My friend has no family. Her graduating class has been trying to visit, keep an eye on her care, etc. Unfortunately the facility is in downtown Buffalo, NY in a not so safe community. At our age we are afraid of going downtown Buffalo. We believe if Jean was moved closer to home, she would progress better, have constant care and visits from her classmates who care about her dearly.
The facility she is in should not be allowed to operate. They don’t have proper staff. We had to wait over 1 & 1/2 hours for them to find an aide to assist in removing soiled pants. The place is filthy and unhealthy, which is why we want to get her moved.
Does she have family in charge of her care, a POA? If this is only Rehab, then yes there should be no problem transferring her because Medicare is paying the bill if she is 65 or older. Just need to find a Rehab who can take her. If she is competent to make decisions, she can transfer herself. She should have been given choices when Rehab was recommended. You actually do not have to do Rehab. You can turn it down.
This is more difficult if she is on Medicaid though as not all facilities have "Medicaid beds" and most that do are at capacity. And they like to have the resident "private pay" for a period of time before Medicaid kicks in.
If the facility she is currently in has a "sister facility" (one within the same corporation) it might be easier to get a transfer. This might be a discussion for the facility Social Worker.
If she is unable to "tour" facilities you and another friend can do so and narrow it down to a few and she can select from that.
Please know though that ALL facilities are under staffed, no facility is going to be "perfect"
Problems in her current facility can be reported to the Ombudsman. There will be a poster in the facility with information how to contact the Ombudsman but you can also google the information.
A few other things to consider.
Does your friend currently have friends in the facility she is in now? Realistically how many of her "classmates" would visit on a regular basis? While it is great to think you would all visit this may not happen and he would be leaving behind friends she has made only to start again.
But bottom line, if she is cognizant and is able to make her own decisions about her housing and her care she can begin a transfer. There may be relatives that have POA that may prevent such a move
Is your friend competent? Can she ask for a change? Many facilities are understaffed, unfortunately.
Have you tried to contact local rehabs to see if they have beds? They might be able to help lead the move. That's how I did it when I wanted to move my MIL from one nursing home to another.
She's lucky to have so many friends willing and able to help her.