From the Honolulu Civil Beat:
Wendy Silverthorne walked out of Castle Medical Center two years ago with a huge decision to make in less than 24 hours.
The Kailua native, who now lives in California, needed to find a place where her mother could get the care she needed to recover from a serious fall. Doctors said her mother was stable enough that she had to leave the hospital the next day, but not well enough to return home.
There are almost 2,000 facilities in Hawaii that provide long-term care for the elderly and disabled. Deciding which one is the best fit for a loved one’s needs can be a daunting task, especially when information is hard to get.
Hawaii’s 51 nursing homes post their inspection reports — which show if there’s a history of violations and what corrective action has been taken — on the Internet because they are federally regulated.