Perhaps you’ve just begun your search for suitable, affordable long-term care for yourself or a family member. If so, you are probably envisioning a number of possibilities including lack of privacy, bad smells, poor food, inadequate staff, and separation from friends and family. The chances are also high that you are currently in the midst of a family medical emergency and never imagined that you would be searching for “one of those places” for yourself or a loved one. Quality care is available and affordable.
A whole new generation of nursing homes has appeared. These “new” nursing homes are moving away from the institutionalized, hospital-like settings of the past to offer more homelike, personalized care. In these new nursing homes, staff are more visible and attentive, family members are more involved, and facilities are cleaner and friendlier.
Written by two award-winning experts on long-term care, this book tells how to find the best: assisted living; in-home care; nursing homes; and senior housing in your community. Included are Q&A sections that help you determine the level of care your loved one needs; practical information on how to pay for eldercare; things to look for (and questions to ask) when visiting eldercare facilities or homecare services; and a helpful, state-by-state listing of ombudsman, aging agencies, and eldercare websites.
"No one knows more than Marilyn Rantz and Mary Zwygart-Stauffacher about understanding what makes up quality eldercare. In this volume, they translate extensive research into a user-friendly format that is valuable to both seniors and their caregivers."
A nursing home is not the only option for long-term care, nor is it always the best place for you or your loved one. From Meals-on-Wheels to skilled nursing, a variety of long-term care options exist for people in different situations. Selecting the best option depends on many factors: whether or not you have someone who can assist you in your home, how much personal and medical care you need, where you live, what community services are available, and what financial resources you have access to.
Some of the more common long-term care options in addition to nursing home care include senior services, homecare, live-in help, senior housing with services, subsidized senior housing, and assisted living (or residential care).
Research on nursing homes conducted by the MU MDS and Quality Research Team identified Seven Key Aspects of Quality Care: Home, Care, Family Involvement, Environment, Communication, Staff, and Central Focus.
The Consumer’s Guide to Quality Care offers advice for families searching for quality nursing
home care. In it, consumers will find suggestions about what to look for inside nursing facilities,
how to identify quality nursing staff, and links to other resources on the web.
© Nursing Home Help 2024