The day may come when you can no longer provide the type of care at home that your loved one requires. Facility-placement may be necessary for the well-being of the caregiver or the person with PD. These resources can help you recognize when that time may be and find the right type of long term care facility to best meet your needs. None of these resources is specific to Parkinson's disease.
Downloadable Documents | Online Articles | Helpful Organizations
Choosing an Assisted Living Residence: A Consumer's Guide
Published by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living
This 18-page booklet outlines what activities and services assisted living facilities provide residents, resident's rights, how facility personnel is managed, paying for assisted living, tips for choosing a facility, a checklist of key questions to ask staff, a cost calculator (on paper), a checklist before signing the service contract, and some thoughts about moving day.
Evaluating Assisted Living Facilities
Published by the National Parkinson Foundation (Now the Parkinson’s Foundation)
A 2-page PDF outlining things to consider when evaluating an assisted living facility for yourself or a family member. Areas to consider are the environment, comfort level with staff availability and communication, residents’ service (and meal) satisfaction, charges and fees, transportation options and availability, and medical & financial emergency policies.
Nursing Home Checklist
Published by Medicare.gov
9-page printable checklist (PDF) to help evaluate and compare nursing homes. The last page recommends attending a resident council or family council meeting, with several questions to ask during the meeting and the suggestion that you visit a nursing home you are considering a second time on a different day of the week and time of day from your initial visit.
Your Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home or Other Long-Term Services & Supports
Published by Medicare.gov
This 48-page booklet (PDF) explains how to find and compare nursing homes and other long-term services and supports, how to pay for nursing home care, your rights as a nursing home resident and alternatives to nursing home care.
7 Red Flags to Watch for When Choosing a Nursing Home
By Anna Medaris Miller. Published by USNews, March 5, 2015
Always choose a nursing home in person after several conversations and more than one visit. Avoid facilities that are loud or chaotic, show disrespect to the residents, have absent administrators, few opportunities for residents to make choices, restricted visiting hours, unsafe neighborhood and misaligned values with your family, especially with respect to end of life care.
Assisted Living: Weighing the Options
Published by AARP, October 22, 2019
A description of assisted living facilities (ALF) commonly provided services, followed by suggestions to help find an ALF, things to keep in mind when considering an ALF and tips for signing the contract. Included is a link to a printer-friendly checklist: Assisted Living: What to Ask
Assisted Living Checklist
Published by Today's Caregiver
This extensive checklist will aid you in assessing assisted living communities. Today's Caretiver recommends involving your loved one in the decision making process. The more an older person participates in the planning process, the easier it will be to adjust to the new environment.
Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?
By Paula Span. Published by the New York Times, June 10, 2011
The immense popularity of assisted living facilities has arisen, partly, out of the promise to never to put a loved one in a nursing home. But assisted living won’t work for everyone. Some need the greater supervision and higher staff ratios of a good nursing home. This article, from The New Old Age blog, explains the differences between the two and why assisted living may only be a temporary solution.
Care Facilities
Published by the National Caregivers Library
An index of topics related to choosing, paying for and adjusting to relocation to a long term care facility. Includes links with information and considerations related to assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, independent living facilities and nursing homes.
Does Medicare Cover Long-Term Care?
By RetireGuide, February 24, 2021
This easy to read article spells out what type of care Medicare does and does not cover. Estimates of the cost of long-term care and ways to pay for it are provided.
Finding a Nursing Home: Don't Wait to Do the Research Until You Need One
By Cynthia Ramnarace, November 27, 2019. Published by AARP
None of us want to be discharged from the hospital into a poor-quality nursing home, but many don't realize that you have a choice. Advice from experts is to become familiar with nursing homes in your area before you are even hospitalized. Dig into government reports and conduct your own inspection. This article tells you what to look out for when evaluating your options.
Finding Long-Term Care for a Person with Alzheimer’s
Published by the National Institute on Aging
Information that applies to long-term care for any type of dementia. It outlines four types of residential care options, along with questions to ask, tips for making moving day easier and provides a list of government and private organizations who can help you find and pay for long-term care.
Is a Care Facility Needed?
Published by the Parkinson's Foundation
This webpage helps you think through whether in-home care or a facility is right for your situation, with links to what you need to know before touring a facility, senior living options, a consumer’s guide to choosing a nursing home, and a link to the National Association of Senior Move Managers.
Is It Time for Assisted Living Care?
By Esther Heerema, MSW. Published by Verywell Health, April 24, 2020
Thirteen signs that it is time to consider assisted living or nursing home care. Includes a brief discussion of the emotional barriers to making a change of living situation for your loved one.
Long Term Care Pathfinder
Published by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging
This website has five sections with information to help users plan for long term care. The Basics: for those just beginning to investigate; Medicare, Medicaid & More (including VA benefits); Where You Live Matters: with steps to take to stay in your own home and senior living options; How to Decide: includes advance care planning essentials; and Costs & How to Pay: which explains insurance options vs. private pay.
Nursing Home Compare
Published by Medicare.gov
A online finder tool providing detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the U.S. Enter your zip code or city, state or just your state. Filter the resulting list in four rated performance areas. Alternately, enter the name of a home health agency to see how it compares on a 5-star rating scale.
Parkinson’s Disease and Assisted Living
Published by WebMD
This series of 14 webpages explains what assisted living communities provide and ask those with Parkinson’s to consider what services they need in order to determine if assisted living is right for them. If so, there are a series of questions to ask and things to consider before deciding on the right community for you.
When It’s Time For a Nursing Home
By Ellen Crean. Published by CBS News, March 21, 2002
Tips on how to choose a nursing home by Claire Berman, author of “Caring For Yourself While Caring For Your Aging Parents” from an interview with The Saturday Early Show. Interview questions include when is someone ready, what to do if the person says no, what to do if a sibling says no and what is your role after you place someone in a nursing home.
CAHNR (California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform)
A California nonprofit website with database information to find details on services, staffing and violations for nursing homes, find and evaluate residential care and assisted living facilities (RCFEs) or continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). How to find or lodge a complaint against a facility or CCRC, how to find an elder law attorney, information on MediCal and estate planning for long-term care, and more.
How to Find a Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
Published by the National Consumer Voice For Quality Long-Term Care
Use this online map tool to find a Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) in your state or territory. The LTCOP advocates for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, board and care homes. LTCOPs provide information about how to find a facility and what to do to get quality care. LTCOP staff is trained to resolve problems between residents/families and care facility administrators.
This list was updated by the Parkinson's Community Outreach Program, August 2020.
