About Nursing Homes & Rehabilitation Facilities

A U.S. Federal District Court in Vermont on January 24 approved a settlement agreement reached between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and plaintiffs in a pending litigation matter, which may help all Medicare patients with . . . → Read More: HHS Agreement Now in Effect: Medicare Will Cover Skilled Maintenance Care Even Without Patient Improvement

November has been designated as Long-Term Care Awareness Month. As part of this observance, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued a release yesterday, containing useful information on long-term care for seniors and their family caregivers. The . . . → Read More: Planning Ahead for Long-Term Care

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday awards of funding to seven organizations selected to partner with CMS and 145 nursing homes in seven different states in a new pilot program aimed at improving . . . → Read More: New Program to Improve Quality of Care for Nursing Home Residents in 7 States Announced by Medicare

The U.S. centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on August 21 that it has launched a redesign of its Medicare.gov website, in order to better serve Medicare Beneficiaries and their families. The redesign, CMS said, “mak[es] content . . . → Read More: Medicare Announces Redesigned Website to Better Serve Medicare Beneficiaries & Their Families

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that it has updated and re-designed its Hospital Compare and Nursing Home Compare websites, which provide tools and quality measures to help consumers find hospitals and Medicare-Certified nursing homes . . . → Read More: Medicare Announces Updated Hospital Compare & Nursing Home Compare Sites

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new initiative on March 15, 2012 aimed at reducing avoidable hospitalizations among nursing home residents who are dual Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries. “The initiative aims to reduce costly and avoidable . . . → Read More: Medicare-Medicaid Announces Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Home Residents

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), has recently announced changes to its Nursing Home Compare tool which will take effect in 2012. The current nursing home . . . → Read More: Medicare Announces Changes to Nursing Home Compare Tool

Caregiverlist.com offers a Nursing Home search tool combined with a “Star Rating Service” for family caregivers, which allows you to search for nursing homes by State and County, by zip code, or by name, and find a list with . . . → Read More: Caregiverlist – Search Tool to Find & Compare Nursing Homes & Their Costs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), provides a comprehensive Nursing Home Compare that includes every Medicare certified nursing home in the United States. Use of this . . . → Read More: Medicare Nursing Home Compare – Find & Compare Nursing Homes

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced on Friday that they have launched new online tools for patients and caregivers to “empower consumers to make informed choices about their health care,” as well as other initiatives . . . → Read More: Medicare Adds New Online Tools to Help Health Care Consumers

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released an investigation report on May 4, 2011, finding that among elderly Medicare patients in nursing homes, dangerous antipsychotic drugs are being given predominantly . . . → Read More: Govt Finds Dangerous Antipsychotic Drugs Given 95% “Off Label” in Nursing Homes

U.S. News Media Group has released its U.S. News Search Tool to search for a nursing home. You can search by State first, and then refine your search to include the overall star rating, whether the home accepts . . . → Read More: U.S. News Has Released 2011 Best Nursing Homes Rankings

Checklists provided by GetCare.com. Multiple checklists in printable PDF format, to help you know what to look for and what to ask several different types of providers of long-term care services, including providers of: In-Home Care: Home Care Services . . . → Read More: Checklists of What to Look For and Ask Long-Term Care Providers & Professionals

A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. A good place to start.  Contains links to comprehensive information about nursing homes and related issues, overviews of basic information, latest news, information on coping, financial . . . → Read More: Nursing Homes Library of Information from MedlinePlus

AgePage by National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.  A 6 page brochure providing an overview of what to consider in choosing a nursing home

This tool, provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, helps you find and compare nursing homes.  It provides detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid . . . → Read More: Nursing Home Compare, a Tool on Medicare.gov, the Official Medicare Website.

by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. A 68 page official government booklet, explaining How to find and compare nursing homes in your area, How to pay for nursing home . . . → Read More: Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home

by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. A helpful checklist of questions to ask when you are visiting a nursing home, in the form of a chart with columns to . . . → Read More: Nursing Home Checklist

Very good overview, including What is a Nursing Home?; Nursing Homes covered by Medicare?; Nursing Home vs. Assisted Living; Candidates for a Nursing Home; Living arrangements offered in Skilled Nursing facilities; Services provided in a Nursing Home: Special needs . . . → Read More: Nursing Homes (Skilled Nursing Facilities) – Fact Sheet by Helpguide.org

ConsumerReports.org.  An in-depth look at the nursing home industry and its quality by Consumer Reports. Includes the Nursing Home Quality Monitor, a tool (formerly known as “Nursing Homes Watch List”), developed by Consumer Reports to help you evaluate the . . . → Read More: Consumer Reports Nursing Home Guide and Nursing Home Qulity Monitor

by AARP.  A helpful form containing a checklist of questions and criteria to use in evaluating a nursing home, with space to record your notes as you visit a nursing home.  AARP recommends that you “Print one checklist for . . . → Read More: Nursing Home Evaluation Checklist

From Nursinghomedirectory.org.  A helpful checklist to help you evaluate and select a nursing home to meet your loved one’s needs.  Nursinghomedirectory.org also provides a locator tool to help you find nursing homes and assisted living facilities in your area, . . . → Read More: Checklist for Choosing a Nursing Home

by American Geriatrics Society’s Foundation for Health in Aging.  Factors to consider and checklist of questions to ask when choosing a nursing home for your loved one. http://www.healthinaging.org/public_education/eldercare/26_p.xml?mode=print

Aging in The Know, by AGS Foundation for Health in Aging.  Detailed introductory information on nursing homes, their characteristics and financing, who lives in nursing homes (profile of persons requiring nursing home care), choosing a nursing home, health . . . → Read More: Nursing Home Care

by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), a non-profit federation of affiliated state health organizations, including more than 10,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers. This 15 page booklet provides a guide to nursing . . . → Read More: Choosing a Nursing Facility

a comprehensive 35 page guide for those selecting a nursing home in New York State, by the New York State Department of Health, Division of Quality and Surveillance for Nursing Homes.  Contains useful information about paying for nursing home . . . → Read More: Selecting a Nursing Home in New York State, a Guide for Consumers

Based on our experience, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and all types of health care and long-term care facilities and providers will frequently request you to sign your name as the “Responsible Person” for and in place of . . . → Read More: How to Sign Admission Agreements and other contracts, when you as Caregiver are requested by health care providers to sign for your parent.

16 page paper (PDF) by the National Senior Citizens Law Center, with Support from The Retirement Research Foundation.  Provides a checklist of six common problems with nursing home admission agreements, and information to assist senior caregivers in reviewing these . . . → Read More: Nursing Home Admission Agreements: Think Twice Before Signing; A Guide for Nursing Home Residents and Their Families

Nursing Homes: What to Ask. Checklist by AARP.