Per the reviews and recommendations but I am very aware that people with bad experiences are usually the mostvocal. Do beds open daily?
he has to go to one we don’t have a choice and it will give me a hot minute to regroup.
What questions should I be asking about these places? Specifically if he is there beyond what his Aetna Medicare plan will cover - what is the lingo I should know / be aware of to make sense of it? Can I just walk into one of these places unannounced to check it out on short notice (like today)?
You will find, yes, overall the care in any elder care at this point is less than perfect, and often even less than optimum. It is a sad state of affairs in which there isn't adequate pay, good help, enough beds, or enough compensation.
As to questions to ask, I would google or use any search engine with "Questions to ask rehab facilities". You are likely to get several lists.
You will want for certain to know when they hold patient care conferences and what family can attend, how you will be updated, and etc.
Again--you will not find perfection in elder care. I will wish you the very best. Your Dad is lucky to have you in his corner.
If you're looking at a similar type of situation, the reviews you're seeing might have to do with the nursing home side, rather than the rehab side.
Also, what are the reviewers specifically complaining about? The facility where we chose to put mom wasn't much to look at - the facility was dated, the furniture was more in line with what you would see in a college dorm etc. - but there were large numbers of staff members who were helpful and attentive. To me, that was more important than the furnishings, the grounds and even the food (as long as the grounds weren't infested with vermin and the food wasn't spoiled). Some people seem to feel that a hospital or rehab center should resemble more of a high-end hotel - including a 24-hour concierge - and are bitterly disappointed when they find that's not the case. And then take to google or yelp to voice their displeasure.
When I look at online complaints about anything, I tend to try and see if there's a pattern - multiple people complaining about the same issue over an extended period of time - before worrying too much about online complaints. If you have 20 complaints about the facility, and they are all different, and relatively minor - one person complaining about the food, another about the temperature of the rooms, another about the staff enjoying gossip- then consider them with more of a grain of salt; conversely, if the complaints all are saying the same thing over a longer period of time (and not complaining about the lack of personnel on, say, Christmas day, when you would expect any facility to be short staffed), then consider the complaints more seriously.
Lastly, if dad is just going for rehab, chances are he will only be there for a few weeks while he does his therapy. They will likely have him doing it twice a day for 6 out of 7 days, and the time will probably go pretty fast for him; hopefully they keep him busy enough he doesn't have time to complain about his surroundings. They most likely won't keep him past his allotted time his insurance will give him for therapy; they'll either discharge him as making no progress or discharge him to outpatient therapy, be that at a PT office or home. Even if you're/he's willing to pay out of pocket to extend his stay, rehab facilities are loathe to allow that to happen - at least in NY.
Good luck!
The goal was to improve her mobility after a hospital stay. She got maybe 45 minutes of PT, M-F. I went to visit with her most days. One weekend, she was in bed all day. Monday she is sitting in a wheelchair all day. It seemed to me there should be more of a balance between bed rest and sitting up…and more opportunities to walk. After a month, I took her home and got visiting nurse services. A couple days a week a physical therapist came and worked with her. She improved and was happy to be home. I’m glad I changed course. The next stay in the hospital and rehab suggested…I opted for visiting nurse services at home again. Good Luck with your decision!
I've visited care facilities in two states for loved ones. Generally I find the older, smaller more rural located facilities seem to be better staffed.
My home town has a care facility that is supposed to be the best in the state.
The rooms are private and large. The hallways are large. Many times I've visited people there and there is such a shortage of staff that no one walks by in the 2-3 hours that I am at the facility.