Parents going into Assisted Living communities?

Question

Anybody with advice on how to pick a good Assisted Living community? It's time to find a safe place for my mother (she has emphysema and uses a walker), but I have no idea what questions I should ask, what I should look for when getting a tour of a community, etc.

Answer 1

i work for an assistant living home. first check to see if the home has had any complaints. as your doing the walk through tour, check to see how clean it is. i suggest checking out the bathrooms too. you can tell a lot by how clean the bathroom is. most homes take care of feeding, bathing, laundry and meds. ask questions about the food being fed to the residents. many residents are on special diets. most of all ask about other activities. is their idea of activities, parking you in front of the TV all day, or do they do other things such as exercise, crafts. at my home the resident can garden, go for walks, they make desserts for coffee hour. also how often can you visit and can you take your mother out for the afternoon? talk with a few of the other residents and see what they think of the home. don't take the opinion of the first resident you talk to as truth, many have medical problems that cloud their judgment.

well i hope i have helped you some. good luck.

Answer 2

You need to have your tour and find out about activities and such and see if she fits in. What thing they will do to help her and how? If they have a nursing home also then you need to tour that also. If they sell the condo and keep the money when she goes in the home.In a nursing home look for Oder's and how clean it is and the people are they dressed and looking well cared for are they just sitting around or being interacted with? I have worked in two nursing homes in two parts of the state and one was better than the other but nursing assistants and nurses are always in shortage and they are overloaded with work. Your parent will get care but not as much as they deserve. Call your department of aging and see if complaints have been filed and what for. If you put her there make your presence known and sporadic people who have family visit get better care no joke. Never show up same day same time because they may only get good care when you are expected so if they don't know when you will show they seem to be cared for better. There is home care options where a person comes into the home and medicare or Medicaid will help pay for respite care. Sometimes that is a better option. Traveling nurses sometimes do maid duties and medical. I would go again after my tour and check it out in stelth mode unannounced you see more then you would like when they dont know you will be there. Good luck

Answer 3

There are ratings of such homes available, although I don't know where to find them easily.

Choose one that's in a location where you can visit often.

Visit several, look for little or no odor, watch how staff treats people just in the hallway or someplace when they don't know you're watching.

Cost of course can be a factor, and whether they accept whatever insurance or government payments you have available.

Is there transportation available to appointments if you can't take her? Are there various levels of care available, so she can stay at the same place if later she needs more care? This isn't vital but can be good.

Ask friends, pastor, and anybody you know for suggestions.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Talk to the residents themselves. That's what we did. We also watched how the staff interacted with the residents, and how the residents reacted to the staff. You have to take some of what the residents say with a grain of salt - my aunt was starting dementia and was convinced that the staff was stealing her toilet tissue, but you can get a good idea of how the staff treats them. Word of mouth is another great way to find a good one - ask around to see if anyone you know has someone in a similar facility. It's not an easy decision, but if it has to be done, it has to be done. Make sure to visit frequently to keep up with what's going on - sometimes we do surprise pop in visits just to make sure everything's on the up and up. Do a google search of the facility too to see if anyone has a complaint.

Answer 5

Make sure you inquire about the hiring policies for the staff. Since these people will be the ones taking care of your mother you want to be sure that the community takes the time to find the right people.

• Does the community do background checks on potential employees?
• For non-nursing staff, what is the required training? Many communities have in-depth training for how to deal with seniors, especially those with special needs. (You'd be surprised how many only require a one day, 8 hour training for working full-time with Alzheimer's patients.)
• Does the community train staff on elder abuse and neglect?
• Is there a policy for reporting abuse and neglect?
• Is there a special wing or floor for residents that have Alzheimer's? If they do, is that area secure so patients with dementia don't wander off and get lost?
• Can you review the state inspection report for the community?

Answer 6

There looks to be no longer something medically incorrect along with your better half's mom. My mom lives with me and shows a number of a similar behaviour. although, if I have been you i'd take her to get a sturdy scientific just to be sure. The rfile will propose you if she desires to circulate to an assisted living facility. i will assure you that some mum and dad do no longer do nicely in those living circumstances. as a results of unfamilar atmosphere and additionally as a results of fact they experience undesirable and dumped, they only pine away and die. Does she would desire to have somebody around to do stuff for her or can she function with the aid of herself? If she will function independently and he or she is medically ok, then in simple terms ignore approximately her and you'd be very nicely. possibly you're able to perform a little minor ameliorations to the homestead so as which you have a quiet place at cases faraway from her. related to her undesirable economic judgement, possibly you have a banking business enterprise or a specified and depended on kinfolk member help her with that. all of the perfect.

Answer 7

Talk to others that live there. Don't settle for the information from the tour. Take a moment and visit with people that actually live there. you choose who you want to question or else they will choose who eer they want.... Trust me Im in the medical field and I have seen alot of bad things. Those places are very difficult to find a nice one

Answer 8

You need to check the Better Business Bureau and also check their records with the state the assisted living facility is located in to see if they have complaints, violations, fines, legal actions or anything else against them before placing your mother there.

Because if your suppose to assist with the living, I want you to do a job your getting paid to do.

Answer 9

Ask them for their most recent records on when the state did an audit. Call your local long term care ombudsman and ask for which ones have the highest complaints. Visit them in person during busy times, at meals, etc, and watch to see how many staff there are to patients (ratio) and how people are responded to. There is much more involved than which one costs most.

Answer 10

Talk to others that live there. Don't settle for the information from the tour. Take a moment and visit with people that actually live there.