When I first saw the facility my mom would be residing in, I was not impressed. It was an older building and needed some work. After the initial adjustment, I realized that the care my mom received was much more important than the aesthetics of the building.z
However, there are red flags that you need to be aware of before choosing a facility.
Do your Research
Research the care homes you are interested in. If there are multiple bad reviews, or if the reviews seem too good to be true, consider finding another facility. Honestly, I think employees or friends write a lot of the too good to be true reviews to promote their business and bring in more clients.
Touring the Care Home
It’s important to tour the facility before making a decision on where your person will live.
High Turnover
This is a big Red Flag. Read employee reviews of the site, if they are negative or employees have left soon after starting, this could indicate a breakdown of communication between staff and administration, that there was a high ratio of residents to care workers, that employees were experiencing burnout.
Poor Quality Food
Check the menu calendar to see if the meals are well balanced and nutritious. If the same meals are on rotation too often, this could indicate kitchen staff shortages or not enough funding in the budget to purchase better quality ingredients. Ask about food that you can bring in for your person.
Personally, I found the meals to be very bland and under seasoned. I have also worked in Assisted Living and LTC facilities where the food was very high end.
Facility is Not Clean
Notice the environment, especially bathrooms, shower areas, common areas like the dining room, activity rooms, etc. A facility that is dirty is a breeding ground for germs that can make the residents, staff and visitors sick and have the potential to spread very rapidly. In the dining room, tables should be wiped before they are set for mealtimes.