The Top 10 Considerations for Choosing a Skilled Nursing Facility

Choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one is one of the most important decisions you could ever make. As a caregiver, you are responsible for your loved one’s next phase of care following their hospital discharge and want to ensure they recover as quickly yet effectively as possible. You might ask yourself: Where do I even begin with making a decision of this magnitude?

Here are the top 10 factors you should consider when choosing a skilled nursing facility:

1. Quality of care onsite. A high-quality skilled nursing facility ensures your loved one receives 24/7 expert medical care from a robust care team of physicians, specialists, rehabilitation clinicians, and nurses — without having to leave the facility. Before choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one, it is important to inquire about their care team makeup and the staff-to-resident ratio. Another way to gauge quality of care is by checking to see whether the facility has won any quality-of-care awards. Eighty-one percent of CareOne facilities have CMS ratings of 3 stars or higher.
2. Facility safety measures. Equally imperative to consider when choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one is safety. Specifically, you want to ensure that the facility is well-monitored, secure and well-lit, with protected entrances and exits. At CareOne, safety is our highest priority, from providing clean accommodations to following food safety protocols and other industry guidelines. Ensuring patient safety is part of our commitment to maintain patient integrity.
3. Rehabilitation service offerings and availability. When choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one, it is critical to ask about the availability of targeted and specialized programs like rehabilitation services for particular ailments or conditions. Pre-screening a skilled nursing facility’s available services ensures that your loved one is able to receive the specialized care they need. At CareOne, we accept patients at any point of care, no matter the level of acuity, and ensure that these services are widely available for every patient we serve.
4. Level of personal attention and care. A big, yet often overlooked factor in assessing the quality of care at a skilled nursing facility is the level of personalized attention that each patient receives. When choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one, you want to make sure that the physicians, nurses, and staff are personable, kind, and genuinely caring. It’s precisely these traits that contribute to an overall better care experience for your loved one. At CareOne, we treat our patients and residents with the utmost warmth and empathy so they feel truly at home.
5. Cleanliness of the facility. Cleanliness is another extremely important factor to consider when choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one, from a health, safety, and overall comfort standpoint. Check for visible signs of disrepair and clutter, as well as any strong, unsavory odors in the common spaces or patients’ rooms. Each CareOne facility has a team of custodians who clean the facility daily and keep everything orderly and organized.
6. Approach to food and nutrition. Nutrition is essential to a successful recovery from illness or injury. Equally important, you want to make sure your loved one will enjoy their food. When you schedule a visit at a skilled nursing facility, ask the administrator to have a meal onsite and assess its taste and nutritional content. You can also ask to see the facility’s weekly menus. At CareOne, food is a building block of all rehab programs. We only serve fresh, locally sourced, and seasonal food designed to optimize both nutrition and taste.
7. Opportunities for socialization. When choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one, you want to consider the social environment of the facility, as you don’t know exactly how long your loved one will need to be there to recover. One way to assess this is reviewing the facility’s activities programming and events calendar. As part of CareOne’s commitment to promoting physical, mental, and emotional well-being, we prioritize community events and recreational activities to encourage socialization and positive engagement.
8. The mood of the facility’s environment. As a caregiver, you want to make sure your loved one is in a positive environment. During your tour, pay attention to the mood of the patients and staff. Do they seem happy and friendly? Also, observe the staff — do they seem overworked and tired? At CareOne, our staff love what they do and show up every day for our patients. We make sure that anyone who walks through CareOne’s doors feels welcomed with open arms.
9. Proximity and visitation hours of the facility. Proximity to your loved one is a critical factor when choosing a skilled nursing facility. How often would you be able and willing to see your loved one? What would be your commute time? You’ll also want to consider the facility’s visitation hours.
10. Insurance plans. Lastly, a vital consideration when choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one is insurance coverage. Your loved one’s insurance plan directly impacts the financial feasibility of their long-term care. View our individual skilled nursing facility location page to see which insurance plans we accept at the facility you are considering.

We understand how overwhelming it can be when choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one. At CareOne, you can rest assured that your loved one is in safe and capable hands.

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