Evaluating a residential health care facility.

What state agency regulates them? Where would complaints be filed? How would one check if any of these had law suits filed against them?

What is an ideal patient/staff ratio?


This is a link to the NJ state regulatory agency’s website where you can look up specific facilities:

https://www.nj.gov/health/facilities/index.shtml

Here’s a link to Medicare ratings for different facilities: 

https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html

ETA - I used to sell commercial insurance programs to LTC facilities.  Even the really good places end up in litigation.  The non-profit facilities are preferable to the for profit based ones.  


Just want to mention that my father stayed at Care 1 Assisted Living and had to go to Care 1 Rehab and Skilled Nursing Facility a couple of times after hospital stays. I was pretty satisfied with both.


Ideal ratio varies for level of care (memory care requires much more care).  My mom was in a facility that had 2.5 - 1 in her unit but in  the regular senior care it was 4 -1.  

There are a lot of reviews on line ---Care one, Sunrise, etc both get good reviews but it does not take much for a place to get a bad review.  One overworked aide/nurse and things can go south  fairly quickly.  No matter where you choose, a lot depends on how often family members visit and can help manage the care.  So I suggest finding one as close as possible to the family member that will be able to stay on top of the situation.  



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