by Mindy Hunter

Created on: November 23, 2008

"Promise me, you will never put me in a home." This is a phrase children of aging parents hear over and over again. Many people laughingly roll their eyes, thinking their parent will never get to this point, but for some people placement in a long-term care may be necessary. For many, picking a facility is a difficult and guilt ridden process. Most families start by researching local facilities on the internet or by going on tours and are immediately bombarded with marketing materials meant to persuade and entice. With all the choices out there, wouldn't it be the smartest to go with the newest and most expensive facility? You get what you pay for, right? Wrong. Picking a long-term care takes more than picking the biggest and best marketed. When picking a facility families should focus on location, cost, services provided and quality of care.

Location, location, location! If your mother lived in a small town in Texas all of her life, would you want to move her to New York? Are you willing to drive over half an hour to visit your father in a facility across town? These are questions to consider when initially picking out a long-term care. Research the facilities available in your "prime location" and see if you like any of them. If they don't meet your standards, you may need to compromise on your initial location. It may be worth it to move your mom out of the small town if she cannot receive appropriate services, and you may find it easy to increase your drive time, if you know your father is getting excellent care.

Money makes the world go 'round, and this is certainly true in long-term care. Skilled nursing isn't cheap, and even the most frugal of savers may find the $6,000.00 a month bill a little daunting. Sit down and calculate your parent's finances. Find out how much monthly income they have and figure out how long it will last after they move in to long-term care. Some can live for years without having to worry about finances, however many people may have a much shorter length of time before they would run out of money. If this is the case, it is important to know if the facility you are considering accepts Medicaid. If not, your loved one would have to move once he or she could not longer pay the bills, which can be a hard transition.

Remember to consider the services provided by the facility. Is there a good activity department? A good activity program can provide interesting activities with which to occupy for your loved one's time. Would you want

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