Things can happen in nursing homes just like at home. Before you help a loved one choose a nursing home, make sure “unfortunate happenings” are not frequent in the nursing home.

As in any industry, there are good and bad nursing homes. Save emotion and time. Do your research before making a decision. Begin by checking with your county ombudsman who works with the Area Agency on Aging, your BBB and the State Medical Board before investing any time in visiting nursing homes.

If you feel you are getting close to making a decision, have lunch with the residents and take your loved one with you if he/she is able. Visit with the residents to see how they like the facility. What are the people like? Would there be some people your loved one would enjoy interacting with? Is this the right type of senior housing? There are many levels of assistance that are offered.

Recently my dad thought he might move to assisted living. Dad keeps up on everything happening in the news and wants to talk about the news with other people. When he found the assisted-living residents had no idea what was happening in the world for various reason, Dad packed up his suitcase and returned home that day. Luckily, he was physically able to do that.

In an online article, How to Find the Right Nursing Home, Sharon O’Brien gives a complete checklist to help you and your loved one make a better decision. Her suggestions include:

• Get a copy of the Resident’s Bill of Rights, understand it and keep it on file.
• Look at the activity noise level, cleanliness and smell of the facility.
• Ask about the credentials of the staff.
• Find out how many licensed RNs are on staff at all times.
• Determine whether residents with dementia are grouped together in one wing or are they spread out.

For the entire article, go to www.seniorliving.about.com. Under the Browse Topic choose “senior housing and community”; then click on “nursing homes”.

Another good article can be found by Googling “common nursing home problems”, click on Twenty Common Nursing Home Problems --- and How to Resolve Them. Some of the 20 issues discussed are:

• Family and resident rights regarding development of care plans.
• Use of physical restraints.
• Medicare eligibility determinations.

Moving a loved one to a nursing home is not an easy decision. Get all the information you can before the move.