Placing a loved one in a nursing home can be a difficult decision. Before choosing one, you want to make sure you are entrusting your family member to a facility that cares about their well being and has not been cited for any abuse or neglect. The way to do this is through nursing home reviews.
Yelp
Yelp is a very popular review website offering anyone the chance to openly share their experience about businesses of all types, including nursing homes. You can type in “nursing home” in the search bar and select your local area to see ratings (1-5 stars), how many people offered a review, and read the comments. It’s important to read all the reviews to ensure you are getting a balanced opinion and not missing anything.
Medicare
Medicare, the federally funded insurance for seniors, also has a 5-star rating system and a searchable database of approved nursing homes.
Other Review Options
You can also review the nursing home’s website for information, check social media to see if any of your connections has experience with the facility and talk to acquaintances who might have some referrals.
How to Review a Rating
When reviewing nursing home ratings, pay close attention to ranking for quality of care, staffing (understaffed facilities mean trouble), health inspections, and any reports of abuse. The higher the stars, the better the service/rating. If a nursing home has a 3-star rating and some complaints from families, it’s best to stay away from that one. Take notice of how many people rated the facility. If you see only two reviews with all five stars, they could be fake. Look for reviews with high numbers of comments from real people.
Sadly, nursing home abuse and neglect are on the rise, and you cannot be too careful. Use these helpful tools to research before selecting the perfect nursing home facility for your loved one.
If you are concerned your loved one may be abused or neglected in their nursing home, contact us today.
