Choosing a Nursing Home
Tadhg Daly Advises
Choosing a nursing home is one decision that no-one wants to get wrong. So, my advice is, before even beginning to examine the range of residential care settings available to you, to make a list of the ideal attributes you want from the nursing home. If you are assisting someone about to move into a nursing home, involve them in making the decision as much as possible. If they are not in a position to communicate well, it is extremely important to bear their values and preferences in mind in making this important life decision.
The best way to consider these attributes is to think of the Nursing Home as, simply, a new home. It will be, obviously, a new home with round the clock medical and nursing care, meals prepared and served, but, essentially, it is a home and will be their home. So the attributes that are worth considering include the atmosphere and religious outlook, the food and recreational activities and any special needs and preferences you or your loved one might have.
Next comes the research phase. The first step of this phase should be quite straightforward - find out about the nursing homes in your area. There is a listing available on www.nhi.ie.From these listings some more detailed research on the quality of care provided and comparisons with your “ideal attributes” should assist you to create your shortlist. At this stage a visit to the nursing home would be recommended, there is no substitute for the information you can glean from actually visiting the home. And all good nursing homes will welcome your visit. Even if you are not in a position to visit the homes yourself, you can ask someone to visit on your behalf.
As nursing homes are busy places and primarily focussed on the care of their residents it is important to make an appointment with the nursing home initially, you should also visit at other times to clarify any issues you may have. This is also a useful way of confirming that the standard of care remains consistent.
When visiting the nursing home, you should:
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Take a formal tour with the Director of Nursing or designated deputy.
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Ask questions during your tour. This is your choice and you should be armed with all of the answers you need to make it.
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Look around to get a better picture of the services, activities, and quality of care and life for the residents.
While you are carrying out your research and when you are visiting the home there are some other issues worth considering for the health and wellbeing of yourself or your relative:
- Is the nursing home close to family and friends so they can visit often?
- Are there special arrangements to help keep residents who may become confused in the facility?
- Are there special security and monitoring systems in place to safeguard resident’s wellbeing?
- Does the nursing home make sure that residents get preventive care to help keep them healthy?
- Does the nursing home have a screening program for immunisations such as Flu (influenza) and pneumonia?
- Does the nursing home have an arrangement with a nearby hospital for emergencies?
Ireland, as the cliché goes, is a small country. This can be enormously useful at this point. Spend some time doing some research on your shortlist of homes. It is extremely likely that you will know someone who has had direct experience of the nursing homes you are considering. Keep in mind the “ideal attributes” that you are looking for and consider the nursing home’s ability to match your requirements.
At this point you should be armed with sufficient information to make your decision. At Nursing Homes Ireland we have put together a comprehensive guide to choosing a nursing home, that goes into even more detail and is available for free download. It can be found by clicking here.
For many people who are considering a nursing home for a family member or loved one, it is important that you are aware of the Nursing Home Support Scheme, more commonly referred to as the “Fair Deal”. This scheme has replaced Nursing Home Subvention payments and offers families and those in care some financial options in paying for their care. To learn more about this scheme and your eligibility contact:
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HSE on the HSE infoline on 1850 24 1850, or refer to their website for your local NHSS office by clicking here or
- Dept of Health has a section of their website dedicated to the Fair Deal, in particular the FAQ section details the most commonly asked questions, is a very useful resource tool, click here.
Tadhg Daly is Chief Executive of Nursing Homes Ireland
www.nhi.ie Ph: 01 429 2570 Fax: 01 429 1845
