Greensboro Senior AdvisorHow do we start choosing an adult care home around Greensboro?
Start with location near the family member who will visit most, then shortlist homes by license type, DHSR star rating, special care unit if needed and acceptance of your payment source, using our directory.
Tour at least three homes, at different times of day, before deciding.
What should we look for in a home's inspection history?
Whether the latest annual survey was clean, whether the same rules were cited in consecutive years, any complaint investigations, and any Type A1 or A2 penalties in the last 36 months.
5 of the 64 licensed homes in the three counties appear on DHSR's 36-month penalty list, with 10 penalties totaling $23,000.
What should we ask about staffing?
Ask how many aides and supervisors were on each shift last week, especially third shift, how many were agency staff, and who gives medications at night.
North Carolina's staffing rules count aide hours by census, so the real roster matters more than a ratio.
Should we consider a family care home?
Yes, if a quiet household setting with the same few caregivers suits your parent and dementia does not require a secured unit; read the home's stars and inspection documents just as you would a large home's.
Ask who lives there now and whether their needs resemble your parent's.
What should be in the residency agreement?
The monthly rate and what it includes, charges for higher care levels, notice before rate increases, deposit and refund terms, and the reasons and process for discharge.
Read it at home before signing and compare it with the written rate sheet.
How do we compare two nursing homes?
Compare CMS overall and component ratings, the latest inspection and deficiency counts, nurse staffing hours and turnover, and fines, then visit both at mealtime.
Our nursing home pages set each home against the three-county median.
What questions reveal the most on a tour?
Ask what changed after the last cited inspection, what would trigger a discharge, what happens when private funds run out, and who is in the building at 2 a.m.
Bring the home's own inspection documents and ask about specific findings.
How many homes should we tour before deciding?
At least three, ideally at different times of day, including one visit around a meal and one in the early evening when staffing is thinner.
Take the same list of questions to each home and write down the answers right away; after the third tour, the details blur together.
