Finding the right Palm Beach County nursing home is a challenging task. As nursing home abuse attorneys, we regularly see the ugly side of the long term care industry. Understaffed, dirty facilities can be a great cause of concern. However, through persistence and dedication, you can find the right nursing home for your loved one.
Rely on Rankings
Do your homework before coming up with a shortlist of nursing homes. CMS has star ratings for every nursing home in Palm Beach County. Do some digging and determine which facility is close enough, yet maintains a higher rating.
Be careful. These CMS star ratings can be deceiving and are growing increasingly misleading.
Trust but Verify
CMS star ratings are becoming less reliable due to facilities learning how to game the system. For this reason, you must visit the potential Palm Beach County nursing homes you are considering putting your loved one in. There is no substitute for an in-person visit.
Once you visit the facility, speak with the caretakers. Rarely will the director of nursing or marketing person care for your family member. Instead, the CNAs and aides will be doing the heavy lifting. Speak with them and make sure you get a good vibe before entrusting your parent to the facility.
Focus on Staff Numbers, Not Decorations
Corporate nursing homes have marketing down to a science. A carefully placed end table underneath some decorative wallpaper may look like a 5 star hotel. However, if there are not enough staff to care for the high-needs residents, this can result in serious nursing home injuries.
When facilities spend their budget on marble floors and shiny light fixtures, this may be a distraction from the understaffing of the facility. Staff is by and large the most expensive item for nursing home companies. Choose the ugly carpeted non-profit facility instead of the shiny new facility without the appropriate staff numbers. At the end of the day, nursing home injuries like bedsores and falls are prevented by staff, not interior design.
Top Nursing Homes in Palm Beach County
Unfortunately, the 'good' nursing homes often change hands. With a change in ownership can come a radical change in facility staffing and performance. Additionally, nursing home neglect can still occur, even at the best nursing homes in Palm Beach County. For these reasons, it is difficult to determine what is the best nursing home in Palm Beach County.
However, consistently top performing nursing homes in Palm Beach include:
- MorseLife
- Doreen McKeen
- Chatsworth at PGA National
- Vi at Lakeside
Steps to Follow After an Injury in a Palm Beach County Nursing Home
If you have the unfortunate luck of having a loved one injure themselves in a Palm Beach County nursing home, call Senior Justice Law Firm. We are Palm Beach's nursing home law firm, dedicated to ensuring justice for abused and neglected seniors.
Call us today to see why we are different: 561-717-0817.