Nursing Facilities
Evaluate Your Needs
For those searching for a nursing home, a number of personal and practical concerns mentioned here will likely weigh heavily in the final selection.
Those searching for a Congregate Living Health Facility might be best served by concentrating on the Individual Needs section below. Because California has so few CLHFs, and because many of them specialize in certain care, there are fewer opportunities to comparison shop among them.
Individual Needs
An individual’s medical needs is the most important factor in selecting a nursing facility. Consult the attending doctor, primary care physician, or other health care provider familiar with the individual to help assess particular health care needs — and ask specifically about the types of facilities and services that would meet them.
For those seeking a Congregate Living Health Facility, which generally provides less intensive care than hospitals but more intense and specialized care than nursing homes, this step may be the most essential.
The law specifies that CLHFs provide specialized services for people who:
- Are mentally alert but physically disabled;
- Are technology dependent, such as those requiring ventilators;
- Have a terminal or life-threatening illness; or
- Are catastrophically and severely disabled; for example, those with spinal cord injuries.
By conferring with medical providers and talking with and observing the patient, assess whether he or she needs:
- Full-time skilled nursing and supportive care;
- Use of a ventilator;
- Regular assistance with daily activities, such as eating, walking, getting to the toilet, or exercising;
- Medical supervision and health monitoring, such as medication reminders or assistance, checking blood pressure and food or liquid intake;
- Pharmacy services;
- Dietary monitoring and regular meals and snacks;
- Organized social and recreational activities, both individual and group, to provide mental stimulation; or
- Speech, physical, or occupational therapy.
Location
The location of a particular facility may or may not be a concern for those seeking nursing care. It is essential to discuss the issue of relocating with the potential resident, listen to the responses — and honor preferences if possible.
For many nursing home residents, for example, having regular contact with family and friends in a familiar community is their greatest single concern. Others, because of dementia or chronic illness, may need to live close to the family members or friends who will oversee their care, whether or not they have a community of other contacts there.
If the location of care and facilities is a concern, you can make most efficient use of the Web site by searching by ZIP code to compare available options.
Demographics
Many people find it more comforting to be around those of similar demographics — age, background, and medical condition — while receiving nursing care. If this is an important concern, check out the information about residents provided on the facility profiles on this Web site.
