News Summary

When choosing a nursing home, the best place to start is no further than the tip of your nose, said Jim Griffiths, board vice-president of the Ohio Academy of Nursing Homes.

People shopping for a nursing home should use their five senses, said Griffiths, also CEO of Griffiths Healthcare Group.

How does a nursing home look and smell? How does the atmosphere feel? How does the food taste? What types of sounds can be heard?

"If it's clean and friendly ... nine times out of 10 it's probably a good nursing home," Griffiths said.

In the past 20 to 30 years, nursing home conditions and treatment have increased, he said.

The industry is one of the most heavily regulated in the country, Griffiths said.

Ohio Department of Health does annual surveys of nursing homes and reviews facilities that have had complaints.

The state Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office will also look into nursing home complaints and involve the state health department if enforcement action is needed.

Griffiths said people have access to information compiled by state regulation agencies and should ask nursing home administrators to explain any citations or complaints.

"Look at both sides of a citation," he said. "Sometimes you read a citation and think the world's coming down."

Griffiths' company recently purchased Spring Meadows Care Center in Woodstock and has shown interest in purchasing the county-owned facility Wellington Nursing and Rehabilitation Center after the board of county commissioners puts it up for sale.

Both homes had three citations last year. The state average was 4.4.

In the last 12 months, the state ombudsman office verified two resolved complaints — loss of personal belongings and room changes — at the Wellington.

Spring Meadows and Mercy McAuley Center in Urbnaa had no verified complaints in the last 12 months while Heartland of Urbana had two resolved complaints about resident falls.

Beverely Laubert, state long-term care ombudsman, said no matter how small a problem is, misplaced clothes during laundry service, or how large, medication errors, a nursing home can always try harder to fix the situation.

She said it comes down to "is it run like a home or an institution."

Laubert identified some red flags:

•Residents in restraints

•Numerous residents sleeping in wheelchairs

•Staff who ignore call lights or turn them off and forget to return

Contact this reporter at lathompson@coxohio.com or 328-0353.

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Resources and Tools

•Looking for a nursing home? Find and compare nursing homes in your area and print a nursing home checklist, visit medicare.gov

•Want to know more about long-term care options and compare facilities? Check out the research, visit ltcohio.org

•Have a complaint? Find and contact a long-term care ombudsman in your area, visit http://www.goldenbuckeye.com/about/rltcop.html