Is there anyone who can help me?
Most people do not pick out a nursing home in advance. On the contrary, we would rather believe that our loved ones will never need to go into a nursing home. Often it is a decision that must be made in a hurry and with little time to consider the options. The process can be even harder when family members live out of town or have hectic careers. There simply isn’t time to shop around.
Yet, choosing a nursing home is an important decision with long lasting consequences. Fortunately, there are people who specialize in helping families to choose the right facility. These advisers will meet with your family and discuss your needs. Then they take that information and narrow down the list of nursing homes that can meet those needs. They have the experience to know questions that you might not think to ask.
For example, some nursing homes are not well equipped to handle dementia patients. Others may be great at that, but fail to provide enough activities for seniors who are physically declining, but mentally sharp. Sometimes the results can be surprising. Facilities that have a modern look and a clean lobby, may still be understaffed and poorly managed. Facilities that seem reasonably priced may turn out to be quite expensive once extra charges are added to the cost.
Another common oversight is failing to find out if the facility will accept Medicaid. If they don’t the resident could be required to leave if they run out of money. Even some facilities that accept Medicaid may have restrictions. These considerations can be critical.
An advisor can help to sort through these issues. Costs for this service can vary, but often the cost is under $1000. If that seems like a lot, consider that one month in a nursing home in Illinois can commonly cost $5000. At that rate, mistakes can be costly. More importantly, a victim of poor care may never fully recover.
Although Stotis & Baird does not endorse individual consultants, we do keep information on hand so that we can direct our clients to reputable and knowledgeable services. To find contact information for such consultants, feel free to call us.