The following information is intended to assist you in preventing abuse to your loved one when they are residents of a nursing home.
Some nursing homes provide good care and some provide poor care. You should choose a nursing home carefully. It is a good idea to choose a nursing home close to family members who will visit regularly, but location should not be the only factor in selecting a nursing home. Ask for referrals of prospective nursing homes from friends, fellow employees, or people at your church. Another good source is the Area Supervisor for the State Ombudsman. Call the State Ombudsman’s office at (405) 521-6734 and ask for the Area Supervisor responsible for the town or county where you desire to place your loved one.
You can obtain information from the public licensure files on the prospective nursing home from the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) by calling 1-800-522-0203 and asking for the records department for nursing homes. If requested, the OSDH will send you the last two Annual Surveys of the nursing home; the nursing home’s license; ownership information, and any recent complaint investigations conducted by the OSDH.
You can also go on line at www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare and get this information.
After you have selected what you believe to be a good nursing home, you must continue to closely monitor the quality of care your loved one receives.
For detailed information, contact ASCOG ombudsman supervisors Ruben Sotelo, direct: 580-736-7975, sote_ru@ascog.org, or Darin Terry, direct: 580-736-7974, terr_da@ascog.org.
