My family member is in an assisted living and has recenly mentioned to me that her bottom is sore. I would?

Question

lke to see for myself. I am her daughter power of attorney for health care and advocate. How should I approach the nursing staff as I want to check it out. Any suggestions??? Is this a common thing. This is all so new to me. We have to be there for our parents

Answer 1

Assisted living is drastically different from skilled nursing facilities aka "nursing homes". At an assisted living facility there is a balance between independent needs and dependent needs. The resident must be independent in most areas, but still require some assistance in activities of daily living.
The reason I mention this is because persons who reside in assisted living should not require turning and repositioning - if their incapacity is such that they cannot do this on their own then they are more a candidate for skilled placement than assisted living.
Having been a director of an assisted living I would hazzard a guess that your mother has not mentioned this to staff. Talk to the director of care or staff nurse, and simply mention that you want for both of you to check her bottom. Sometimes an increase in incontinence episodes can lead to skin irritation, she may have developed an infection, or she may be spending too much time sitting. The most effective plans of care come when families and staff work together. Another possibility is her undergarments may not be fitting properly. New residents of AL facilities tend to gain weight because they have a ready access to food they do not have to prepare themselves and meal time is a very social time.
Rule out all of the above.
Speak with the staff and ask for them and yourself to check the skin. Your mother may be a bit embarassed to talk to the staff about this - everything that she can no longer care for herself is a little loss of independence.

Answer 2

Try to get a book on the topic. Just go to Amazon.com and search for a book about "assisted living" or "caring for your elderly parents". You'll see lots of titles pop up and readers will have ratings of some of the books.

My mom was only in a convalescent home for about 6 weeks and she was always able to speak up for herself so I always knew what was going well and what wasn't. If your parent is less assertive, and sick people are frequently feeling too lousy to be assertive, you may have to watch over her as closely as if she were a young child.

Always take her concerns seriously. Every time I have heard some horror story on the news about patient abuse in these homes there are often stories of patients trying to tell people what was going on but their concerns were minimized or pushed aside as not serious.

Another thing, see if there is a support group in your city for caregivers. You can get a lot of moral support and practical information from those groups.

Answer 3

My father recently spent two years in assisted living. An ongoing dialogue with the staff is not only important, it is essential.
We built up a sense of trust and confidence, and most problems were solved after a brief discussion in which we expressed our concerns and arrived at a solution.

The most important adivice I can give you is--Talk to the staff!!!!! You will get better results from some than with others, in time you will learn who that person is, and then, deal with that person.

Answer 4

Say. "Hello, I am power of attorney and a close family member of (insert name here) , and I would please like you to assist me in a visual skin assesment. Thank you". If they refuse, call the ombudsman, or supervisor on duty, or both. Ask doctor on duty, if you still meet resistance. A possible decubitus ulcer cannot be ignored!

Answer 5

They are probably not turning her or giving her the clean up care that she needs this is very very common. You do not need to tip toe. You are paying for this and you need to demand it. Take no chit from them at all. Check on them often and report what you see.

Answer 6

Be straight forward. If nothing else, you will have let them know that you have concerns.

Answer 7

File a complaint with your state attorney office, this would get them some fire up their A**.