One thing you can do is to actually read the reports that ADHS prepares following a nursing home complaint investigation or relicensure/recertification survey. Unlike the quality ratings, these reports provide details about the problems that the ADHS surveyors found at the nursing home, including the federal and state rules that the nursing home violated.
You can access these reports in two ways. One way is through the ADHS Office of Long-Term Care Licensing (Nursing Homes) website (http://www.azdhs.gov/als/ltc/), using the link for “Facility Search: Including Inspection Reports.” While the on-line information is somewhat difficult to access and incomplete (for example, the facility’s Plan of Correction--what the nursing home promises it will do to fix the specific problems--is not available), it does provide a fairly helpful starting point.
The other way to read the reports is to actually visit the ADHS office and request the public file for a nursing home. While this method requires a little more time and preparation--you will need to have the facility’s name and address, for example--it will give you much more information that you can get through the ADHS website. Among other things, the public file will contain:
- The facility’s Plan of Correction for each cited deficiency;
- The facility’s license renewal applications, which can reveal the true owner and operator of the nursing home; and
- Correspondence between the facility and ADHS regarding such matters as changes in personnel (though typically only the nursing home’s Administrator and Director of Nursing) and challenges to deficiencies cited during the surveys.
While on-line research and looking at the public file can help narrow your search for a quality nursing home, nothing can substitute for an actual visit to the nursing home.
When you visit the nursing home, there are specific things that you should check, including:
- Smell: Does the nursing home smell all right, indicating cleanliness and proper ventilation, or does it smell like urine and feces? Bad smells can be signs that the residents are not cared for properly, and they can even be signs of neglect.
- The ratio of staff to residents: When you visit the facility, the ratio of staff to patients should be posted. If you can’t find it, ask for a copy of their latest ratio.
- The call light: Does the call light work? How long does it take for the nursing home staff to respond? Nursing home neglect starts when staff is too busy and overwhelmed to manage your loved one’s care effectively.
- Visiting families: Sunday is a good day to visit a nursing home because so many families visit. Talk to these families and ask them what their experience has been with the facility.
