The Bottom Line
Pros
- Thoroughly outlines nursing home rules and regulations.
- Provides real-life examples of nursing home admissions and discharges.
- Includes a glossary of often-confusing terms related to nursing home placement.
Cons
- Doesn't include a specific section about nursing home placement for those with Alzheimer's.
- Contains some typographical errors.
- Verges on dwelling too much on problems instead of solutions.
Description
- Taking the Mystery out of Nursing Home Placement is available as an e-book or as a spiral-bound booklet.
- The author, Sharon Johnson, BSW, owns Case Management Solutions, LLC.
- The booklet is one in a series about eldercare (others cover Medicare, Medicaid, and advance directives).
Guide Review - Taking the Mystery out of Nursing Home Placement
In this 68-page booklet, Johnson draws upon her own experiences working in long-term care to explain the process of nursing home placement and caution readers about potential problems within the nursing home system. Topics include:
- Overview of nursing home placement
- The admissions process
- Payment sources, including Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and other types of assistance
- Elder abuse
- Physical restraints
- Care plan meetings
- Nursing home inspections and investigations
- How to choose a nursing home
- Nursing home rights
For families dealing with Alzheimer's disease, it would have been helpful to offer a section on nursing homes with special care units specifically for individuals with dementia and what Alzheimer's caregivers should look for when choosing a nursing home for their loved ones.
Johnson also heavily focuses on the negative aspects of some nursing homes, such as unethical practices, dishonesty, and disrespectful treatment of residents and families. While it's important for readers to understand that the quality of nursing home care can vary widely from one nursing home to another, Johnson's lack of confidence in the system may leave the reader feeling a little hopeless.
Still, this is a good resource for caregivers and individuals recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's who are preparing for the possibility of nursing home care, especially in regard to evaluating financial resources to pay for it.
