Families – Choosing a Facility

There are many criteria a family uses when evaluating what facility is right for their loved one.

Start by asking the right questions, meeting the staff and touring the care-giving environment. Talk to the case managers or other patients and families if you can. Listen to them openly – and listen to yourself.

CareMeridian is unique in the industry, providing high quality care in a non-institutional, homelike environment. In fact, our facilities look more like an actual home than a traditional hospital. Although many families are drawn to CareMeridian because of this type of setting, it is only one of many factors that should go into your decision making process.

As you research care options, be sure to consider the following:

• Staff-to-Patient Ratios
  How many nurses, therapists and staff members are there for each patient? Are there enough to provide round the clock, specialized care? CareMeridian, for example, has a staff-to-patient ratio of 1:4, one of the highest in the industry.
  
  
• Clinical Expertise and Experience
  The staff should be specially trained in treating the seriously ill and injured; brain injuries and spinal cord injuries; and in medically complex and slower-to-recover patients that don’t necessarily fit into a traditional category. Therapists should use specialized tests and tools to monitor and measure progress, such as the Western Performance Physical Analysis (WPPA) and the Western Neuro Sensory Stimulation Profile (WNSSP).
  
  
• Care Flexibility & Customization
  Every patient is different, and his or her care program should reflect that. While treatment guidelines and methodologies are key, every program should be based on the patient’s unique history and response to treatment. When patients come to CareMeridian, they are assessed by members of our Interdisciplinary Treatment Team, who together, with the family’s involvement, create a specially designed, individually tailored plan. Intensity, level and frequency of rehabilitation are determined by the Team’s recommendations, doctor’s orders and the patient’s endurance and tolerance.
  
  
• Family Support and Visitation
  Family involvement and visitation is up to you – but the facility you choose should be open to and in fact encourage a close relationship. Families need support too – at CareMeridian, we train the families from Day One to deal with both the psychological and physical impacts of their loved one’s injury. Visitation policies also should be flexible, especially for families who may live far away.
  
  
• Physician Responsibility
  The attending physician always assumes medical responsibility for each resident's care and treatment. This physician is responsible for all treatment orders, as well as requests for consultation from other physicians. Learn more about our medical professionals.
  
  
• Evaluations and Quality
  Are there statistics, such as infection or hospital readmission rates outcomes that the facility can share? And can the facility share patient outcomes? You should gather as much background information as you feel you need.



• Case Manager Communication
  Lines of communication between the family and the internal case manager always need to be open. At CareMeridian, our case managers, all of whom have experience providing hands-on care, act more like “project managers,” watching and making sure everything is progressing the way it should. They research benefits questions, monitor therapy, and relay general issues and information between the caregivers and the family.
  

• Discharge Planning
  Even prior to admission, the discharge plan must be realistic, and the facility you are choosing should help provide guidance on the next steps along the journey to recovery. Upon discharge, make sure the facility you choose coordinates follow-up care with a physician or whoever is responsible for ongoing treatment.