Articles Posted in Assisted Living

Published on:

by

Three weeks ago, my mother had what appeared to be a stroke, followed by a TIA, and a urinary tract infection. She was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital, which in the case of an emergency is required by law. Her primary care physician was not on the staff at that hospital. Due to her frail condition and lack of a private room (my mom’s request) at her regular hospital, we did not move her. After she had been staying in the hospital for two weeks, I arranged for her transfer to a skilled nursing community for rehabilitation. I must admit, I felt uneasy and alone because her primary care physician was not in command of her health care.

When you move your loved one to a skilled nursing community for rehabilitation or a long-term stay, be prepared for the possibility that his or her primary care physician will not, or will not be able to, follow them. Your loved one will be giving up a long-term emotional and psychological relationship with his or her physician. Most of my clients don’t seem to be concerned with keeping their loved one’s physician. You should be concerned!

Luckily, my mother was in a community where the Medical Director was on site every day. When she did not see my mother, the doctor had a nurse practitioner who would follow up with her patients. Some of the physicians in other communities do not visit the patients more than once a week. Many of the physicians on nursing home staffs visit less than once a week. The new doctor’s routine, bedside manner, and educational background may not be in accordance with what your loved one is used to, resulting in patient dissatisfaction.

Continue reading
Published on:

by

“Be certain that a community’s definition of “assisted living” meets your loved one’s needs.”

Greetings and best wishes for a wonderful summer! I’ve been blessed with a lot of assisted living and nursing home placements, completing my National Guardianship Certification, fishing, and playing some fun golf games, although at times my game is truthfully awful!

While there may or may not be much hope for my golf handicap these days, it is good to know that there is plenty of help available for making good senior placement decisions. However, when it comes to choosing the right assisted living community, please be very mindful of the community’s definition of “assistance.” According to the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Establishment Code in the State of Illinois, an assisted living community needs to fulfill three criteria:

Continue reading
Published on:

by

Over half of my clients are children of seniors who are already living in a community. The children are looking to move them because the senior needs a higher level of care or they are dissatisfied with the care the senior is receiving. But the most common reason clients contact me for my services is the senior is depleting his or her finances and cannot stay at the current community.

Most senior housing placements occur as the result of a crisis in the senior’s health. The unfortunate reality is that people don’t plan for this sort of crisis. The immediate reaction is to put a bandage on the problem to solve it short term without examining the senior’s long term financial realities. People often choose a community because it has name recognition or “it looks like a really nice place.” Yet, when people are in a rush, they fail to ask common sense questions such as “Does your community accept Medicare or Medicaid?” Or, “What happens when my mother or father runs out of money?”

We are now living in a society where people are living longer. We need to take that fact into account when searching for the right senior living alternative whether it be home care or community living. We plan for disasters and accidents by purchasing insurance. Many of us have pre-planned our funerals. Why not take some time to think about what will happen if your loved one needs to enter a community and outlives his or her finances? This month’s real-life story will supply you with some food for thought.

Continue reading
Published on:

by

“Delaying a loved one’s move to a long term care community might not be a good decision in the long run.”

The decision to move a senior to an assisted living community or nursing home can be an unpleasant experience. Because our parents took care of us, it is a decision laden with guilt. Children often enter a state of denial with thinking the parent is “doing just fine.” Reality may be the opposite situation. Deferring the decision seems to be a good short-term decision; but, in actuality, it may be placing the loved one’s health and finances in jeopardy. It never hurts to do some thinking or pre-planning about what may happen down the road.

While I’m not an advocate of moving a senior before they are ready, let me share some experiences that I’ve encountered with my clients:

Continue reading
Published on:

by

“Assisted Living Programs offer a wide variety of services and pricing, no two of which are identical.”

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:

Continue reading
Published on:

by

“True or False: Medicaid does not pay for assisted living?”

When I deliver the assisted living segment of my group presentations, the audience is often unaware that Medicaid offers a program that pays for assisted living. It is called the Supportive Living Program. Assisted living is the next highest level of care above independent living where the senior needs some help with his or her activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, walking, eating, transferring, and toileting. It is stand-by assistance not hands-on assistance. If a senior is paying privately for assisted living, the costs can range from approximately $3,800 to $6,000 a month. The Supportive Living Program is a wonderful alternative for low-income seniors who cannot pay privately for the assisted living level of care and are not yet ready for nursing home placement.

Here are the requirements for admission to supportive living:

Continue reading
Published on:

by

I’m pleased to introduce my monthly newsletter, “Senior Living Moments–Words to the Wise.” My clients, contacts and associates have suggested that I provide tips on how to demystify what can be a daunting task: dealing with the issues of an elderly relative or friend.

“Boomer Bind”

More than 44 million Americans help to care for or support an elderly loved one, and many of these caregivers are employed. Not everyone is easily able to cope with what I call the “Boomer Bind,” juggling a job, personal life, and caring for an elderly person. It’s never easy when the children live far away; there aren’t enough siblings to share in these responsibilities, or there is no firm caregiving plan in place.

Continue reading
Published on:

by

Happy Holidays! My very best wishes to you and your loved ones for a blessed and prosperous new year.

The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends. It is also a time when families might observe that their loved ones’ health is declining. With these observations comes the stress of thinking ahead to the future. And the one thing folks might begin thinking about is choosing the right long-term care community or home care option for a loved one. There is also added concern about how the loved ones’ care will be financed. Here is a snapshot of the types of long-term care options available and their approximate costs:

Independent Living Communities – The senior can function on his or her own, but may receive help with housekeeping and meals. The cost runs about $1,500 to $3,000 per month, depending upon the community.

Continue reading