For your visit

Questions to ask on a nursing home tour

A visit lets you ask about the things a public record cannot show. Take the questions that matter to your family, write down the answers, and ask to see policies or documents when a detail is important.

Staffing across the week

• Who would be responsible for my family member’s care on day, evening, overnight and weekend shifts?
• How do you cover an absence or an unexpectedly busy shift?
• How are changes in a resident’s needs passed between shifts?
• How do you explain the staffing and turnover figures shown in Medicare Care Compare?

Care plans and communication

• Who develops and reviews the care plan with the resident and family?
• How are medication changes recorded and explained?
• Who should a family call with a concern, including outside office hours?
• How will we hear about a change in condition or a significant incident?

Daily life

• Could we see a recent menu and ask how dietary and cultural needs are handled?
• What choices do residents have about meals, activities and daily routines?
• How can residents and families raise concerns, and how does the home respond?
• May we visit at different times to understand a typical day?

Costs, availability and past findings

• What is available now, and can you give us a written list of charges and optional extras?
• What happens if care needs or charges change?
• If an inspection record concerns us, where can we read the full report and what has changed since then?
• Who can show us how the home checks that a correction is still working?

Should I use the same checklist for every home?

Using the same core questions makes answers easier to compare. Add questions from each home’s dated records and your family member’s needs. Medicare’s nursing home checklist offers a printable starting point.

Find a facility record · Understand inspection findings

These prompts do not establish what any particular home is like today. Confirm important answers directly with the home and qualified professionals.