The decision to go into a nursing facility is a big one, regardless of the reason. There are different kinds of nursing facilities for different kinds of problems. Some people need skilled nursing care after an accident or major surgery such as a hip replacement. For others, the care is needed to help with a long-term, worsening medical condition such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. These facilities can help people who need more intensive medical treatment or who need physical, occupational, and other rehabilitative therapies after a stroke, accident or operation. When you are considering long-term care services, you have a lot of options. Picking the right one can be challenging.

6 Tips for Finding the Right Long-Term Care Services Facility:

1. Talk to your doctor. When people are looking into long-term care services for themselves or their family members, the reasons is usually because they need some therapy or medical treatment that they cannot get at home. Often people seek out skilled nursing care facilities when they do not need the acute care offered at a hospital but they can no longer be cared for at home. The doctor who is treating them for the medical condition that is sending you looking for long-term care services may know of good places to go for the kind of care you or your family member needs. This is the first place you should start looking for the right center.
2. Talk to your health insurance carrier. Finding a long-term care services center that takes your insurance plan is a big deal. Getting treatment at a skilled nursing care facility can be great for your rehabilitation but can also be very expensive. This is especially true if you need 4-hour skilled nursing care. Talk to your health insurance company about what long-term care services are and are not covered and if there are certain centers that are considered to be “in network.” That can make a big difference.
3. Talk to your friends, relatives and coworkers. Many people seek out care in a nursing home after an injury or other traumatic event. You may know someone who has either been to one or has had to put a family member in one. Ask them what their experience was and how they found the location. There might be resources out there that you are not even aware of. Check around. The best way to get decent goods and services is through word of mouth.
4. Talk to a few long-tern care services centers. Different centers have different services and levels of care. If the person who needs care at a nursing home is going there to recover from a hip replacement, they will need a different level of physical therapy than someone who has suffered from a stroke. When you talk to different centers, you can compare nursing homes based on the services they provide and the level of care they have.
5. Visit the facilities. If you can, you should make it a point to visit at least a few long-term care services facilities. You may get a totally different feel for the places once you have seen them, had a chance to tour the ground, talk to the staff and see how the residents feel about the place. Go during meal time so that you can talk to the residents about how they are treated and what they think about the care they are getting. Either you or your family member is going to be living at the facility for a while so you want to make sure it is a nice place. See how the staff interact with the residents. Do they take the time to answer their and your questions?
6. How far is the nursing home from friends and family? When people enter into a nursing home, they may feel cut off from the people they care about. It is important to try to find a long-term care services facility that is close enough to friends and family so that they can visit.

Finding the right long-term care services facility can be challenging. If you do your research, you will find a nice place with the right level of care and services for your needs.