For the past decade, my job has been making skilled nursing facilities look good. I ran brand and marketing for a multi-state nursing home operator as it grew from 4 buildings to more than 40, and today I run a company that helps nursing homes across the country fill their beds. I have written the brochures, built the websites, and shot the videos.
So believe me when I say this: I know exactly what nursing home marketing can tell you, and what it can't. If you're choosing a facility for someone you love (often in a matter of days, after a fall or a hospital stay), here is how to see past the polish and figure out what a building is really like.
Look at Who Is in the Photos
Pull up the facility's website. Are the photos of real staff and real residents in that actual building, or could they be any building in America? Stock photography isn't a crime, but a facility that is proud of its people finds a way to show them.
When I shoot content for a building, the best material is always the nurse who has been there 15 years and the therapy team that knows every resident by name. If a building has people like that, they show them off. If the website is all empty hallways and stock smiles, ask yourself why.
Ask How Long the Leaders Have Been There
This is the single best question most families never ask: "How long have the administrator and the Director of Nursing been here?" Leadership turnover is the number one thing I watch when I evaluate a building, because it ripples into everything else: staff morale, care consistency, survey results.
While you're on the tour, ask a certified nursing assistant (CNA) or a nurse how long they've worked there. Long-tenured staff is the strongest signal of a healthy building, and no amount of marketing can fake it.
Talk to a Local Advisor
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Tour at the Wrong Time
A scheduled tour at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday shows you the building at its very best. If you can, come back unannounced at dinnertime or on a Saturday afternoon.
Is the dining room lively or silent? Are call lights being answered? Are staff talking to residents or past them? Fifteen unscripted minutes will teach you more than any brochure I have ever designed.
Don't Be Fooled by the Chandelier (in Either Direction)
Newer buildings photograph beautifully, and some deliver wonderful care. But some of the best care in the country happens in older buildings that will never win a beauty contest, run by teams who have been together for years.
The physical plant is the easiest thing to market and the least important thing to the daily experience of care. Judge the people, not the paint.
Ask Hard Clinical Questions
If your loved one has complex needs (wound care, dialysis, memory care, behavioral support), ask specifically how the building handles them and who on staff owns it. A facility that asks you detailed questions before saying yes is being honest about what it can do. A facility that says yes to everything without asking anything is telling you what you want to hear.
Use the Star Ratings as a Starting Point, Not a Verdict
Medicare's Care Compare ratings are worth checking, and I'd pay the most attention to the staffing and health inspection components. But ratings lag reality in both directions.
A building that just got new leadership may be far better than its stars suggest, and vice versa. The ratings tell you where to ask questions, not where the answer is.
Prefer to talk it through? A local advisor can answer your questions and compare current pricing, free.
(385) 200-2175Get Help From Someone Who Has Actually Been Inside
Finally, the honest truth from a marketing guy: the national referral websites that promise to "find care near you" are mostly lead generators. They collect your phone number and sell it to a list of facilities, sight unseen.
If you want guidance, work with a local senior care advisor who has physically walked the buildings in your area, knows the staff, and will meet you where you are. That local knowledge is the one thing no website (including the ones I build) can replace.
Good marketing should be a window, not a mask. The best buildings I work with don't need me to invent a story; my job is just to tell the true one well. Your job, as a family, is to verify it, and now you know how.
About the Author
Robert Tanner is the founder of BedLaunch, a census growth marketing company for skilled nursing facilities. Before starting BedLaunch, he spent ten years as VP of Brand & Culture at a multi-state skilled nursing operator, where he helped the company grow from 4 buildings to more than 40. He has personally managed websites and marketing for 50+ skilled nursing facilities across Utah, California, Texas, and beyond. He lives in Vineyard, Utah with his wife and five kids.
