Consumer Reports has released a guide to nursing homes. The report highlights the top ten percent and the bottom ten percent of homes in each state based on staffing levels, deficiencies cited in the past three state reports, and quality indicators (such as proportion of those who were at risk for various maladies to those who actually had them). Twelve of the homes have been on the bottom ten list every year since 2000.
Consumer Reports offers the general advice that not-for-profit homes typically provide the best care, and that independent homes are typically better run than those in a chain. When selecting a home, be sure to check out the state report, which, by law must be on “readily accessible” in the lobby.