How to choose a Nursing Home for your Mom?

How do you choose a Nursing Home for your Mum?

If you are in Ireland and your Mom or Dad has reached a stage in their life where you believe they might be better off in a nursing home, it’s not a fast fix. There are a number of areas that need to be researched, discussed and addressed before you make your choice.

Here’s what you need to know about Irish Nursing Homes

First, what are your best and closest options? A Google search of “nursing homes near me” will give you a quick look at those that are within 15 to 20 mins driving distance.

What can you expect when you reach out to a nursing home? In general, you will be met with standard responses from the nursing home owners. In Ireland, they are all signed up to the Fair Deal scheme.

They all have a waiting list of people to get into the home, typically 15-20 people ahead of you. They will probably need to do a home visit to assess your Mum or Dad for dementia and related behavioural conditions.

Your second Google search is for Fair Deal Scheme information. This is where the financial realities of nurse home costs are laid out – and often red flagged.

Click here for separate Fair Deal scheme blog page that covers this in more detail. It’s important to do your homework here as costs can accumulate rapidly. Consider consulting a financial advisor in particular to the tax planning implications around Fair Deal and inheritance.

Now that you know the costs and timeframes involved. You need to consider the HIQA score associated with the nursing home of your choice. HIQA are the legal entity in Ireland whose remit is to inspect and uphold standards in nursing homes. Google “nursing home name, county, HIQA” to find a list of recent reports on the nursing home of your choice. If a nursing home hasn’t had a review in 2 years, that is generally a good sign of a well run business.

Final note – private Nursing Homes (PNH) are a business first and foremost. The number of investment capital companies who have invested in the Irish market in the past 5 years is startling.

Ireland has created perfect investment conditions for vulture capitalists with its aging population and guaranteed Fair Deal income. It’s the gravy train of Europe and, with a single bed ranging from €62,000 to €72,000 per annum in Fair Deal charges, it’s a good bet for those looking to shelter their income for a short to medium timeframe.

 

What other options are there? If those numbers take your breath away, for many families there are better and more practical ways of looking after your ageing parents, including converting for easy home care.

 

We can talk to you about your options for home care – grant funding, getting home helpers and the equipment you need to keep Mum and Dad safely at home. Want to know more?

 

 

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