TAMPA, Fla. — Making the decision for a loved one to go into a nursing home is very difficult for many families, and finding the right place can be even tougher. 

Kymm Mariani and her siblings face a tough choice last year when they had to find a nursing home for their dad after he took a bad fall. 

"He came to terms with it, as well, and realized, 'I need more help. I can't go back home,'" Mariani said. 

One of the first things to do when you're looking for a home is to go to medicare.gov. They have a nursing home compare tool that actually rates facilities with stars and makes it possible to look at that facility's most recent Health Inspection Report.  Medicare also has a check-list of questions for you to ask when you visit each facility.

"If they've been having medication errors, if they've been, Gob forbid, using some sort of restraint they weren't supposed to, something of that nature, you want to know that," Linda Chamberlain, an elder care attorney, said. 

Chamberlain also said it is important to visit facilities and observe. 

"Is it clean? How do employees seem? Are they pleasant? Do they seem like they really care?" she said. 

And if you like a home, she said it's important to strike a cooperative tone. 

"They do not need to accomodate you if you seem like you're going to have a difficult family," she said. 

Once you're loved one is in a facility, it is important to visit and be their advocate. 

"Just looking at my father and seeing — How is he kept? Is he shaved? Is his moustache trimmed?" Mariani said. 

And finding the right place makes all the difference. 

"He seems happy and I feel that he is well cared for," she said. 

If you do have a problem once your loved one is in a home, you can file a complaint with the state or contact Florida's long-term care ombudsman for help.