A nursing home is a place that provides medical care for very sick people, but it is also a home, and it may be the last place your relative lives. So the choice of a good one must necessarily encompass qualities that relate to both medical care and the comforts of home. Finding a facility that fulfils both functions well all the time is tricky, and it may not always be possible to hit the ideal, resulting in compromises in your final choice. Weak enforcement of health and safety regulations, difficulty on the part of nursing home operators to find competent staff, changes in reimbursement from the federal government, and changes in corporate ownership all play a role in the questionable care delivered today in the country's nursing homes.