How to get the best care for your loved one in a nursing home

Attorney Tom Olsen: When you're in a nursing home, whether you're a private pay, or whether Medicaid is paying for your nursing home, the staff is not allowed to know one from another.

Attorney Robert Hidock: No, it's a HIPAA violation, so there's doctors, nurses' aides. They have no idea who's private and who's not.

Attorney Tom: They're all going to get the same level of care.

Attorney Robert: Yes. Then some people have this misconception and they think, "Oh, it's a Medicaid facility only," or, "It's a government facility only," and that's not true. You can go to Westminster and private pay $13,000 a month, but they also have Medicaid beds. It's the same treatment. Truth be told, there are certainly better facilities than others, but if you have a loved one that's there, and you're going to see them, they're going to get better care because somebody's got an eye on them.

Attorney Tom: Let's emphasize that, and that is that if you have a loved one in a long-term care facility, and also known as a nursing home, if you want to get the best care for them, it involves you showing up-

Attorney Robert: It does.

Attorney Tom: -and letting the staff know that you're coming and you're checking on your loved one. You've been through it, right?

Attorney Robert: Yes, I have with both my grandparents.

Attorney Tom: Tell listeners about that.

Attorney Robert: That's how I ended up wanting to practice this type of law. When I was in law school, my grandmother had a fall. They had a great life. They lived over here on Dubsdread on the 17th hall. Grandma fell. I could not pick her up. That led to this vicious cycle of hospital, rehab, nursing home, and repeat. Then when we knew grandma couldn't come home, we ended up qualifying her for Medicaid. She got to her income. She had to keep, back then, $30 for herself, went on Medicaid and nursing home.

Her husband got to keep the house, majority of the assets, the car, and all three sources of his income, but then, unfortunately, within six months, he was her roommate in the nursing home because he had dementia. That's where they were. I'll tell you, it was hard, but my mom and I-- My mom would go on her way to work, make sure they had breakfast. I would go on my way to law school and late morning, make sure grandma went to physical therapy, and then had lunch with them. My mom would stop on the way home. They were like kings of the nursing home.

Attorney Tom: Your advice to people out there that are looking for the right nursing home for their loved one, one of the key criteria, then, is find one that's near your home.

Attorney Robert: I couldn't agree more. It's easier. If it's on your way somewhere, you're going to go. If a place is 15 or 30 minutes away, you're less likely to go. Then sometimes, Tom, you see these really beautiful facilities. Those traditionally are not for the patient, they're for us going to see them, "Oh, mom and dad are in a really good place." There's something to be said for that, but really, it's the care that they're receiving. That becomes the most important part.

Attorney Tom: Did you tell me that there's a place, a website where they rate nursing homes?

Attorney Robert: They don't rate them, but they actually will have all the reports, like if there's been a complaint alleged against them.

Attorney Tom: Got you.

Attorney Robert: I don't know that it's offhand, but if somebody wants to call our office, Lindsay will certainly look up any nursing home for anyone. I think that's part of her hobbies.

Attorney Tom: If people want to reach you at the Olson Law Group next week, how would they reach you, Rob?

Attorney Robert: They could go to our website and pull me up. They can shoot me a text or call me directly. My direct line is 321-207-8493. Then they can also email me from that website.

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