When placing a loved one in an assisted living residence, you’ll want to ask the right questions about the quality and safety levels of the nursing homes in your specific area.

To ensure that you are as knowledgeable as possible, it is crucial to ask nursing home questions for which you need thoughtful (and complete) answers.

Be sure you are asking the right people – outside of staff members of the actual facilities you are visiting, you need to research a bit more thoroughly as they are usually biased towards the facility they work at.

Outside of the senior care facilities you may find some interesting answers – feel free to try these alternative sources:

-Local doctors: your own or that of your loved one can make for a good start. Any doctors in the area that you know socially could also be good resources. And if you dont know any doctors in the area youre considering, you can try contacting offices directly out of the phone book.

-Social networks: You’ll be amazed at how many people are or were in your situation in the past. Don’t be afraid to bring up your questions or concerns in conversation – chances are that if your immediate friends offer no advice then someone they know and trust will.

-Better Business Bureau: always an excellent resource for uncovering complaints about organizations such as nursing homes.

-Watchdog organizations: many assisted living watchdog organizations and web blogs have sprung to life in recent years. Examples include the Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.tahsa.org) or www.nursinghomesabuseblog.com.

-Local police: a great place to get answers about incidents involving residents or staff at prospective senior care firms in your area.

As you can see, the list could go on and on. These five sources are a great start – but you should do more due diligence to ensure you’ve done everything possible to get the right answers for your nursing home questions. Before you know it you’ll have a much better grip on your concerns and hopefully be able to choose the place that is right for you or your family member!

If you’re currently researching the different kinds of nursing home activities, check out these solutions!