How do I select a suitable nursing home for my mother? I don't want a place that is basically a warehouse. I would like her to be in a caring environment that she would enjoy.

If you don't want a warehouse, you need to select someplace EXPENSIVE with lots of amenities and activities and a good communal dining option. That is it, pure and simple.

Hope you found a good place for your mom.

We managed to take care of my grandmother at home, but it took a rotating team of 4 adults, plus occasional visits by extended family to give the 'regulars' breaks.

Others have described the ways to find a facility that is well staffed, where the food is good and the work gets done.

I have a friend who manages such facilities, and he routinely makes calls or goes in on weekends to replace no-show staff. He doesn't get much of a break, but the no-show on his schedule does not become a no-show for his residents.

Staff aren't usually paid well, so you have to go with your gut on which place has great caregivers while still being affordable for you.

The main thing I'd do, is after finding 2 or 3 options in the area that were decent and well-reviewed, I'd take my loved one to visit the top 3 and gauge their reaction. Even when the mind and words don't work, there's usually a level of emotional response.

The move will probably be upsetting (most moves are, for anyone), and staff may ask you not to visit at first to let them settle in. Call and get regular reports of how it's going, and start visiting as soon as they say it's OK. If your loved one doesn't settle in within a few weeks, look for reasons they might be troubled and see if there's anything you can do.

"I just want to go home" is a common sentiment, by the way; my grandmother said this once or twice even though she WAS in her own home. She thought it was odd too, on reflection.

Get the data, eliminate the obvious bad risks, and then go with your gut (and your loved one's gut).

first go to your state web site and look for office of long term care. they have the inspection and suvey resulsts for all nursing homes in your state.most homes have a web page look at those.contact people you know-your doctors office and hospital staff are a good place to start -for personal prefrences/references then when you are ready to tour a facility, drop in unannounced,about 11:30 AM- introduce yourself to staff, tell them you are shopping around and would like to visit with residents check out the lunch meal(They will be serving any minute) Talk with residents and their visitors.Plan on a return visit after office hours 5 or 6PM talk with the employees. and there may be more visitors there at this time Walk the halls slowly while staff are making rounds LINEN BARRELS/linen carts are usually close to the area staff are working in- look in shower rooms- hopper rooms (soiled linen)

Well first I looked up all the Facilities in the immediate area. Then I called each one and set up an appointment to visit them and see for myself how things were set up? Look for convenience in respect to... keep reading →

In my life, I took care of my bedridden mother as a child. As an adult I worked for about 4 years in an assisted living facility, I cared for developmentally delayed adults in group homes. I was a job... keep reading →

You need to visit the homes at all hours of the day to see what the home is like. You need to make notes of how many staff are available at any given time. YOu need to make surprise visits and make inquiries as to what is going on at that time.

We had my in-laws in nursing homes. The first one was like a morgue at night. Maybe one nurse and one aide would be working.(There was always no-shows to work as we would be told.) That was not sufficient help to even meet basic needs! So, find the care-giver/patient ratio and see what that is. The home we were most happy with was like 8-1.

Also, how does it smell? that would be very important also.If you notice bad smells everywhere, they are not doing their job!