Checklist looking for a nursing home

We provide this free financial resource to visitors of the Community Room of SeniorSSuperStoreS in an effort to keep baby boomers, seniors and the elderly informed of matters that can affect their lifestyle.

We extend our thanks to Mr. Bruce C. Wells, President and Long Term Care Specialist, Bruce Wells & Associates, Inc. He may be contacted at 803-985-4839, or by email at bcw1@comporium.net.

We ran across a handy checklist to use when considering nursing home care for ourselves or our loved ones, and we thought it may be useful to you.

1. Start looking early!

2. Location is Key:

Stay close to family and/or friends,

Avoid drastic geographic changes,

Look for good medical facilities in the area.

3. Pretty buildings and grounds are not as important as a well trained and caring staff.

4. Visit a variety of homes; some specialize in Alzheimer's care, or severe problems.

5. Check the Federal evaluation of nursing homes in the country by visiting the Nursing Home Compare database online (see more information in our article entitled Federal Nursing Home Comparison in the Financial Resources of our Community Room.) Or you may reach the database by phone at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

6. Check complaints filed in the state where the nursing home is located. Most state health departments have an LTC Ombudsman. For those of you located in our state of South Carolina, the LTC Ombudsman in the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control can be called at 803-737-7370. Also, all state governments have web sites, and you should be able to locate links to your health department and thus to your Ombudsman.

7. Talk to residents and families as you visit; ask about staff, programs and food.

8. Get a copy of the contract and review it with an elder law attorney.

9. Arrange to stay the night in the facility.

10. Ask the management how the feel about family helping regularly.

11. Check the financial strength of the company; about 8% of U.S. nursing homes are under bankruptcy protection.

12. Plan the financial side carefully: the average cost for a nursing facility is $45,000 a year; in 10 years, the cost is expected to be $70,000 per year.

13. Nine percent (9%) of patients are nursing home residents for 5 years or longer.

14. Time Magazine said it is a 43% risk at 65 years of age that a person will need to spend time in a nursing home.

15. This may be a good time to consult a long term care insurance specialist about insuring the healthy spouse and other family members.

Finally, you can receive a free copy of "The Insiders Guide to Long Term Care Insurance" to help you protect your assets.