A nursing home tour is not just a walk-through. It's your due diligence interview. Come prepared with these 25 questions, organized by topic.
Staffing (Questions 1–6)
- 1. What is the current RN-to-resident ratio on day and night shifts?
- 2. What is the CNA-to-resident ratio?
- 3. What is your annual staff turnover rate?
- 4. How many staff have been here more than 3 years?
- 5. How do you handle overnight and weekend staffing?
- 6. Are agency (temp) nurses regularly used? How often?
Safety & Health (Questions 7–12)
- 7. When was your last state inspection, and what deficiencies were cited?
- 8. What is your current CMS star rating for health inspections?
- 9. What is your hospitalization rate per 1,000 resident days?
- 10. How do you handle infection outbreaks?
- 11. What is your falls prevention protocol?
- 12. How are residents assessed for pressure ulcer risk?
Care Planning (Questions 13–17)
- 13. How often is my loved one's care plan reviewed?
- 14. Can family attend care plan meetings?
- 15. Who is the primary care physician, and how often do they visit?
- 16. How do you manage pain and symptom control?
- 17. What specialized services do you offer (memory care, wound care, IV therapy)?
Daily Life (Questions 18–21)
- 18. What does a typical daily schedule look like for residents?
- 19. What activities and social programming are offered?
- 20. Can residents personalize their rooms?
- 21. What is the food sourcing and menu rotation policy?
Costs & Contracts (Questions 22–25)
- 22. What is included in the base daily/monthly rate?
- 23. What services trigger additional charges?
- 24. What are the discharge criteria? Can my loved one be discharged involuntarily?
- 25. Do you accept Medicaid, and if so, do you have a Medicaid bed available?
Tip: Visit on a weekday morning (when leadership is present) AND on a weekend evening. The difference in staffing levels and resident engagement can be dramatic.
After your tours, use CareScope's side-by-side comparison to evaluate your shortlisted facilities against CMS data.