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Assisted Living
Assisted Living is a residential alternative that offers non-medical support with what are called the "activities of daily living." Bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, eating, and getting around fall into the category of ADLs. Assisted living residences offer as much help as a resident might need with these ADLs, as well as supervision of medications, meals and housekeeping. Residents can usually choose how much, or how little, help they need on a regular basis. Organized activities, scheduled transportation, housekeeping and laundry assistance are offered in many assisted living residences.
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The TV Remote: A Senior's Most Important Piece of Equipment
Don Whitten, who serves as maintenance manager for a large assisted living residence, says that his true title should be "television remote programmer." Every day, according to Don, he re-sets no less than 3 TVs for residents who manage to mess up the teeny, tiny buttons on their remote control units. "It's a true emergency around here," he laughs, "when Wheel of Fortune goes black." . . . keep reading
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Risks When Assisted Living Residences Take Medicaid
With the help of Medicaid Ginny lived happily at her assisted living residence for 18 months. Then one day she received an official notice that her facility was withdrawing from the Medicaid program in favor of private-pay only. Ginny had 30 days to find another assisted living facility that would accept her Medicaid. Unfortunately, there were more people in her situation than there were other local subsidized openings. Ginny and many of the other Medicaid residents from her assisted living ended up with no option but to move into a nursing home . . . keep reading
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Chandeliers Don't Care
One of our favorite sayings is, "Chandeliers don't care." Chandeliers may add beauty to your loved one's environment, but it's the people in the trenches who make life worth living in an assisted living residence or nursing facility. All the chandeliers in the world won't bring a smile to your loved one's face, or change soiled clothing with grace and humor . . . keep reading
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Gifts For Assisted Living, Nursing Home and Home Caregivers
Families with loved ones receiving care from professional caregivers often ask about appropriate gifts for holidays or when their loved one is successfully discharged from care. There is often the temptation to slip a few dollars or a "little something" into the pocket of a caregiver who went above and beyond in caring for our elderly patient . . . keep reading
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Monitoring the Financial Health of Your Assisted Living Residence
As the economic landscape has eroded recently many assisted living facilities are having a difficult time staying full. When their census and their incomes decline, there is a great temptation for these facilities to cut corners. It is important to keep an eye out for changes that might indicate financial problems at your parent's assisted living residence . . . keep reading
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When Will Assisted Living Refuse Your Parent?
While each assisted living residence has it's own set of guidelines, most will refuse to accept new residents with the following behavioral problems or care needs. If your elder has any of these issues the best thing to do is be as open and honest as you can right from the beginning, or you may find yourself looking for an emergency alternative with little advance notice . . . keep reading
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Using a Free Senior Referral Service
Google "Free Senior Referral Service'" and the search engine will offer you in the neighborhood of 1,800,000 web pages to choose from. Does this give you the idea that assisted living and nursing homes referral services are a growing, thriving market? It should! . . . keep reading
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Adjusting to a New Living Situation
Most "experts" will advise allowing as long as six months for a senior to adjust to a new living situation. Both moving in with family and moving to assisted living require a process of adjustment by everyone. Knowing how most people typically work through this kind of adjustment will help you weather the storm . . . keep reading
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Looking at Assisted Living in 2009
For those of us who are starting to think about assisted living for someone we care about, separating the facts from the lively imaginations of sales and marketing reps can be a real challenge. Some updated data from a reliable source can be very helpful in evaluating what we hear when we start looking . . . keep reading
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How to Complain: Resolving Problems With a Homecare Agency, Assisted Living Residence or Nursing Home
Clothing disappearing from the laundry, requested reminders or escort to activities not happening, and aid with "attitude," neglected hygiene or developing skin sores, there is always going to be something, and there's no perfect elder care provider. Sooner or later you will face the need to address a problem with your home care agency, your parent's assisted living residence, or a nursing home. Rather than blasting in ready for battle, here's how to get your complaints heard . . . keep reading
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The Real Assisted Living Rules
All 50 States and the District of Columbia regulate Assisted Living facilities within their borders. When you have a question about what an assisted living residence must do, may do, or can't do, asking the nurse or administrator in the facility won't always get you the most accurate answer. Your best resource is the state code itself. . . . keep reading
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Preparing For a Care Plan Conference
If you have a loved one in a nursing home you should be invited to attend a care plan conference on a regular basis. Assisted living facilities may hold care plan conferences less frequently than a medical facility such as a nursing home, but they should also have regular care conferences scheduled. How do you prepare for a productive meeting? . . . keep reading
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Why Your Assisted Living Nurse Doesn't "Nurse"
When John returned to his assisted living residence with doctor's instructions that his leg wound be treated and re-bandaged daily his family was astounded when the nurse said she would not be able to give John his treatments. "Why," they wondered, "did the facility make a big deal of having a nurse on staff if she doesn't do anything?" . . . keep reading
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The Economy and Long-Term Senior Care
Changes in the economic landscape have affected just about everyone, seniors not excepted. Although some of the personal funds available to purchase long term care may have evaporated, the need is still there for many of our elderly. What do we see in the near future for those who need care, and for those of us who are/will be responsible for seeing that our older loved ones get the care they need and deserve? . . . keep reading
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When It Comes to Long-Term Care Costs, Geography Says it All
Based on their geographic location, some seniors are spending almost seven times more than seniors in other locations for similar long term care services. At $31 per hour your mother-in-law in Charleston, SC is probably paying almost twice as much as your aunt in Birmingham pays for home health care. If your mother-in-law moves to her son's home in Tulsa, she will pay only $20 an hour for the same care. Should she find herself in Shreveport she would find home care to be a real bargain at an average of only $13 per hour. . . . keep reading
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Alzheimers Disease
