what is in a good nursing home? i’ve learned, so i’m sharing with you!

I don’t know about you, but when thinking about nursing homes, I can’t help but think of the horror stories I’ve heard from friends. That got me thinking about how to avoid this scenario for my grandparents…and some day, parents. In saying that, I thought I’d share some good insight with you all today too! Let’s get thinking….

“Mom just got a hip replacement. She has to be out of the hospital, but she’s too sick to go home. What should we do?”

“Dad has dementia, and his health has declined to the point that it’s unsafe for him to be at home. Help!”

“I need somewhere to recover from heart surgery. I don’t want to be a burden to my kids and wish there were somewhere I could go with advanced medical care. Do I have any options?”

Sometimes you need medical care that can’t be taken care of at home … or in a hospital. We all know that home health companies can come in and take care of the basics. But if you need more advanced medical care, help is available in what is called a “post-acute” care center, also known as a “nursing home.”

Nursing homes have gotten a bad rap over the years. But what most people don’t know is that there are really good ones out there—rehabilitative centers that look and feel more like hotels than hospitals and give you more personalized therapy and attention than if you were in a hospital.

“Where can I find this heaven on earth?” Welcome BestNursingHomes.com. This is an online site, provided free to the public by the Association of Skilled Nursing Providers, that lists five-star nursing homes and rehabilitation centers rated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

What’s different about this site than others?

1. BestNursingHomes.com lists ONLY the best sites. Anything on the list has been preapproved by Medicare as one of the top in the country.
2. There’s no annoying sales center. Best Nursing Homes is run by a nonprofit organization whose public mission is to make people aware of the good places to go. It’s a free list.
3. You don’t have to enter any personal information. No one is going to contact you when you search the site.
4. You can contact the nursing homes directly. If you see an option that you like, simply call the facility or send an email using the contact form.
5. You can see what the center looks like. For the facilities that have chosen upgraded listings, you can take a virtual tour of the building with slideshow photos and videos.
6. You can review what others’ experiences were like. Best Nursing Homes uses proprietary software to get real reviews from real residents and family members. And they’re authentic—there’s no gaming from competitors or advertisers.

Best Nursing Homes has been made possible by the generous donation of North American Health Care and its CEO, John Sorensen. John has made it his life’s work to serve the elderly population and has sponsored the development of BNH and donated it to the ASNP for use. “We are very grateful for the leadership of John Sorensen in the post-acute care industry,” said Amy Osmond Cook, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Association for Skilled Nursing Providers. “John is a leader in his field, a generous philanthropist, and a great example of someone who places serving the patient above anything else. We are proud to be associated with John and North American Health Care and grateful for his support to promote best practices in skilled nursing.”

I highly encourage you to check this out further! Have you had experience with this company before? I’d love to hear any insight you have on this topic. Talk to me!