Nursing Homes Ireland is the representative organisation for the private and voluntary nursing homes sector. This sector and the care our members provide are key parts of the Irish health service. Private and voluntary nursing homes provide:
- Care for nearly 22,000 residents
- Account for more than 80% of all long term care beds in the country, and,
- Employ more than 24,000 staff
The Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home is designed to help you and your family make the best choice, whether you are planning ahead, or need to make an unexpected decision. Choosing a nursing home can have great emotional effect on you and your loved ones. It is helpful to plan ahead, visit and compare several nursing homes, and make good financial plans early.
If you are helping someone who is about to go into a nursing home, get him or her involved in making the decision as much as possible.
If the person you are helping is not alert or able to communicate well, keep his or her values and preferences in mind. Finding a nursing home that has the right services, and a pleasant comfortable atmosphere, often requires a lot of planning.
This guide hopes to give you a systematic approach to identifying the priorities you have to enable you to make the right choice of Nursing home to meet all of your needs.
The main steps to choosing a nursing home are:
- Find out about the nursing homes in your area – listing available on www.nhi.ie
- Find out how nursing homes compare in quality
- Visit the nursing homes you are interested in, or have someone visit for you
- Make an appointment with the nursing home before you visit but you should also visit at other times to clarify any issues you may have
- Take a formal tour with the Director of Nursing or designated deputy
- Ask questions during your tour
- Look around to get a better picture of the services, activities, and quality of care and life for the residents
- Choose the nursing home that best meets your needs