Nursing home abuse and negligence is a serious problem, and one way you can help prevent it is to select a nursing home for your elderly relative very carefully. Florida has a number of nursing home and care facilities, and you can select the right one by:

1) Looking locally. Look for a nursing home care facility that is close to friends and family. This ensures that the resident of the nursing home will receive visitors often. In turn, frequent visitors are the best way to help prevent nursing home abuse and negligence. Frequent visitors can ask questions about any evident bruising, depression, or other red flag signs. Plus, if a resident has frequent visitors, it is harder for abusive caregivers to hide evidence of slip and fall accidents, undernourishment, and other personal injuries.

2) Asking a lot of questions. Call nursing homes that are within driving distance and ask about staffing, licensing, resident activities, certification, bed availability, special care amenities, and cost.

3) Meeting with staff at nursing homes. Once you’ve found a few nursing homes that seem promising, make sure to arrange to meet with staff in the nursing homes themselves in order to take a tour of the facilities. Keep in mind that staff will do their best to present their facility in the best possible light, but you should still be able to see any red flag signs — such as odors, depressed residents, and lack of professionalism on the part of staff.

4) Ask for recommendations. Speak to friends and family who have placed an elderly loved one in a care facility. Ask them about their experiences with various care homes and care facilities, and speak to people who have placed elderly loved ones in specific homes.

5) Following up. Even once you’ve placed an elderly loved one in a nursing home or care facility, that does not end your involvement. Continue to make regular, unannounced visits to make sure that everything is going smoothly. Encourage your elderly loved one to speak about their experiences, and keep checking back to make sure that everything seems to be going smoothly. If there are any red flag signs at all, remove the elderly loved one from the facility immediately and contact an attorney or the authorities to get help.