Prospects will often call me and open the conversation by saying something like, “My mother needs some assistance.” A statement such as this one can mean anything. Assisted living actually means the next level of care that is necessary when the senior is no longer completely independent. Specifically, he/she needs some help with activities of daily living: eating, bathing, dressing, walking, transferring, and toileting. This is not hands-on care. It is stand-by assistance. For instance, the aide will not give a loved one a full bath or shower. The aide will stand by and watch the senior take their shower. The aide will hand the senior the soap and towel. The assistant will not scrub the person down. People have a lot of misconceptions as to what “assisted” really means.
According to the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Establishment Code in Illinois, the personnel requirements to qualify for assisted living are:
- There must be someone age 18 on the premises for 24 hours
- Be able to address the emergency and non-emergency needs of the residents
- Be trained in CPR
Note that it doesn’t say that a nurse must be on duty for a certain number of hours, or that each aide needs to be a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). It doesn’t mean a nurse will be passing the medications. My point is this: Assisted living communities are offering such a wide variety of services that you need to be wary when you’re shopping for an option. It will involve close scrutiny as to the level of assistance your loved one will receive.
Likewise, the pricing will be very different from community to community. Some homes will charge one package price for help with activities of daily living (ADLs). Others will charge a fee for general room and board, then charge additional premiums (a la carte) for help with specific activities. For instance, one community may charge $15 for 15 minutes of bathing assistance. Then, there will be an additional $15 charge for dressing assistance. There are times when I’ve actually seen the a la carte pricing exceed the package pricing!
I’ve also encountered communities that are only prepared to deal with low maintenance residents. Once a resident develops a certain problem, he or she is asked to either move to the skilled area of the community if one is available or move to another home. Incontinence and wandering are examples of such problems. Some communities have counteracted the incontinence issue by charging a large add-on fee for help with these issues. Unless a community has a locked or secured area for residents who tend to wander, the family may be facing a move with their loved one.
Last, you need to carefully analyze the activity schedules that are offered. Many of the communities don’t offer the appropriate programming or activities that are necessary for different stages of Alzheimer’s, as exemplified the Real Life Story – Activities for Loved Ones with Alzheimer’s.
Contact Andrea Donovan if you’d like assistance in evaluating the service and prices at assisted living communities.
361 Nuttall Road Riverside, IL 60546 708-442-7174 708-415-2934 (cell)
andrea_donovansla@yahoo.com