How to choose a Nursing Home for your Mom?
If your Mom or Dad has reached a stage in their life where you believe they might be better off in a nursing home, there are a number of delicate areas of concern that need to be discussed and addressed. How and when to have that conversation needs a lot of preparatory work to be done by you before hand.
First, do your homework.
A simple google search of nursing homes near me, will give you a quick look at those that are within 15 to 20mins driving distance. In general, when you phone up you will be meet with some standard responses from the Nursing Home Owners. They are all signed up to the fair deal scheme. The all have a waiting list of people to get into the home, typically 19 people ahead of you. They will probably need to do a home visit to assess your Mum for dementia and related behavioral conditions.
Your next google search is for Fair Deal Scheme information. This is where the financial realities of nurse home costs are red flagged. Click here for separate fair deal scheme blog page that covers this in more detail. It is vitally important to have your homework done here as costs can accumulate rapidly. It is a really good idea to consult 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. Just 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.
Remember, 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 by introducing guaranteed Fair Deal income and an aging population. It’s the gravy train of Europe and with a single bed ranging from 62000 to 72000 pa in fair deal charges, it’s the safest place for those looking to shelter their income for a short to medium timeframe.
If these sort of numbers take your breath away, there are better more practical, and loving ways of looking after your mum.
