It seems that Massachusetts may be the best place to go for rehabilitation and aftercare. Eleven of Central Massachusetts’ nursing homes have received the top rating in U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of best nursing homes.
The list for 2015 bestows five-star status to four Worcester facilities: Beaumont at University Campus, Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Jewish Healthcare Center, and Notre Dame Long Term Care Center. Other area nursing homes earning the distinction are: Blaire House and Countryside Health Care, both in Milford, Coleman House in Northborough, Sandalwood Center in Oxford, Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Shrewsbury, Whittier Westborough Transitional Care Unit, in Westborough, and St. Camillus Health Center in Whitinsville.
Millions of Americans will spend at least some time in a nursing home this year, either for rehabilitation after a hospital stay or as long-term residents. The Best Nursing Home 2015 list, released in February, is intended as a resource to help find the best place to receive aftercare. The list covers ratings for nearly 16,000 nursing homes across the country. Of those included on the list, only 3,392 or 21.7% received a rating of five stars.
The Best Nursing Homes list is a searchable database providing valuable information about the type of care received, facility health and safety standards, and staffing. The profile for each facility displays any health and safety violations, performance ratings in various clinical categories, and the amount of time that nursing staff spends with residents.
The information is presented with comparisons between the state averages and national averages for each category. For instance, nurses at Beaumont at University Campus spend an average of 1 hour and 39 minutes with patients, only one minute behind the national average. Users can even access the general results of previous fire and health inspections, with citations for an violations the facility may have received.
This is the seventh year the magazine has produced its annual list of aftercare facilities. The list draws on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services, a federal agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. For those in need of aftercare, rehabilitation or long-term care, the list is a valuable resource to help find the best nursing home and understanding exactly what puts that facility ahead of the rest.
