communication between you and those administering your loved one’s treatment. It also might provide you with quick updates on your loved one’s health or living conditions.
Legal Help for Nursing Home Disputes
Our goal is to ensure the safety of your loved one by helping you choose the nursing home that meets his or her needs. Although we are not recommending one facility over another, we ask that you put thoughtful consideration into your choice of nursing home.
If you have any questions, you can email Joseph Chapman, a member of our legal team who can provide you with recent surveys or information about a particular nursing home facility.
If your elderly loved one has been injured or abused at a nursing home, immediately contact the proper authorities. You should then consult with our Harrisburg attorneys to discuss if you can pursue legal action against the facility.
We will review your claim for free, with no obligation to hire our firm. Our nursing home abuse attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which mean we only charge if we reach a fair outcome for your claim.
Call (717) 888-8888 to speak with a nursing home abuse attorney.