We noticed that page views for the nursing home owner page for Makhlouf Suissa spiked in December to be one of our most popular pages. It turns out that Makhlouf had suddenly closed one of the nursing homes he operates in St. Louis, Northview Village. (Check out coverage of the closure here.) This is not the first time this has happened; we had a similar spike in a page for owner Bob Dean in late 2021 that happened after he transferred hundreds of nursing home residents to a warehouse during a hurricane in New Orleans (news coverage).
Sudden closures like Northview Village are very unusual. Typically, the state has enough time to step and find interim management when a nursing home fails. Even in these situations, the disruption can be difficult (and potentially dangerous) for vulnerable residents.
We at NursingHomeDatabase.com are doing what we can to help. Here are a couple of ways that you can use our service to stay ahead of problems:
- If are a resident or have a friend or family member in a nursing home, sign up for our free monitoring service. Every time we update the database, we will send you an email with any changes we have noted. Falling ratings or other issues should be a trigger to either make a change or be ready to do so.
- Identify alternate homes nearby in case of trouble. On the detail page for each nursing home, we show you the best nursing homes near your chosen home. You can also search by city or zip code to see what other options there are. Most major metropolitan areas have multiple options available.
We also repeat this advice ad nauseam: if you are a friend or family member, visit often. Get to know the staff. By visiting regularly you can get a good idea about what is going on. And, just as importantly, regular visits also help result in better outcomes. Staff who see residents getting regular visits act differently. (This is just human nature; we don’t have any data to support this.)
By regularly checking inspection reports, having backup facilities in mind, and reaching out for guidance, you can help prevent the trauma and danger of an abrupt, involuntary nursing home closure.
(Also, let us know if you think of any other way we can help. We’re always looking for new ways to add value.)
