How To Pick The Right Rehabilitation Facility

After a stay of at least three days in a hospital Medicare will pay up to twenty days in a live-in rehabilitation facility for your loved one (LO). His/her supplemental insurance should pay for up to an additional eighty days. The following is why and how you should take advantage of this opportunity.

First, let me state the obvious. Your elderly parent needs to recover in a rehab facility. Although this should be obvious, it wasn’t to Jill and me. The first time my father-in-law came home from the hospital we thought he would do so much better in our home.

What we didn’t realize was that his sleeping patterns would be off which meant that our sleep patterns would be off. His bowel movements were irregular which meant more accidents, more laundry, more carpet cleaning. It took weeks for his appetite to come back which meant more frustrations at meal times. Plus, everything moved at even a s-l-o-w-e-r p-a-c-e. We placed an unnecessary and undue amount of stress on ourselves.

Put them in rehab. They’ll do better and you’ll can catch up on your sleep.

When your elderly LO is in rehab he/she is monitored by medical professionals. They receive physical, occupational and speech therapy on a more frequent basis. If they need assistance at night, there is a night shift to take care of them.

Here is how to pick a rehab facility.

1) Some nursing homes, like the one we used, have beds available for rehab patients. Both patients share the same dining , bathing, physical, occupational, and recreational facilities. Fortunately, there is a rating system for all nursing homes that receive Medicare funds. Go to Medicare.gov/NHcompare, plug in your zip code and see how your prospective facility rates compared to other facilities in your area.

2) Find out if the is credited by the Joint Commission, an agency that rates medical facilities. This accreditation should be on  the facilities web site and a certificate is usually displayed in the lobby of the building..

3) Call the Area Agency on Aging in your county and ask if any complaints have been received.

4) A hospital social worker referred us to the rehab facility we used. Ask your social worker to give you the name of former patients who might share their experiences with you. It’s interesting to note that while we were satisfied with the care our facility provided other patients we met were very unhappy with their care.

The more you know the better decision you can make. It is very upsetting to your elderly LO to move them to another facility. Pick the right one the first time.

In my next post, I’ll hare with you how to prepare for your inspection by knowing what to look for and what questions to ask.

For more information on elder care check out my articles in ezine.com or get a free DVD on elder care at HomeCareSurvival.com.