Placing a loved one in a nursing home isn’t an easy decision: knowing that you are placing an elderly or ill parent, spouse, or sibling in the care of others can be very uncomfortable, especially if you won’t be close by to visit them regularly. 

However, putting your relative in a nursing home may be the best decision for them should they have medical needs that you can’t meet for them in a home setting, especially should you have numerous other responsibilities that can preclude constant care. In a nursing home, a patient can get specialized care, as well as build a sense of community with others in their age range and situation, which can help to improve their mental health and prevent loneliness.

Regardless, there are many things you should consider when placing your loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility; today, we’ll explore a few of the components of that decision, from the particular facility to how to receive justice should anything happen to your loved one.

Look for licenses, accreditations, and adequate staffing

Before you even step foot in the facility, you have some homework to do: go look up the business online, looking at its operations profile and reviews. You need to see that they are licensed with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services. They should also be accredited with organizations such as the Accreditation Commission for Health Care and the Community Health Accreditation Program, which has their own standards to ensure quality.

A great facility will also have a good staff-to-patient ratio that will ensure good care of every patient; this should ring true for every shift, not just the daytime. It’s especially important that they have evening and nighttime staff if your loved one has Alzheimer’s, because many dementia patients will get agitated overnight.

Examine the living situation and speak to current residents

The first thing you should do when you enter a nursing home is take a big sniff of the air. Does it smell clean and antiseptic, or is there an odor of urine or feces? Any medical facility, including a nursing home, should smell clean and fresh at all times, as this means there is adequate janitorial staff to clean up any accidents by the residents. Hallways and rooms should be clean, organized, and well-lit, with no clutter on the floor. There should also be places where residents can gather to enjoy themselves, such as recreation rooms, gardens, cafeterias, and communal living areas. 

You should next take a look at the people you see. Do you see residents engaging in recreational activities and relaxing, or do they all seem to be hiding in their rooms? Do the staff talk kindly to the residents they pass, or is there little interaction between the two groups? Ask if you can speak to a current resident about their experiences here; if the staff is cagey about letting you interact with those living there, this can be an enormous red flag that tells you they aren’t confident in their caretaking. 

Even if the facility passes muster to all these checks, there may still be problems that you can’t see, so know that you should remain vigilant all throughout your loved one’s time there. For example, night staff and day staff are usually different, and it can only take one abusive staff member to endanger the entire community of vulnerable senior citizens. You may see the kind and friendly day staff, only for your loved one to be harmed by staff on other shifts. 

Be aware that you have options should something happen to your loved one

Though of course no one wants their loved one to suffer in any capacity, you should know that you do have recourse to justice when it comes to abuse in a care facility. A qualified nursing home abuse lawyer can assist you in uncovering the truth about the business in which you have placed your trust, and they will use every legal avenue possible to ensure that your family is properly compensated for injuries resulting from abuse.

If you suspect there is a problem with the senior care facility, contact a lawyer immediately and find an alternate living situation for your loved one in the short term. Your attorney will examine the facts of the matter and contact the proper authorities, as well as negotiate with the facility for a settlement that will cover your loved one’s treatment.

It’s important to remember that by shining a light on nursing home abuse, you may protect dozens of other individuals under that facility’s care: you will not just be protecting your own relatives, but other peoples’ beloved relatives, too. 

The elderly are some of the most vulnerable members of our society, and they must be treated with special care and consideration so that they remain healthy in their golden years. This means that you should be incredibly thorough in vetting a nursing home in which to place your loved one, by looking at both the facility on paper and in person. Even should the worst happen, know that you and your loved one still have support in the form of qualified attorneys, there to assist in getting justice.