Understanding CMS Star Ratings
Learn what nursing-home ratings measure, their limitations, and how to use them in your search.
Read full guideHome / Articles & Guides
Articles & Guides
Straightforward resources to help you prepare, ask questions and research nursing-home care.
Explore family resources
Explore ratings, coverage, and questions to ask before choosing care.
Medicare vs. Medicaid: What’s the Difference?
Understand how these programs differ and what to confirm about coverage with a facility.
Read full guideQuestions to Ask on a Nursing Home Tour
Bring practical questions about care, staffing, communication, and daily life to your visit.
Read full guideShort-Term Rehab or Long-Term Care
What each kind of stay is for, who pays, and how to compare homes on Medicare’s separate ratings for each.
Read full guideHow to File a Complaint About a Nursing Home
Who to contact about a problem: the home, the ombudsman, the state inspection agency, and when to call 911.
Read full guideWho Owns a Nursing Home, and Why It Matters
What Medicare’s ownership data shows and the questions to ask about a home’s owners and managers.
Read full guideHow to Evaluate Nursing-Home Staffing
Learn how to read staffing information and which questions to ask about the care your family needs.
Read full guideWhat a Special Focus Facility Designation Means
Understand this CMS designation and what to investigate when considering a listed facility.
Read full guideMedicare’s Skilled Nursing Benefit
How the 3-day hospital rule, the 100-day limit and coverage notices work after a hospital stay.
Read full guideHow Families Pay for Long-Term Care
Private pay, long-term care insurance, Medicaid and veterans benefits, and what to plan for early.
Read full guideNursing Home vs. Assisted Living
The real differences in care, oversight and cost, and the signs that point to one or the other.
Read full guideHow to Read an Inspection Report
What deficiency codes, scope and severity mean, and how to judge a citation in context.
Read full guideChoosing Care for Dementia
What memory care units offer, the quality data worth checking and questions to ask on a visit.
Read full guideMoving-In Checklist
The documents to gather, what to pack and what to check in the admission agreement before signing.
Read full guideNursing Home Resident Rights
The core rights every resident has under federal law, and where to turn if they are not respected.
Read full guidePut your research into practice.
Use what you’ve learned to compare nursing homes near you.
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