The Nursing Home Checklist

7/27/2019 The Nursing Home Checklist

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The Nursing Home Checklist

Visit Nursing Home Compare at www.medicare.gov/NHCompare or more inormation.

Resident Appearance Yes No CommentAre the residents clean, well groomed, andappropriately dressed or the season or time oday?

Nursing Home Living Spaces Yes No Comment

Is the nursing home ree rom overwhelmingunpleasant odors?

Does the nursing home appear clean and wellkept?

Is the temperature in the nursing homecomortable or residents?

Does the nursing home have good lighting?

Are the noise levels in the dining room andother common areas comortable?

Is smoking allowed? I so, is it restricted tocertain areas o the nursing home?

Are the urnishings sturdy, yet comortableand attractive?
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Staf Yes No CommentDoes the relationship between the sta andresidents appear to be warm, polite, andrespectul?

Does the sta wear name tags?

Does the sta knock on the door beoreentering a residents room? Do they reer toresidents by name?

Does the nursing home oer a training andcontinuing education program or all sta?

Does the nursing home check to make surethey dont hire sta members who have beenound guilty o abuse, neglect or mistreatmento residents; or have a nding o abuse, neglect,or mistreatment o residents in the state nurseaid registry?

Is there a licensed nursing sta 24 hours a day,including a Registered Nurse (RN) present atleast 8 hours per day, 7 days a week?

Will a team o nurses and Certied NursingAssistants (CNAs) work with me to meet myneeds?

Do CNAs help plan the care o residents?

Is there a person on sta that will be assignedto meet my social service needs?

I I have a medical need, will the sta contactmy doctor or me?

Has there been a turnover in administrationsta, such as the administrator or director onurses, in the past year?



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Residents Rooms Yes No CommentCan residents have personal belongings andurniture in their rooms?

Does each resident have storage space (closetand drawers) in his or her room?

Does each resident have a window in his or herbedroom?

Do residents have access to a personal phone

and television?

Do residents have a choice o roommates?

Are there policies and procedures to protectresidents possessions, including lockablecabinets and closets?

Hallway, Stairs, Lounges, and Bathrooms Yes No Comment

Are exits clearly marked?Are there quiet areas where residents can visitwith riends and amily?

Does the nursing home have smoke detectorsand sprinklers?

Are all common areas, resident rooms, anddoorways designed or wheelchair use?

Are handrails and grab bars appropriatelyplaced in the hallways and bathrooms?



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Menus and Food Yes No CommentDo residents have a choice o ood items ateach meal? (Ask i your avorite oods areserved.)

Can the nursing home provide or specialdietary needs (like low-salt or no-sugar-addeddiets)?

Are nutritious snacks available upon request?

Does the sta help residents eat and drink atmealtimes i help is needed?

Activities Yes No Comment

Can residents, including those who are unableto leave their rooms, choose to take part in a

variety o activities?

Do residents have a role in planning orchoosing activities that are available?

Does the nursing home have outdoor areasor resident use? Is the sta available to helpresidents go outside?

Does the nursing home have an activevolunteer program?




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Saety and Care Yes No CommentDoes the nursing home have an emergencyevacuation plan and hold regular re drills(bed-bound residents included)?

Do residents get preventive care, like a yearlyu shot, to help keep them healthy? Does theacility assist in arranging hearing screeningsor vision tests?

Can residents still see their personaldoctors? Does the acility help in arrangingtransportation or this purpose?

Does the nursing home have an arrangementwith a nearby hospital or emergencies?

Are care plan meetings held with residents andamily members at times that are convenientand exible whenever possible?

Has the nursing home corrected alldeciencies (ailure to meet one or morestate or Federal requirements) on its last stateinspection report?


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Go to a resident council or amily council meeting

While youre visiting the nursing home, ask a member o the residentcouncil i you can attend a resident council or amily council meeting.Tese councils are usually organized and managed by the residents orthe residents amilies to address concerns and improve the quality ocare and lie or the resident.

I youre able to go to a meeting, ask a council member the ollowingquestions and take notes:

What improvements were made to the quality o lie or residents inthe last year? ____________________________________________

What are the plans or uture improvements? __________________

How has the nursing home responded to recommendations orimprovement? __________________________________________

Who does the council report to? ____________________________

How does membership on the council work? __________________

Who sets the agendas or meetings? _________________________

How are decisions made (or example, by voting, consensus, or oneperson makes them)? _____________________________________

Visit again

Its a good idea to visit the nursing home a second time. Its best to visita nursing home on a dierent day o the week and at a dierent timeo day than your initial visit. Stafng can be dierent at dierent timeso the day and on weekends.

Notes on second visit: ______________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

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Documents

The Nursing Home Checklist