Choosing a Nursing Home
Which nursing home do you want to move to in the future? That is easy. None of them! No one wants to entertain the possibility that they will one day be ill enough that they will require around-the-clock care. If you only need help sometimes, then you have the option of relying on relatives who live nearby. If you do not have any relatives nearby, or if the thought of trusting your family to take good care of you horrifies you, then you have the option to move into one of New York’s famous “Boomer enrichment centers,” where you and your peers get to live in luxurious accommodations and pretend that you are not getting old, even as staff members discreetly show up in your room when you need them to help you fold laundry or take a bath. When people enter nursing homes, it is because their care needs exceed what one can get at home or in an assisted living facility, even one for ostensibly ageless Boomers like you. People enter nursing homes because they need help with at least two of the activities of daily living, which are eating, walking, food preparation, bathing, dressing, and using the toilet. Such a vulnerable state of health can happen to anyone, and it can happen to you. For help thinking through the process of nursing home planning, contact a Bronx estate planning lawyer.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Nursing Home for Yourself or a Family Member
Your goal in choosing a nursing home is to find one where the care you receive meets or exceeds legal standards. The law requires nursing homes to make every effort to help patients maintain the level of independence they had when they entered the nursing home. No one enters a nursing home unless they are too sick to live independently, but nursing homes are not a place to get sicker, or at least, they are not supposed to be. State law has set a minimum standard for the number of direct care hours per day that each resident must get from nurses and certified nursing assistants. There are also legal requirements about onsite physicians, infection control, and response to medical emergencies.
Internet research is just the beginning when investigating the nursing homes in your area. Google can tell you if the nursing home has been fined for violations and whether it accepts Medicaid payments, and you can read reviews online, if you are willing to do this with the knowledge that they are reading them out of context. To find out the whole truth, you must visit the nursing home. Are the staff willing to answer questions? Do the patients and their families seem to have a good rapport with the staff?
Schedule a Confidential Consultation With a Bronx Estate Planning Attorney
An estate planning lawyer can answer your questions about choosing a nursing home long before you need nursing home care. Contact Cavallo & Cavallo in the Bronx, New York to set up a consultation.
