Checking a nursing home’s record is an important part of a hard decision. Placing a loved one in a nursing home is never an easy choice, even when the decision is made for you by circumstances or health issues. Knowing the record of the facility in which your loved one will be placed can help ease your mind and steer you in the right direction.
Florida’s Directory of Nursing Homes
A great help in finding the best nursing home for your loved one is Florida’s Nursing Home Guide. This database is easy to research. It contains reviews and descriptions of Florida’s nursing homes. The Guide’s star rating system will show you how the facility has performed on past inspections.
When a nursing home’s record includes deficiencies, you can see what they are by going to “Inspection Details for This Facility.” There you will find the violations that the nursing home has been cited for within the last 30 months. For a more detailed explanation of a citation, click on it.
The Nursing Home Watch List
Some nursing homes have conditional status. They may be bankrupt and still operating, they may have violations that have not been corrected or standards that have not been met. These facilities are on the Nursing Home Watch List. Nursing homes that are “under appeal” are those that are on the watch list and are exercising their right to challenge the conditional license.
Checking for Violations/Registering a Complaint
If you already have a loved one in a facility and you have concerns, there are things you can do to check for violations. You can start with checking the nursing home’s record to see if there are any ongoing issues. There are also signs you can look for if you suspect there is a problem.
Any problems or complaints can be reported and registered with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). You can contact them by calling (888) 419-3456 or (800) 955-8771 for Florida Relay Service (TDD number.)
The Importance of Checking a Nursing Home’s Record
It’s no secret many nursing homes and care facilities are understaffed, and staffers are often overworked. These conditions may breed problems. Standards of care are usually set at basic minimum requirements, so, if a facility is not meeting these standards, there is a problem. You need to know your loved one is in a place where he or she can, at the very least, get basic care. This is why knowing the nursing home’s record is important.
At Frohlich, Gordon & Beason, P.A., we are community members sharing information with fellow community members in hopes of helping all of us live richer, fuller, informed lives. Our clients count on us for help with business litigation and personal injury cases. If you would like a complimentary consultation, contact us via our website or give us a call. We have offices located in the southwest Florida communities of Englewood, North Port, and Port Charlotte, to serve you.