How to Choose a Nursing Home in Missouri or Kansas

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Nursing Home in Kansas City

The decision to move an elderly relative into a nursing home can be painful and overwhelming. You want them to receive the very best of care, and it’s difficult to decide which nursing care facility to avoid.  The sad fact is that many facilities fall below the accepted standard of care—and after agonizing over the choice, you may have to move your relative all over again.

During the COVID19 pandemic, many families struggled even more in making this decision because they were unable to visit the facility in person.  An in-person visit and interview is one of the best ways to get information about a nursing home facility if you are considering moving in a loved one.  Follow-up visits are also a great way to ensure that your loved one is being properly cared for and to verify that the nursing home is living up to its inital sales pitch.  Unfortunately, federal guidelines and state regulatory agencies made these visits difficult (or even impossible) during the COVID19 pandemic.

Relaxed Visitation at Nursing Homes in Missouri & Kansas

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are at high risk of respiratory infections such as COVID-19. However, even with the high rate of coronavirus cases in long-term care settings, your relative may be safer in a group facility than living alone. So how can you ensure your relative has the care they need without unnecessary risks?

Now that the CDC has relaxed visitation requirements for nursing homes and senior living communities, it’s the perfect time to reevaluate your loved one’s living situation. If you are considering relocating a relative after COVID, you should visit all potential facilities to see:

• How they respond to a patient with a potentially infectious condition
• The specific measures they are taking to prevent infections (such as limiting visitors and requiring any employees with coughs or fevers to stay home)
• Staffing ratios that are in place to ensure your family member gets the attention and care they deserve
• Safety protocols to prevent falls or injuries at the nursing home facility
• Whether they listen to complaints made by their patients and how quickly they respond
• The nature of interactions between staff members and what kind of specialists are available
• Whether there are activities and programs offered to enhance seniors’ lives

Our law firm handles nursing home abuse and neglect cases in Missouri and Kansas. From this vantage point, we know how difficult a decision this can be.  For that reason, it's important that you have as much information as possible before moving a loved ones into long-term care—and how to spot the warning signs of neglect early so your loved one can be moved into a better facility.

How Can a Kansas City Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Help?

Nursing home abuse and neglect can result in devastating, even fatal, injuries. Unfortunately, poor care or treatment in long-term care facilities is common. Even worse, due to the limited visitation hours during COVID, families often do not learn about the abuse or neglect until their loved one has already suffered an injury.

Our nursing home abuse attorney in Kansas City is ready to ensure your loved one’s legal rights are protected and recover for fair compensation for their injuries and other losses. Nursing homes and their insurance companies do not willingly pay for their wrongdoing. An experienced nursing home attorney in Kansas City will help uncover allegations of abuse and neglect, even if the nursing home will not cooperate. 

Our nursing home abuse attorney understands the laws that exist to protect nursing home residents from abuse and neglect. Our personal injury law firm in Kansas City has the resources pursue a claim against the parties responsible for your family member's suffering.  As a result, you should strongly consider hiring a nursing home attorney if you see evidence of abuse or neglect.

Contact Our Kansas City Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

If you have a question about a facility or suspect abuse or neglect, please don’t hesitate to contact our Kansas City nursing home attorney. If your loved one been injured at a nursing home, we are here to help. Our legal team can provide helpful information and guidance. If you choose to hire our firm, we will fight to hold the parties responsible for the abuse and neglect. 

Contact The Law Office of Kevin J. McManus by calling 816-203-0143 to schedule a free consultation with a Kansas City nursing home attorney. We accept cases involving nursing homes and long-term care facilities throughout Kansas and Missouri.