NPR Nursing Home Database

From the National Public Radio news release/ interactive database

This interactive database, an NPR News exclusive, has information about the independence level of residents at nearly 16,000 individual nursing homes around the country. For each facility, see what percentage of residents can do various daily living tasks by themselves — an indication of their potential for community-based living.

To use it, first select a state, then a county, then an individual facility. If you’re evaluating a nursing home, we recommend you consider these measures along with inspection results and quality indicators available at Medicare.gov. Also, ask nursing home administrators for their facility’s last full inspection report. They’re required to make it available to the public.

The detailed reports here reflect NPR’s analysis of the facilities’ answers to an annual census survey by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. NPR News obtained the data, released to the public for the first time, under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. The overall quality ratings reflect data available from CMS as of Nov. 5.

Other nursing home Web sites

• Nursing homes- MedlinePlus

• Consumer Guides to Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities(National Center for Assisted Living, American Health Care Association)
• Finding Quality Nursing Home Care(American Geriatrics Society)
• Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)- PDF
• Also available in Spanish
• Understanding, Planning and Paying for Long-Term Care(Administration on Aging)

• Locate an Ombudsman and State Agencies(Administration on Aging)
• Nursing Home Compare(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
• Also available in Spanish
• State Directory of Helplines, Hotlines, and Elder Abuse Prevention Resources(National Center on Elder Abuse)