People shopping for a nursing home can get help from a federal government Web site that lists deficiencies for homes across the United States, but professionals urge people to use www.medicare.gov only as a starting point.

Richard McGarvey with the state Department of Health said the reports alone aren't enough to make a determination about the quality of a nursing home.

"It certainly tells you that they've had deficiencies, but it doesn't tell you what's happening today at the nursing home," McGarvey said. "Very rarely does a nursing home go through an inspection with no deficiencies."

Every nursing home in Mercer County is operating with a regular license with no suspensions, he said.

"Every nursing home has problems. That's just the way it is," said Sam Belich, deputy director of Mercer County Area Agency on Aging. "What I really look at is how sincere a home is about correcting a problem."

Belich said repeated infractions are serious because that shows that the problems are being ignored or somebody didn't know how to fix them.

Some deficiencies are more serious than others.

Carolyn Hartle, a lawyer with Lewis and Ristvey in Hermitage, said detrimental problems include residents with pressure sores, residents who've fallen or residents who have problems swallowing and are improperly cared for.

Belich said paper problems, such as recordkeeping, are a lesser infraction -- unless the problem is not corrected. "Patient issues are serious; paper, maybe not so much."

One infraction that may seem to be a paper problem but is really a patient issue is failure to hire only people who have no legal history of neglecting or mistreating residents or failure to report incidents of neglect, abuse or mistreatment of residents.

Belich said that is a problem that could have a direct effect on a patient's health and care.

Ms. Hartle said the best way to make sure a loved one is getting proper care is to be aware of a resident's rights and to be involved with his or her care.

Family members should go to their loved one's care-plan meeting, Belich said. That is where the level of care and the needs of the patient are determined.

"A nursing home is a good nursing home when you visit and visit and visit, and you take part in the care that's provided," Belich said. "The more you visit and are visible, the better it is."

McGarvey said reports of nursing home deficiencies can help people narrow down what nursing homes they want to look at. He suggested visiting several homes, talking to each one's administrator and eating a meal there.

Family members should look at the home from the perspective of their loved one to see if it is a good fit. McGarvey said family members should ask questions like, "Can they get their favorite meal?" or "Can they bring their favorite chair?"

Belich said determining a good nursing home is subjective because each resident has different needs and priorities. One person may prefer a large facility over a small one, while another may find cleanliness more important than communication, he said.

Mercer County has an ombudsman through the Area Agency on Aging who acts as a mediator between the resident and the nursing home, Belich said. If residents or family members feel they're not being listened to or problems aren't being resolved, the ombudsman can investigate and help solve the problem, he said.

Mercer County is also training volunteers to visit local nursing homes to "expand the scope of the watchful eye" and visit with residents who don't have families, Belich said. So far, eight people have been trained and 15 more are going through training.

The government Web site is:

www.medicare.gov

The state Department of Health Web site is:

www.health.state.pa.us