In Virginia, there is no law that:
- requires a nursing home to have liability insurance
- requires a nursing home to have a certain number of qualified staff / per resident (staffing ratio)
- requires a nursing home medical director to have office hours or make rounds
In other states, such laws may exist, but like many legal issues, state law varies a great deal. Which means, the rights your loved one has in one state, and they care they receive, may be very different from another.
So how do you chose a facility if each state is unique?
I recommend choosing a facility as if you were choosing a college. You go, you visit, ask questions, talk to staff and residents. Engage families in conversation. You make choices based on information.
And there is a great deal of information out there. In fact, we have at least two great resources for families who are choosing long term care options for their loved ones and need help.
On our website we have a series of articles on how to chose a nursing home / differences between long term care communities and services, etc. Please take a few minutes to learn important information about long term care in Virginia.
Or, if you would like more of a soup to nuts overview of long term care issues (including insurance, payment, rights and laws) please request our book – A Consumer’s Guide to Long Term Care in Virginia.
Information is power. And when making very serious decisions about health care, we always recommend doing your homework. And it is again important to note, every state is different.