Licence and record
What is your licence number, and which agency issued it?Then verify it with that agency yourself. Do not take the provider's word, and do not accept a framed certificate as proof.
May I see your most recent inspection report?What was cited, and what did you change? A home with no citations ever is either excellent or newly opened — ask which.
Have you had any enforcement actions, sanctions, or a licence suspension?Most state agencies publish these online. Check before you visit, then ask, and see whether the answers match.
How long have you operated this home?And under this owner and this administrator?
Staffing — the strongest predictor of care
Do overnight staff stay awake?"Sleeping overnight" is a different service at a different price. If someone needs help at 3am, this is the question that decides whether they get it.
What is your annual staff turnover?High turnover is the clearest predictor of poor care. A provider who does not know the number, or will not say, has told you something.
What is the staff-to-resident ratio, on each shift?Ask for days, evenings, overnight, and weekends separately. They differ.
What happens when someone calls in sick?Agency cover, mandatory overtime, or an empty shift? The answer tells you how thin the roster runs.
What training do staff receive, and how often?Ask specifically about de-escalation, medication, first aid, and abuse recognition.
Are background checks done on everyone with resident contact?Including contractors, kitchen staff, and drivers.
Medication and health
Who administers medication, and what is their qualification?In many states unlicensed staff may assist but not administer. Ask which happens here.
How are medication errors recorded and reported?Every home has them. A provider claiming none is not recording them, which is worse.
What happens when someone's condition changes?Who decides, who gets called, and how quickly is the family told?
How do residents get to medical appointments?Who drives, and is transport included in the fee?
How are controlled medications counted and secured?Ask whether two people count them at shift change.
Money
May I have the full fee breakdown in writing?What is included, what costs extra, and what happens to the rate if needs increase. "It depends" is not an answer.
How are resident personal funds held, and may I see the ledger?Resident money must never be mixed with the home's operating money. A home that does this properly will not mind being asked.
What personal needs allowance does the resident keep?And who decides how it is spent?
What happens if funding changes or ends?Ask this even if funding looks secure today.
Daily life
May I visit unannounced?The answer, and how it is given, tells you a great deal.
What are the rules on visitors, phone calls, and going out?Restrictions should be individual and written into a service plan, not blanket house rules.
What does a typical day look like?Then ask a resident the same question, if they are willing.
Who cooks, and can residents choose what they eat?Ask to see a week of menus.
Can residents lock their room and their belongings?And who else holds a key?
How do residents get to work, school, or community activities?Housing without a life attached to it is only half the answer.
When things go wrong
How are complaints handled, and how quickly do I get an answer?Ask for it in writing. Ask how many complaints came in last year.
What happens if their needs increase — do they have to leave?This is the question that decides whether this is a home or a temporary stop.
How much notice would you give before a discharge, and what is the appeal process?An involuntary discharge normally needs 30 days written notice and the Ombudsman's contact details on it.
What is your policy on restraint?Restraint for discipline or staff convenience is prohibited. Ask when it was last used and why.
What is the emergency plan — fire, weather, medical, missing person?When was the last drill, and what went wrong in it?
What to notice without asking
Do staff greet residents by name, and do residents seem at ease?Watch how staff talk to people when they think you are looking at the building.
Does it smell clean without smelling heavily of chemicals?Strong air freshener is often covering something.
Are personal belongings, photographs, and choices visible in rooms?Identical bare rooms suggest a facility, not a home.
Is there anywhere to be alone?Privacy is a right, not a luxury.
The single most important one: any provider who will not show you a licence and an inspection report is one to walk away from.
That standard applies to us too. As each home is licensed, its licence number and issuing agency will be published here, for every home.
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