| How do you know when it's time to find a | | | | deciding which nursing home you will place |
| nursing home for your loved one? This is the | | | | your loved one in, within the time allocated |
| hardest and easiest of questions to answer or | | | | by the hospital. Note that the reason the |
| so it would seem. Let me explain. There are | | | | hospital is pushing you to transfer your |
| primarily two approaches to requiring nursing | | | | loved one to a nursing home is money. The |
| home care.Approach Number One: A fall occurs | | | | reimbursement for the care received is about |
| and a hip is broken or the loved one may have | | | | to run out. Keep this in the back of your |
| had a stroke, a heart attack or pneumonia. | | | | mind; the hospital will find it extremely |
| These are examples of medical conditions that | | | | difficult to force your loved one into a |
| require hospitalization. Up until this point | | | | nursing home that you are not agreeable with |
| admission to a nursing home has never been | | | | or that is out of your neighborhood, at an |
| considered. The hospital has finished caring | | | | unreasonable distance for you to travel.The |
| for the immediate medical need and now you | | | | best way to avoid confrontation with the |
| are contacted by the hospital discharge | | | | hospital is to have a discussion with the |
| planner and told that your loved one will be | | | | discharge planner about which nursing homes |
| discharged to a nursing home for rehabilation | | | | have the best reputation in the area and in |
| within a few days. They give you a list of | | | | which one the discharge planner would place |
| nursing homes in your area and say good luck | | | | their loved one. After you visit each |
| in your search.If you are lucky, area nursing | | | | facility talk with the discharge planner |
| homes will have their admission coordinators | | | | about your observations, how you were |
| visiting the hospitals daily to "shop for | | | | received and your likes and dislikes about |
| residents." The nursing home admission | | | | the facility.As long as the hospital knows |
| coordinator will look at your loved one's | | | | you are making a good faith effort to |
| medical file and determine if the care | | | | transfer your loved one to a nusing home they |
| required and the estimated length of stay | | | | will be less likely to put pressure on you. |
| will fit the nursing home's patient mix. The | | | | You have enough pressure on you at this |
| nursing home wants to balance the needs of | | | | point. You don't want to go looking for more. |
| your loved one with the current demands of | | | | Your primary goal is to find a great nursing |
| their residents both medically and for staff | | | | home for your loved one.The decision to admit |
| availability. The nursing home will also look | | | | your loved one to a nursing home has been |
| at how the care will be paid for. Keep in | | | | made for you by an unexpected medical |
| mind that the nursing home can't discriminate | | | | condition; that's the easy part. Whether the |
| aginist admitting your loved one based upon | | | | stay in the nursing home is short or long |
| how the care will be paid for, whether it's | | | | term the process of finding a great nursing |
| Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, | | | | home is the same, but in this case time is of |
| an HMO, private funds or other payment | | | | the essence.In the next essay Iwill dicuss |
| plans.Nursing homes, like other businesses | | | | approach number two; a planned admission to a |
| have bills to pay, not the least of which is | | | | nursing home.Also feel free to send any |
| payroll. So naturally they will look for the | | | | questions you have about nursing home |
| maximum reimbursement possible to care for | | | | admission to Be sure to put "questions GNHS" |
| your loved one.Your challenge now becomes | | | | in the subject line! |