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Would you buy a house after a quick 15
minute inspection? Would you be okay
with buying a house if you were only shown parts of it? No? Then
remember this when you’re looking at a nursing home for your loved one.
Inspecting a nursing home is a big deal. You have to know what to look for and what
questions you should ask. The person
showing you around the home is showing you what they want you to see.
The nursing home that you’re looking at
could be your loved one’s home. Keep
this in mind when you’re walking through the hallways and observing the other
residents and staff. The inspection
should also include the exterior of the home, is it in a good location? Are the garden areas safe from intruders and
also safe for those residents at risk of wandering? If your loved one needs a secure unit, insist
on seeing that particular unit.
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
has a website for people to check for reports on problems in any nursing home
in the province. This is the address for
the site:
http://publicreporting.ltchomes.net/en-ca/default.aspx
It is your right to ask about the reports;
ask what the problems are/were and how they’ve either been resolved or will be
resolved.
The Ministry site is not updated if a
report is received. Should there be a
problem, there are no specifics until the complaint has been verified and then,
in the case of abuse, it is listed as “Alleged Abuse”. The abuse is broken down into subsections:
resident to resident; resident to staff; staff to resident.
A thorough inspection of a nursing home
should take hours, not minutes. One
visit is not enough to decide whether the home is suitable or not. Like a house, a nursing home is an investment
only this time, the investment is in the health and well-being of your
senior. You or your loved one will be spending
a lot of money on this accommodation; make sure that you’ve done your homework
and are as satisfied as possible that this is the right fit.
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