Noticed a pattern with nursing home visits over the last year

I started tracking how often my aunt's facility actually calls me when things come up, and in 12 months they only reached out twice outside of scheduled billing calls. Has anyone else timed how many times their loved one's place actually contacts them between mandatory updates?

3 comments

3 Comments

ramirez.vera4d ago

...and the thing is, two calls feels like a lot considering half the time my aunt's place just throws a note in her file instead of picking up the phone. You'd think they'd want to keep families in the loop, but I guess that would take extra staff time they don't have. Three calls in a year for us and one was a billing mistake, so I'm not sure this pattern is really a surprise to anyone who's dealt with a facility before.

baker.christopher4d ago

Oh man, you nailed it @ramirez.vera. My mom's in a place and I swear half the time they just leave a sticky note or send a form letter instead of actually calling. Last year we got a call saying she fell and broke her wrist, and then the next call was to say they overcharged us for medication. Two calls all year and one was a billing error. It drives me crazy because I want to know the little stuff too, not just emergencies. Feels like they pick and choose what's worth actually talking to family about. Have you ever tried just showing up unannounced to see what's really going on?

wade_kelly774d agoTop Commenter

Showing up unannounced is honestly the only way I've gotten the real story. Did that once and found my mom had been sitting in a wet diaper for hours because they were short staffed. The front desk lady looked at me like I was crazy for just walking in, but I didn't even call ahead, just went. Another time I got there right after lunch and half the residents were still in their chairs waiting to be helped back to their rooms. So yeah, if you can swing it, do it at different times too. Morning visits look one way, evening another. And don't let them guilt you about scheduling a tour instead. You have a right to see how things are going whenever you want.