What to Consider When Choosing a Long-Term Care Facility
When selecting a long-term medical care facility, seniors and their loved ones must consider several questions before settling on a decision. Ensuring the facility offers high-quality care is essential as the well-being of your loved one is at stake.
In this article, we’ll explore the different aspects of a long-term care facility that can indicate quality of care or lack thereof, the certifications and comprehensive capabilities patients or patient families should be seeking and the dilemmas patients or loved ones may encounter when selecting a long-term facility. We’ll also break down the advantages of Michigan medical care facilities including our five-star Cass County Medical Care Facility.
Quality of Care
It’s critical to assess the quality of care provided by a long-term care facility to determine if it is the right fit for your loved one. The level of care can be an indicator of how experienced and trained the staff members are in handling complex medical situations. Here are some factors to consider:
Staffing ratios: The number of staff per resident should be adequate to ensure the residents get the care they need around the clock.
Staff credentials: Check if the facility has licensed, trained and experienced staff to provide specific types of care independently.
Staff training: The facility should provide continued training for staff members to keep them up to date with the latest techniques, devices and treatments.
Health and safety: The facility should have appropriate protocols to ensure residents’ health and safety, particularly during a crisis.
Certifications and Comprehensive Capabilities
When selecting a long-term medical care facility, be sure to look for certifications and comprehensive capabilities. Facilities that have earned certification have demonstrated they meet specific standards set forth by regulatory organizations. Look for the following certifications:
Dilemmas Patients or Loved Ones May Encounter
Selecting a long-term care facility can be overwhelming, and patients or loved ones may encounter several dilemmas along the way. Here are some common scenarios and suggestions to address them:
Financial challenges: long-term care can be expensive, so consider exploring available financial programs, Medicaid or veterans’ benefits to help offset the cost. If a patient is deemed indigent, medical care facilities such as CCMCF are also an option.
Distance: The distance between the facility and the patient or the patient’s family can be a challenge. It may be difficult for family or friends to visit as frequently as desired. Consider regularly scheduled visits or virtual visits through video calls to overcome the distance.
Facility size: Patients may have a preference for larger or smaller facilities. Ensure the facility caters to these preferences while meeting the patient’s needs.
How Cass County Medical Care Facility Can Help
Cass County Medical Care Facility is a five-star medical care facility, providing high-quality care for up to 80 residents in need. We’re committed to delivering comprehensive care and support, ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents. We are Medicare- and Medicaid-certified and fully devoted to meeting the highest standards of quality, safety and resident satisfaction as set forth by state guidelines.
Medical care facilities are county-owned and serve the indigent on a first-come, first-serve basis as mandated by law and are the safety net for vulnerable citizens who have no means to pay for their nursing home care. Additionally, MCFs provide placement for hard-to-place, high-needs citizens who may not qualify for other nursing homes.
Seven Michigan MCFs were recently recognized for outstanding resident and employee satisfaction in receiving the Excellence in Action Award. This honor recognizes long-term care and senior-living organizations that achieve the highest levels of satisfaction excellence as demonstrated by overall resident or employee satisfaction scores that fall within the top 10% of the My Interview Product Database.
It’s typical for 60% or more of Michigan facilities receive a 4- or 5-star rating on the official government website. A five-star quality rating is the highest rating you can receive. MCFs also typically pay a higher wage to their staff and have much better benefits than other nursing homes. MCFs consequently have lower staff turnover than other nursing homes.
The average total number of nursing staff time dedicated to each resident in an MCF is 5.4 hours per day, while in other nursing homes residents only receive 4.5 hours of care, resulting in over 20 additional minutes of one-on-one staff attention per resident, per day for residents in MCFs. This results in 328 more hours in nursing care per year to residents of MCFs versus residents in other types of nursing homes. Cumulatively, this totals over 520,000 more hours of care per year for the nearly 5,000 residents in Michigan MCFs than would be received in other nursing homes with the same population.
Have a question about long-term care for you or a loved one? Are you unsure of how to begin to process of selecting a facility? Our staff would like to hear from you.
Contact Cass County Medical Care Facility today to learn more about our comprehensive health care services.