Tour questions · Skilled nursing
Questions to bring on a nursing home tour
A nursing home has nurses on site every hour of the day. Two very different stays happen here: short-term rehab after a hospital, and long-term care. Ask about both, because the first often turns into the second.
Also: Assisted living · Memory care
CarePair, trycarepair.com/tours/questions/snf. Free for families. Bring a pen.
01 Staffing and nights
- How many residents does each aide cover on the day, evening, and night shifts?
- Is a registered nurse in the building around the clock, or a licensed practical nurse after hours?
- What is your staff turnover, and how much of the schedule is agency staff?
- How long does a call light take to answer at night? Can we watch one being answered?
- How long have the administrator and the director of nursing been here?
02 Care and medications
- Who reviews medications, and how often does a physician or nurse practitioner see residents?
- How is a change in condition caught and reported, and who calls the family?
- How are therapy hours decided, and what happens when Medicare rehab days end?
- How do you prevent pressure injuries and falls, and what are your numbers?
- How do you handle a resident who refuses care or medication?
03 Money and what is not included
- What is the daily rate for long-term care, and what does it include?
- What is billed on top: therapy after coverage ends, supplies, transportation, a private room?
- What happens when Medicare rehab coverage ends, and how much notice do we get?
- Do you take Medicaid for long-term care, and can a resident stay in the same bed while an application is pending?
- Is there a bed-hold charge during a hospital stay?
- What is the notice period to leave, and is there a charge after a death?
04 Daily life
- Can we eat a meal with the residents today, and can I see this week's menu?
- What did residents actually do yesterday afternoon?
- How are roommates matched, and what happens if they do not get along?
- Can my parent keep their own doctor, pharmacy, and phone?
- How do residents get outside, and how often?
05 What triggers a move-out
- Under what circumstances would you discharge a resident, and how much notice is given?
- What happens after a hospital stay if the bed is not held?
- Can hospice come in, and can someone stay through the end of life here?
- If Medicaid is approved, would my parent have to move rooms or units?
06 The things families wish they had asked
- Can we see the room that would be theirs, not the model?
- What did the last state inspection find, and what changed after it?
- What is your Medicare star rating, and what pulled it down?
- Who is the one person I call when something is wrong, and what is their direct number?
- May I speak with the family of a current resident?
Four things that work
What families said made the difference
- Eat the residents' meal
- Ask to eat what the residents are eating, not the visitor lunch. The dining room at noon shows you staffing, pace, and how people are treated, and food is a daily quality of life.
- Check the community's job postings
- Search the community's name on the job sites before you visit. Constant openings for aides and nurses on the same shifts tell you about turnover and what nights may look like.
- Visit at shift change
- Come back unannounced around 3 p.m. or 11 p.m. when shifts change. How the handoff sounds, and how residents are doing while it happens, says more than a scheduled tour.
- Ask a resident's family in the parking lot
- Families visiting a parent will tell you what the tour will not. Ask what they would want to know before choosing, and what surprised them after.
Before you go
- Read the community’s state inspection record first. Every listing on CarePair links to it under “Check the record.” An inspection record shows what state surveyors found on the days they visited and whether it was fixed; it cannot tell you what a Tuesday night feels like, so read it alongside a tour.
- A problem inside a nursing home or adult care facility: Long Term Care Ombudsman, 1-855-582-6769. Free, confidential advocates for residents. New York State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.
- Write down three things while they are fresh. In CarePair, the case page asks how the tour went once it has passed; your advisor reads it and the community never does.
General information for families in Western New York, written by Cardinal Care Advisors. Not medical or legal advice; a physician, an elder law attorney, or a licensed assessor decides the things that need deciding. Tell us if a question should be here: hello@thecardinalgroup.org.