05.02.07

Dementia and Alzheimers Care Facilities

Posted in Assisted Living at 6:55 pm by admin

Home VS. A Home

 

Getting care for your parents or grandparents can be one of the most stressful decisions in life but it doesn’t have to be.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s attacks a persons memory and decision making process. These are just 2 diseases that effect the elderly. Seeing a parent or a loved one go through this is difficult. Finding the right care for them shouldn’t be. There are many options out there. Unfortunately a lot of them are not good options. Having a sitter or a nurse provide care at home seems ideal and could be. But there are many things that a nursing home or an assisted living community provides that you can’t get anywhere else. For an example activities such as Bingo, Domino’s, and Bridge. Also being around other elderly people that can relate to them. A downside to these facilities is the negligence and abuse that is reported or in most cases not reported. No one wants a loved one to be neglected or abused. It is important to notice if a facility has cases of negligence and abuse before placing your parent there. A few things to look for are:

Response times to emergencies:

1. Most facilities have an emergency button or string to pull in case of an accident or fall. The staff should provide you with an average response time to these calls. (worst case scenario would be if there was a fall and the care staff didn’t react quick enough resulting in the resident being in pain on the floor with a broken hip and trying to get up on there own without assistance resulting in another fall or moving a bone out of place or even dying). Also discuss with the staff what the procedure is in case of a fall or other emergencies. Whether they call 911 every time there is a fall. Whether they contact you first or not. Whether every emergency and fall is documented and reported. A lot of times there is no visible bruises or brakes after a fall but a few days later a knee might swell up or a bone might be broken and more medical attention is needed because it wasn’t properly dealt with at the time of the incident.

Cleanliness and staffing:

1. Some facilities might look clean but they smell so bad. Yes the residents have accidents and that produces an awful scent. But that should be taken care of in a short amount of time (2hours max). That shouldn’t cause the whole facility to wreak of a foul smell. Bedding should be washed immediately and not balled up into a dirty hamper in the corner of the room(believe it or not this happens a lot). Ask the nursing staff how often they do incontinent checks and showers. Also ask what is the ratio of care attendants to residents. The brochure might say one thing but the reality might be as little as half that amount of care staff. Look around the facility some and see how many workers you see. Listen and watch the way they treat the residents there. Does it seem like they treat them with respect?

Some positive things about a nursing home or assisted living community to look for are:

Activities and Fellowship:

1. There are so many ways to engage life during the later years of life. There are things to do within the community (games, exercise, knitting, etc) and some places have beauty/barber shops located within the community. But there are also many different outings (picnics, shopping, casinos, sports games, etc.) Ask the activity manager for a list of activities and a number of residents that usually attend. A positive thing about a home is that there are many other elderly people to relate to and fellowship with at meal times and activities.

Safe and Secure:

1. Most homes are gated and/or have security devices at the doors in case a resident may wander the staff would be aware. There are many fire safety hazards put in place that if there is even a hint of smoke it will set off the alarm.
   

   Meals:

2. No need to cook anymore! Meals are provided. Check the menus to see how many choices are presented and if they serve any of your favorites. Maybe ask the chef if you and your parent can eat there for a meal.

Getting care at home can be a lot cheaper than going to a home. Some negative things about care at home:

1. Your property could be in jeopardy. The last thing you want is a thief in your home. The possibility of this happening is pretty slim as they would be jeopardizing their job and or going to jail. A stranger in your home might be a little weird at first. Trust is built through time.
2. Scheduling days off can be complicated. There needs to be a back up when the care attendant/nurse is sick or needs time off.

Some positive things about getting care at home:

1. There is a more quality relationship built because he/she is just caring for your parent. His/her attention is not divided and the worker usually will be more patient because he/she doesn’t have to rush to another resident to care for.
2. It is more comfortable to live at home. There is no place like home.
3. It is cheaper to hire help. It is good to start out with a rate a little lower than what you are willing to pay and give the care attendant/nurse a raise about 2 months into the job.

Share This

Permalink