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Assisted living facilities and nursing homes are long-term housing and care options for older adults. Although people sometimes use the terms assisted living and nursing home synonymously, they are distinct.

Disagreements with a nursing home can arise regarding any number of topics, including the quality of food, troublesome roommates, lack of privacy, or services not meeting what was promised. Many disputes can be resolved by speaking with a nursing home staff member, supervisor, or moving up the chain of command. But if you can't resolve things within the nursing home, your next step should be to contact the local ombudsman assigned to the nursing home.

Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is a difficult decision and it can only be made more confusing by the various rating systems. A recent study found that using both Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare site and user reviews can help with the decision making.

Illegal evictions of Medicaid nursing home residents are nothing new, but the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the problem, according to an investigation by the New York Times.

How do you know when it's time to put a loved one into a nursing home? You have to face the financial, practical and emotional decisions. Click through if you're caring for elderly relations who may need more help than you can give me.

The greatest risk facing nearly all seniors is the need for long-term care services. If you are an adult reading this blog, you have about a 70% chance of eventually needing some sort of long-term care, ranging from occasional home visits by nurse or other caregiver to residing in an assisted living facility (ALF) and possibly residing in a skilled nursing facility (SNF or nursing home) . Nursing home care is extremely expensive and can wipe out the life savings of most people.

Technological advances have made it easier to stay connected with loved ones all the time. This has included the ability to install cameras in a loved one's nursing home room. These so-called "granny cams" have legal and privacy implications.  The benefit of putting a surveillance camera in a ...

Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) applauded the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to publicly release the monthly list of nursing facilities that are candidates to the Special Focus Facility program. This announcement by CMS comes on the heels of Casey's and Toomey's release of a report on under-performing nursing homes across the U.S. nursing homes.

It may not be the best time when the pressure is on. However, read the contract and get some advice. If you are preparing to move to a retirement community or care community yourself, it is best to read that fine print very carefully and better yet, get some legal advice before signing, accordin...

The choice of a nursing home is crucial and how is one assured of high quality care? Recently, some researchers looked at the quality of care that traditional Medicare enrollees receive versus Medicare Advantage enrollees, according to Elder Law Answers...

Assisted living facilities save Medicaid money.  However, it is difficult to know what funds are spent wisely. A group of U.S. Senators asked the Government Accountability Office to look into how the government's Medicaid money was being spent.  However, the results were not good, accord...

A new survey reveals that Americans view nursing homes so negatively, that the majority prefer death to living in one. Nursing homes do not have a good reputation in the United States. The common perception of them is as cold, uncaring places where people go to pass away, isolated and alone.