How to Choose the Right Long-Term Care Facility
First off, we want to give our condolences for the situation you are in. Having to place a loved one into a long-term care (LTC) facility is a difficult decision and comes with many emotions. Trace Medical wants to help alleviate some of the stress and struggle you may currently be experiencing by giving you some tips on how to choose the right long-term care facility.
How do I choose the right facility?
You will want to determine your needs as there are several levels of facilities that can be chosen. There is assisted living where the loved one may just need help with a few daily things. Then there is skilled nursing where your loved one needs attention every day. And finally, there is memory care – which is for those with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Look at what you truly need for your loved one and make the choice on the type of facility they need based off their care level. Once you’ve done this, you can look at other important factors.
What should I look for?
A Place for Mom is the nation's largest senior-care adviser service – this is a great source for information and guidance. You’ll want to be sure to visit the facilities so you can see the cleanliness level, how patients seem to be taken care of, activities offered, how staff communicate and react to patients, any red flags, residents’ happiness levels and so on. All of these factors can help you determine if the staff is truly caring and friendly as well as how they treat the residents. You’ll be able to see if there are things that make staying there enjoyable and looking at the residents also gives a great indicator of if they seem comfortable and content.
What do I need to avoid?
Avoid places that have an understaffed facility – there should be no less than 1 to 15 staff members for assisted living and 1 to 8 for memory care. Take into consideration what you saw when you visited. If smells were coming from a resident’s room, then maybe they aren’t taken care of as much as you would want, for example.
What does the LTC facility have access to regarding medical equipment?
Ask what medical equipment the LTC has access to. Do they have access to non-invasive ventilation? This is important because it comes with many health benefits. The benefits of NIV are many for patients and healthcare providers alike. Some benefits include:
Patient comfort
No sedation
Can be used in a home care setting
Cost-effective for facility
Time-efficient for facility
Skills for intubation not necessary
Therapy can be interrupted for breaks
What are other factors I should consider?
Think about how you and/or your loved one will pay for this facility and care. Do they have long-term care insurance or other means to pay for this? This can be difficult as these places can get very expensive depending on the type of care needed.
Also, be sure to ask questions. Make sure your loved one's needs can be met, what is covered in their pricing, what activities are offered, religious services, the ratio of caregivers to residents, is there a doctor there regularly, what training does the staff have, what’s their daily routine look like and so on. These questions will help you get a better understanding of what your loved one will be going into.
We hope this blog helps you think about the questions you should ask, what to look for and what to avoid. We wish you and your loved one the best and are happy to answer any questions you may have – just contact us!