9 Things to Consider in Your Look for an Assisted Living Facility
If you are contemplating an assisted living facility for yourself or a loved one, here are 9 considerations to assist guide you:
Reflect on what is most valuable in you or your loved one's life. What provides your life purpose and meaning? "Keep that in mind when selecting your living environment," says Linda Fodrini-Johnson, president of National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Consider where your doctors, your church, your children, and grandchildren are located. Is the assisted living facility near the things and people you hold dear? Will you have transportation to get where you need to go? "Select a location that can keep you connected to your medical team, church, clubs you belong to, [and] your family," Fodrini-Johnson says. "You wish to keep as much [of a] social network as you can.".
Consider your existing and future needs. If you have a progressive health problem such as Parkinson's disease, for instance, look for a senior living communities in little rock arkansas that can accommodate you as your mobility changes, Fodrini-Johnson advises. You might ask questions like: What are the levels of care that you offer? How long can a resident stay? Will you be provided with wheelchair escorts to the dining-room? Are there ramps located throughout the center? Is your room or apartment fully accessible if you require a wheelchair in the future? Also, if you have dementia and you eventually become at risk of straying, does the center provide a secure unit that they could transfer you to? "That assists you limit your choices," Fodrini-Johnson states.
Assess the financial stability of the facility. Although assisted living occupancy rates stay stable industry-wide, some more recent facilities and locations that tried to expand throughout the recession have struggled to fill their beds, according to the Health Affairs study. And due to the fact that numerous potential residents utilize the profit from the sale of their homes to spend for their assisted living stays, the downturn in the housing market has hurt facilities located in parts of the U.S. where home values were struck hardest in recent times. Because of this, some assisted living companies have actually filed for bankruptcy-- which can be bothersome for residents who have paid a lump sum up front that they expected to cover their housing and care for as long as they're able to live there; if the assisted living center declares bankruptcy, the resident may be out that money, says Craig Reaves, an elder law attorney based in Kansas City, Mo. Be sure to have a peek here if this is something that interests you.
Make sure the facility is licensed to ensure it meets your state's assisted living policies. To validate this, consult the agency that certifies assisted living centers in your state. The agency tasked with doing this differs by state. In Maryland, for instance, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Health Care Quality is responsible. To find the proper agency in your state, start by browsing Eldercare.gov and drilling down by Zip code. Also, contact the Better Business Bureau to discover if there are problems against the assisted living center you're interested in.
Get referrals. Go to people you know who have done the search before you, advises Joy Loverde, author of The Complete Eldercare Planner (Random House, revised and updated, 2009). Also, contact your local agency on aging or a geriatric care manager to learn if they can provide a list of facilities they 'd recommend in your location.
Ask if there is a waiting list when you make first contact with the center. "Most of the excellent assisted living communities have a waiting list," Loverde says. "Don't presume that there's going to be room when you need it." So start your search early and get on the list if you find a place you love.
Check out a few times before you agree to move in. Visit the community at least twice-- once throughout the day and once at nighttime, Loverde advises, and go on at least one guided tour. Show up unannounced for your other visits, experts state, so you can see exactly what takes place when they're not expecting visitors. The nighttime go to is specifically crucial since most of the personnel has actually likely gone home. That's when you can get a good sense of "who is left at night shift," she states. "Observe whether the evening shift is aware of the needs of the residents. Ask present residents if they have actually had issues during the night," such as not being able to get assistance in the wee hours due to low staff levels.
Talk with current residents. Talk with residents you meet during your on-site visits and ask if they've experienced any issues at the center. Probe them about problems with the facility's personnel, quality of meals, and on-site thefts, for example. Also, ask the facility if they have a resident council, and ask to talk with the resident in charge of the council to learn what problems, if any, occupants have about the facility, Loverde suggests.
Get a copy of the contract and show it to a lawyer. The contract or composed agreement should detail how the center manages residents as they age or become sicker, and must include a staff-to-resident ratio, and details about any costs connected with leaving the center-- such as how much of your money you will be refunded and in what time frame. An elder law attorney can assist you understand the contract and may recommend you to ask the facility for changes that may work to your benefit, Loverde says, such as negotiating future rate increases-- especially vital for those on a fixed income.
Still, often times, assisted living residents do not get their contracts reviewed prior to moving in. "Individuals underestimate [the] need to have actually agreements evaluated," Reaves says. "It depends on the center, but there can be some arrangements in those contracts that you may not want," and the facility might want to remove them if asked, he says. For example, some agreements enable centers to kick a homeowner out if he runs out of cash to pay for keeping housing or care. This can be worked out prior to the contract is signed, so that a resident can tap into Medicaid, for example, to help cover the costs, Reaves states.
