Watch out for getting too many 'stars in your eyes'.
Of course you want to choose the best nursing home to meet your mother or father's needs. So it would be natural to pay attention to the Federal star rating system that ranks nursing homes with a 5-star system – but make sure you really understand what the rankings mean. It pays to do a little homework to best understand the rating systems before choosing the right place for your loved one.

For example, a number of facilities may have a very high rating because they don’t admit residents with complex health issues, only those patients who are “easy care” so they don’t have to care for complex health problems. Facilities which have the ability to take hospital-like patients, with a higher level of complexity automatically score lower in this new system.

A facility which accepts a patient with a wound or bedsores will automatically score low. We have a wound-care program and have a very high success rate healing these wounds and bedsores. That is very different from a facility which delivers poor care and lets a patient “acquire” a bedsore wound. The scores are the same, but one is great care, and one is very poor care.

At Lytton, we are proud of our ability to take on these “heavy care” patients and their complex medical issues that need to be addressed. We work with IV’s, wound therapy, post-operation organ transplants, dementia patients, and stroke rehabilitation. With our skilled staff of nurses, physical therapists, care givers, and management, Lytton offers a complete solution for a wide range of patient needs.

Keep in mind that the rating system only gives you part of the picture. There are many other important things to consider to help you make the best choice including state inspections, location, home-like atmosphere, staffing and overall friendliness. It's also important to look at whether the facility offers innovative programs designed to fit each resident's social and spiritual needs.

To help you make a solid decision when choosing a nursing home, we've provided a checklist from the national medicare office to help. ( - click here - )

So remember, when you evaluate a nursing home for your mom or dad, stars can be misleading, and of course, only one or two should lead you to be a little careful. You can be confident choosing Lytton Gardens with its proven experience to address the full range of needs your loved one may face.