THIS TASK SUCKS !!!
On the morning of April 15th, (D Day for me) I received a text that my Dad was in the ER. This was the start of a roller coaster ride.
Long story short... My Girls (June and Stacy) diligently spent more than 8 hours searching all over the Internet trying to help find a good fit for my Dad's needs. I will say this from the experience, no matter what the number of stars the facility has as a rating (NO Less than 4) .... the importance of having a family member there every day at varying hours is critical. I also learned from this experience that there is no place like home. If it is at all humanly possible, work together and avoid placement if at all possible.
The benefit of this for you... Please find the links that were helpful for the following:
2015 US News Best Nursing Homes http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-news--world-report-releases-best-nursing-homes-2015-300045896.html Click on your state to see what nursing homes have been awarded a 5-star rating
Nursing Home Watch List www.memberofthefamily.net Nursing Home Survey Ratings, Complaints, Report of Repeat Violations, and Medicare Ratings (June's Favorite)
IQ Nursing Homes www.iqnursinghomes.com Nursing home ratings and inspection reports
Medicare www.medicare.gov Go to the Resource Locator and click on Nursing Homes
Medicare's guide to Choosing a Nursing Home https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/02174.pdf
Nursing Care Facility Locator http://app2.health.state.pa.us/commonpoc/nhlocatorie.asp use this page to locate nursing homes in your area of the state
Nursing Home Compare www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare use this link to compare rehab/nursing homes /search.html
Nursing Home (for visiting) Checklist https://www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare/checklist.pdf
Senior Directory www.seniordirectory.com Click on Housing to search in your area
US News http://health.usnews.com/senior-housing use this link to compare rehab/nursing homes in our area
Elder Law Answers www.elderlawanswers.com use for Medicaid Eligibility Questions
Medicare at a glance www.ehealthmedicare.com/about-medicare/