Nursing Home Information for Consumers

Nursing Category

Criteria in the nursing category concern resident assessments and plans of care, as well as, the quality of nursing care provided by a nursing home. A nursing home must ensure that it has qualified and trained nursing staff to ensure that each resident receives necessary care and services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being, in accordance with a comprehensive assessment and plan of care.

1. The facility ensures comprehensive assessment of each resident.
2. The facility provides a prompt assessment after residents experience significant changes.
3. The facility develops comprehensive care plans for each resident that include measurable objectives and time tables to meet each resident's medical, nursing and mental needs.
4. The facility ensures that each resident receives and the facility provides the necessary care and services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being in accordance with the comprehensive assessment and plan of care.
5. A resident's abilities in activities of daily living do not diminish unless circumstances of the individual's clinical condition demonstrate that diminution was unavoidable.
6. The facility has in place and follows procedures to ensure that residents do not develop pressure sores unless resident's clinical condition demonstrates that they were unavoidable.
7. A resident who is incontinent of bladder receives appropriate treatment and service to prevent urinary tract infections and to restore as much normal bladder function as possible.
8. A resident with limited range of motion receives appropriate treatment and services to increase range of motion and/or to prevent further decrease in range of motion.
9. Each resident maintains acceptable parameters of nutritional status, such as body weight and protein levels, unless the resident's clinical condition demonstrates that this is not possible.
10. The facility must provide each resident with sufficient fluid intake to maintain proper hydration and health.
11. The facility is free of significant medication errors.