We helped narrow the search on where to visit by looking at the inspection scores with comments. They are online, but I forget where and what they are called. Also, once at a place I asked to see the family/resident comment sheets that facilities are required to keep (at least in Ohio). One place told me that they did not have to do a survey and I turned around and walked out. Another place gave me the run-around and finally said that it would be available later. I turned around and walked out. Ask what the staffing ratio is both during the day and at night. Many places don’t staff a nurse at night and have a very low nightly ratio. This can be dangerous especially for those sundowning. Check to see if residents are stuck in their chairs with strings that will set off an alarm if they get up. This indicates a lack of adequate staff. Some places get residents up in the morning, lock their rooms, and make them stay in a lounge during the day. This, too, indicates inadequate staffing.
You may want to ask if once a person is there they move to the top of the list for a different area. For example, my dad needed to go to assisted living, and I wanted him in the same place where my mom was in skilled nursing. An opening came up in memory care, so I put dad in there. The wait for assisted living was 2 1/2 years. However, because he was already in the facility, he got into assisted living in less than a month.
Good luck during your search. It’s a hard and emotional decision.
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