Making the decision to have a loved one live in a nursing home is never an easy one, but sometimes, it is inevitable. You want your aging family member to have the best care you can afford and finding a nursing home that meets your standards can be challenging, especially since nursing home negligence is so prevalent in the United States. Here are a few suggestions regarding what to look for before you sign a contract with an assisted living home, entrusting them to care for your loved one.
Does the nursing home accept Medicare or Medicaid?
Nursing home care is costly, and often prevents families from being able to afford the best care possible for their elderly parent or grandparent. Because not all facilities accept Medicare or Medicaid, the contract should explicitly state which one, if any, they do accept. If a facility does in fact participate in this government healthcare subsidized program, then it is illegal for the nursing home to request payment from your loved one privately before accepting him or her as a Medicare/Medicaid resident.
How is the staff trained and what is their record?
Knowing exactly who will be taking care of your family member in this assisted care facility is essential in protecting him or her from abuse or neglect. Ask how staff members are professionally trained, accredited and/or licensed according to their responsibilities. Sadly in our country, nursing home negligence is a major problem.
Residents of nursing homes all across the country are subjected to such things as inadequate nutrition, lack of proper medical attention, and even physical and emotional abuse by staff members.
Before you sign any contract or agreement with a residential care facility, you may want to consult with an experienced attorney who can review the terms and advise you on how to proceed. Log onto https://www.stroble.com/ for legal insight. Additionally, you should ask questions about past personal injury lawsuits – if there have been any filed against the institution, how frequently any claims have been filed, and what was the outcome of each instance.
Does the contract have liability waivers?
Another reason you may want to consult a legal professional is if the contract claims that the nursing home cannot be held responsible for potential injuries or damage to property the resident incurs while being cared for in the facility. This is not legal and you will want it removed from the contract before you agree to sign.
Ultimately, if there are too many questionable terms in a potential nursing home contract, you may want to consider other options. Remember, you are going to entrust the care of your beloved family member to this facility. Shop around, ask questions, and go with your instincts. If you do not feel comfortable with the manner in which the nursing home responds to your inquiries, it is probably not the best place for your love one to reside.
Writer LaGeris Underwood Bell has painful memories of navigating nightmarish red tape while trying to place an aged uncle into nursing home care many years ago. By seeking the advice available at https://www.stroble.com/, she hopes that others may be spared that same anguish.
