When it comes to choosing the right nursing home,
quality information counts.
Medicare offers the following helpful tips to make choosing the right nursing home easier and less stressful. If you or someone you love is a current nursing home resident, this information can also be used as a guide for discussing quality of care with nursing home staff.

By law nursing homes must evaluate the quality of care their residents receive. Nursing home quality information collected includes:
  • Resident’s ability to move. Use of physical restraint. Level of pain management
  • Resident’s skin condition. Presence of pressure or bed sores
  • Resident’s medical status. Signs of delirium. Signs of new infections.
  • Resident’s rehabilitation needs. Improvement in walking.
  • Resident’s daily activities. Ability to perform basic daily tasks.
What quality of care standards should I be looking for and what questions should I ask?

1. Are the residents clean and properly dressed?
2. Does the staff respond quickly to calls for help?
3. Do the administrator and staff seem comfortable with each other and with the residents?
4. Do the residents have the same caregivers on a daily basis?
5. Is there enough staff at night and on the weekends or holidays to care for each resident?

Request the following free Medicare publications by calling 1.800.633.4227 or find them online at http://www.medicare.gov.
• Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home
• Guide to Choosing Long-Term Care
• Medicare Coverage of Skilled Nursing Facility Care
• Nursing Home Brochure

TTY users may call 1-877-486.2048.
Click to find the Department of Health and Senior Services nursing home insection report.