Does your loved one need nursing home care? Is it sufficient?

Many New Yorkers wait too long to discuss long-term care options with their aging loved ones, the state’s long-term care ombudsman said on Tuesday.

Consequently, people notice during holiday visits that their loved ones can no longer take care of themselves -- prompting a spike in nursing home admissions at this time of year, Mark Miller said.

“We spend more time, I think, in this country researching to buy cars and washers and dryers than we do about planning for our own health care in our later years,” Miller said.

Assistance with living, he noted, is increasingly moving toward in-home care as opposed to nursing homes. Either way, there are certain signs that your loved one may require one or the other:

-Depression

-Unpaid bills piling-up

-Worsening physical appearance

If your loved one is already in a nursing home, the following may be signs of poor quality of care:

Facility

-Call bells unanswered

-Residents, in wheelchairs, parked in hallways

-Urine odor

Resident

-Depression/loss of interest

-Weight loss

-Worsening physical appearance

The state’s long-term care ombudsman investigates and mediates nursing home complaints. The office can be reached at: 1-800-342-9871. The website is: http://www.ltcombudsman.ny.gov/