What Are Some Common Nursing Home Concerns?

You should carefully vet nursing homes for yourself or your family members.

You and your loved ones will eventually be unable to care for yourselves.

It is part of aging.

You will need help.

The care giving may be provided by one or more family member.

Nevertheless, at some point you may require professional help.

According to a recent Forbes article titled “How Nursing Homes Can Destroy Families,” you should start early researching facilities.

What should you do?

Ask Questions

A clear chain of command is important.

You should have one person who answers your questions.

The best way to do this? Maintain contact with the highest ranking official possible.

My father always says it rarely costs more to talk to the person in charge.

Practically speaking, you should have a secondary contact should your primary point of contact be unavailable.

Why?

Many businesses—including nursing homes—have high turnover.

This can lead to misinformation.

Make sure your communications are documented.

How do you do this?

Send your communications through email and request responses via reply email.

This way you have a record with time and date fixed.

Check on the care provided

Some facilities provide better care than others.

Check out the rooms.

Are they well maintained?

Does the facility have good record keeping?

Staffing is incredibly important.

If a place is understaffed, then residents could be left neglected.

This could lead to a resident being mentally or physically harmed.

Do not waste any time.

The stress of a nursing home can already cause conflict within families.

An experienced elder law attorney can provide help for you as you navigate the nursing home system.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys has a directory of elder law attorney you may search online.

If you are in the Kansas City area, then you should contact Steve Kuker at Senior Care Consulting and check out his talk show Senior Care Live! on KMBZ 980.

Remember: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When making your financial, tax and estate plans, do not go it alone. Be sure to engage competent professional counsel.

For more information about estate planning in Overland Park, KS (and throughout the rest of Kansas and Missouri), visit our estate planning website and be sure to subscribe to our complimentary estate planning e-newsletter while you are there.

Reference: Forbes (April 28, 2018) “How Nursing Homes Can Destroy Families”