Selecting a Nursing Home Community

Whether you are selecting a skilled nursing facility for a short-term stay such as respite
or rehabilitation, or for long-term stay, the process can be overwhelming. Knowing
where to begin and following a few guidelines will help set you on the right path
and narrow your choices.

Outside of professional and community recommendations, you may also find out how well a facility
compares to others in your area as well as how well it complies with standards required by government
regulations. To see how a facility has performed in compliance with the complicated comprehensive
federal regulatory guidelines, you can visit the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare services by googling "nursing home compare."

 

1) Click on Medicare.gov.
2) Enter the zip code of the area you are searching in or a specific name of a care center.
4) you will find a list of the Long Term Care facilities in your selected area.
5) scroll through the list a select the name of a facility and click on it.
6) this will bring up all the information regarding that facility including health inspections



The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (Ombudsman Program) assists residents of long-term care facilities in protecting their health, safety, welfare, and rights. In Colorado, long-term care ombudsmen are advocates for residents of nursing homes. Trained ombudsmen regularly visit long-term care facilities these visits include monitoring conditions and care. To find out who your local Ombudsmen you can call the Office of the State Ombudsman at 1-800-288-1376.

Once you’ve narrowed your search to a few facilities you’d like to visit, keep the following in mind as
you tour and evaluate each:


• Check for odors. Occasional odors are normal. Persistent odors are not.
• Note the noise level. Is staff calling out to one another?
• Check for cleanliness. Are floors free from spills?
• Hallways should be well lit. How is lighting overall?
• Visit at mealtime. Do residents appear satisfied?
• Observe staff interaction with each other, with residents and with families.
• Residents should be well groomed. Are they appropriately dressed?
 


Finally, once you’ve decided on a nursing facility, visit there more than once and at different times of
day. Observe activity and staffing on evenings and weekends. This can reveal much about how well a
facility is staffed.