A guide to finding a senior care facility in Wisconsin

When it comes time to make the decision to move into a retirement community, there's a lot to consider. So, where do you start?

You need to consider the location and the cost, but with so many facilities to choose from, it can be confusing to decide which one is right.

With current understaffing at an all-time high, it can be hard to determine which provider can give the best care. Research is key to finding your loved one's new home, but it can be tough to know where to start since state guidelines can differ regarding senior living options.

Here are some places to begin, with publicly available information about the facilities you might be considering for yourself or a loved one.

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Run your own background check

While the federal government regulates nursing homes, states regulate assisted living facilities so there’s currently no federal database you can check out facilities’ performance. However, much of a provider's track record is readily accessible to anyone in Wisconsin.

The state Department of Health Services provides a public and free database online where anyone can search for a health or residential care provider, including nursing homes, assisted living centers and hospitals. It includes the provider or facility's history and any inspections or violations they have compiled. The database can be found at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/guide/provider-search.htm.

Facilities are regulated by DHS' Division of Quality Assurance — all inspection reports and violation notices in the last three years are listed in the database. If you're looking at a facility's earlier history — older than three years — you can email the division at DHSWebmailDQA@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

Any citations or orders DHS issued against the facility, and reports from inspectors confirming the facility has corrected the violations, are available in the database, too.

If a provider doesn't agree with an order or results of an inspection, they can appeal the survey's findings. Based on the appeal, DHS may lift an order issued. While the results of an appeal are not listed in the DQA database, anyone can request the records from DHS's Division of Hearings and Appeals.

Nursing homes are required to submit their daily nurse staff numbers to the federal government, which can be found through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Assisted living centers do not have the same strict requirement.

How does the inspection process work?

DHS conducts inspections of assisted living facilities every two years, unless the state health agency gets a complaint about the provider that requires DHS to investigate more urgently, Elizabeth Goodsitt, a spokesperson for DHS, told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in a recent email.

Investigations are based on the level of the complaint:

• If the complaint is categorized as severe, which means the issue involves serious injuries or abuse towards residents, DHS will investigate within three days.

• The second level of complaints involves allegations of harm but are not as immediate — such as not administering medication quickly when a resident is in severe pain, Goodsitt said. Inspectors are expected to investigate those complaints within 15 days, although they may get delayed due to a current surge in complaints and higher workloads for state inspectors, Goodsitt said.

• For other complaints that are not as urgent — such as ripped carpeting in a hallway or scuffed paint — DHS attempts to conduct an investigation within 45 days, Goodsitt said.

Based on the results of the inspection, DHS can issue orders to ban the facility from accepting new residents or revoke the provider's license.

Surveyors will make a series of visits to interview staff and residents, make observations about what they see in the building and review documents. They will publish a report based on their findings and issue an order to the facility if needed.

Assisted living providers typically have 45 days to correct the citations unless they decide to appeal DHS' findings. After the 45 days, DHS may visit the facility again to verify the violations have been resolved.

See with your own eyes by visiting the facility

One of the best ways to know if a facility is the best choice is to visit it, yourself.

Make multiple visits before making a decision. Take some time to talk to staff, caregivers, and other residents directly about the care they provide.

"Visiting these facilities is probably the number one thing that you can do to get a good feel for it and feel like if it's a good home-like feel for your loved one," said Mike Pochowski, the president and CEO of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.

It's a way to do your research in-person, he said. There are things you can look for around the building that can reveal a lot of about the provider:

• Talk to the employees and ask about staffing levels. Are they taking on a lot of extra work?

• Ask residents if they get help when they press the call light, or are they waiting too long for someone to come?

• Notice how staff interacts with the residents at the facility and see how long it takes for a caregiver to come help a resident back to their room after they finish their meal.

• Get a sense of wait times or see if resident spaces are dirty. This can help you determine if the place is understaffed.

• Also take a look at bulletins — they may have activity calendars that can determine if the residents have things to do during the week.

• Providers are also required to post any recent survey violations or orders from DHS around the building.

"Do as much research as you can possibly do," Pochowski said.

For more resources, contact these organizations

• Contact your local Aging and Disability Resource Center for questions about your search for a new senior care facility. Find your county's ADRC at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/adrc/consumer/index.htm.

• File a complaint about your own or a family member's senior care center by contacting the DQA online or by phone at 800-642-6552.

• Contact the Wisconsin Elder Abuse Hotline for help and to report elderly abuse. Call the hotline at 833-586-0107.

Benita Mathew is a health and science reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at bmathew@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @benita_mathew.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here's what to look for when finding an assisted living facility in Wisconsin