Assisted Living & Senior Living

Top 5 Things People Want to Know

By October 29, 2015 No Comments

Top 5 Things People Want to Know
About Senior Living Communities

1. Will my mom or dad be happy there?

MotherandDaughter

Before moving your loved one into a senior living community you want to visit it.  Visit first to get the general look and feel of the place and ask questions to find out if they can provide the care and atmosphere that will help enhance their life.  If your parent is not able to join you on the visit then you will be the judge.  Statistics show that when the correct assisted living community or home is found the senior’s health and well-being will improve in as short as 3 months after they move in.  When their physical and social needs are met on a daily basis and they are well cared for, it helps create happiness

2. What is the quality of the care?

SkilledNursingCare

The quality is something to inspect in person. You want to go and look at the current residents. Do they look healthy, are they clean and well kept? When you visit an Assisted Living Community you will see them around and walking about and engaged in conversations and activities.  If you are visiting a Residential Care Home you have to determine this by the level of care that is needed and how it is being done.  You can talk to the residents there and ask them how they are doing.  Look at how the care staff treats the resident see if that meets your standard.  One visit may not be enough, you can visit as many times as you need. The state keeps records of all the inspections done for that community or home and those files can be viewed by you if you want to see the history.

3. What exactly happens in an Alzheimer’s/Dementia care community?

Alzheimers Concept Horizontal

Caring for someone with Alzheimers and Dementia takes specialized training and skill.  It is an ever changing experience and the care staff should be able to understand and have the appropriate skill and experience to successfully handle it.  When inspecting a home or community for a loved one with Alzheimers or Dementia it is important to know as much about your loved one and their habits and behaviors as you can so the care for them can be appropriately chosen.  It is searched for by observation and by talking to the care provider to find out how they address the habits and behaviors of your loved one.  Alzheimer’s specialty communities are constantly training and learning about new advancements in helping their residents so as to help provide a good quality of life for them.

4. What is included in the monthly costs?   (Meals, services, amenities, activities, etc.)

man drinking milk

 When moving into an assisted living community you will have some basic services that are considered the base price. It is generally the room and board that will include; meals, utilities, housekeeping, local transportation to doctor appointments and local stores, 24 hour staff for help and  security, in community activities and outings.  Any personal care needed by caregiver personnel will be charged for in addition to the base price and it is usually on an as needed basis.  These additional charges will change as the residents care increases or decreases.  It is good to know before moving in what the maximum cost for the personal care could rise to so that you can be prepared for that expense down the road.

When moving into a residential care home the services are usually charged slightly different. You are becoming part of a small home like environment. Your base fee will generally include all of the things above and the cost of the personal care as well.  One price will be charged on a monthly basis from beginning to end and it will be assessed ahead of time and agreed upon by you and the administrator.

5. How do I find the right place?

ContinuingCareretirementCommunity

Finding the right place is going to take personal inspection, observation, communication with the staff at the community, talking to current residents and your overall general feeling of certainty and security when you inspect.  You want to feel certain that when you bring your loved one there to live that you can leave knowing they will be well cared for.  You may need to visit and inspect many places before you feel that way but that is the best measurement for finding the right place.

American Senior Home Finders provides FREE placement service; we are Placement Specialists. This service includes helping find the right place for your loved one to call home.  We will pre-inspect the communities or homes and suggest the ones that seem the most appropriate. We will accompany you on the visits and help you get the information that you need in order to make a good decision. We will be with you every step of the way.

Contact us at 949-278-0155