Illinois Nursing Home Neglect | How to Choose an Illinois Nursing Home That Cares Well for Elders

How to Choose an Illinois Nursing Home That Cares Well for Elders

The aging of America and the change in culture has resulted in Illinois nursing homes being occupied in record numbers. Unfortunately, though, as the number of elderly residents in nursing homes increase, so do reports of widespread elder neglect and elder abuse. Nursing home elder neglect and elder abuse in Illinois Nursing Homes is frequently in the news these days.

Many cases of elder neglect and elder abuse in Illinois nursing homes go unreported by nursing home staff and by the elderly victims themselves. Several government studies suggest that about 90 percent of nursing homes nationwide, includnig Illinois Nursing Homes, are understaffed to begin with. The understaffing quickly leads to poor care and rampant nursing home elder neglect. Although most nursing home facilities try hard to provide a good experience for their elderly residents, the quality of care differs greatly between Illinois nursing homes. The sad truth about Illinois nursing homes is that a large number of them focus more on profit than on providing quality resident care to their elderly population.

When the time comes to choose a nursing home for you or an elderly member of your family, it is wise to perform extensive research about local Illinois nursing home facilities to be sure the best elder care and respect is available. This effort will take considerable time and effort on your part but your extensive planning is the least you can do for yourself or your elderly loved one.

When choosing a Illinois nursing home you will want to visit a variety of nursing homes. Talk with the administrators and the staff who care for the elderly residents and do a through visual inspection of the Illinois nursing home. Do not be easily impressed by fancy furniture and smooth talking Illinois nursing home administrators. Their job is to fill the rooms. Your job is to protect you or your elderly loved one.

• Look for well-groomed residents who are actively engaged in scheduled activities that the elderly residents are enjoying.
• Try to visit with a resident of each Illinois nursing home you consider. Does the elderly resident seem happy and positive? Do they wear a smile or a frown? Talk with the residents who are wheelchair bound. Are they well groomed? Are most of the people in the halls able to communicate with you? If their demeanor is slow and foggy you might wonder if they are neglected or over-medicated.
• Look for Illinois nursing homes with pressure sore survey ratings at near zero.
• Look for Illinois nursing homes with physical restraint survey ratings at near zero. A high incidence of physical restraints may indicate a home that substitutes restraints for proper staffing levels. This is an example of neglect, when excessive restraints are used.
• Even if an Illinois nursing home has appropriate staffing levels, take note of the quality of interaction between residents and the staff. Again, you are ,ooking for signs of nelgect in that particular Illinois Nursing Home.
• Gauge reactions to resident complaints. You can also get an idea of the relative number of complaints among Illinois nursing homes in an area by contacting your local long-term care ombudsman. These complaints can give you an idea of the level of care in the nursing home and the potential for elder neglect and abuse.
• Consider a non-profit Illinois Nursing home since these generally have lower deficiency ratings and higher levels of staffing. Higher staffing ratios tend to result in fewer cases of elder neglect and or abuse.
• Ask many questions of the people in charge of the Illinois nursing home. Find out exactly what is offered by the nursing home facility. What is the experience and longevity of nursing home staff? Are the elderly residents encouraged to leave their rooms and get regular exercise? Who makes decisions if an elderly resident’s health declines? What hospital is used in emergencies?
• Visit the Illinois nursing homes at different times of the day. Observe what the elderly residents are served at meals. Does the staff treat all elderly residents with respect or do you see signs of neglect?
• Is the Illinois nursing home clean? What do you smell when you walk in the door? Remember that a beautiful lawn and a sharp looking building does not necessarily reflect the quality of indoor housekeeping.
• Ask your family doctor to recommend an Illinois nursing home or to refer you to someone he or she knows who has experience with an Illinois nursing home. You could also talk to friends who have an elderly parent already in a nursing home.
• Use the internet. To turn up a wealth of information do a search for “Illinois nursing home ratings” and “Illinois nursing home compare”. You can also check out the ads you see realted to nursing homes. The site: www.nursinghomesurveyor.com is a site by a nursing home and hospital surveyor. Here you can learn a much about the survey and inspection of hospitals and nursing homes at this site and review much information that will help you a great deal. Another site to consider is www.ElderWeb.com. This site has has done extensive research to help the elderly.
• Check with your local hospital discharge representatives. Their jobs often involve contact with Illinois nursing homes.
• Be sure to obtain the inspection reports from your state agency in charge of surveying and inspecting Illinois nursing homes. These reports will give you a good idea fo the level of care or elder neglect in a facility. The website www.nursinghomesurveyor.com will have links to help you find these reports and interpret them.

Taking care and time in choosing an Illinois nursing home will provide a feeling of great satisfaction but is not the end of the process. Getting involved in your elderly loved one’s treatment and daily care to make sure they get appropriate care and attention is an important step to preventing Illinois Nursing Home abuse and neglect.

Filed Under How to Choose a Nursing Home, Signs of Neglect and Abuse |

Tagged With Choose a Nursing Home, Elder Abuse, Elder Neglect, Nursing Home Abuse, Nursing Home Neglect, Physical Abuse, Prevent Neglect

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