Session 1 - Memory Care Facility Shopping: Resources You Have That You Didn’t Know You Had
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Dear Student,
Welcome! In Session 1 - "Memory Care Facility Shopping" you're going to discover some resources that you actually have that you may or may not know that you have. So let's get started! ♦♦No doubt you have been in close contact with your loved one’s medical care provider whether a nurse practitioner or doctor. If your loved one has seen them for a long time, they know the situation and health conditions as well as the mental challenges your loved one has. Quite likely, your loved one is not their only patient suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer's. Your first resource is talking to them or their office on getting a list of facilities that can handle your loved one's particular needs and provide the correct care for them. |
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♦♦The difference between care levels (and licensing levels) is incredible. For example, if someone is at a rehab facility because they're recovering from knee surgery that's one thing. If someone is mentally ill and fell, that's another thing altogether. (Been there, done that! Spent hours hunting for the rehab facility that can handle both!)
If someone is unable to care for themselves with such things as yard work or even cooking or laundry on their own, then the level of care required might be Assisted Living. Sometimes this is done in their own home.
Nursing home care could actually involve somebody's health conditions. But let’s throw in the Dementia or Alzheimer's and then we call it Memory Care. Some folks are actually in Memory Care without the medical ailments, but that is rare.
Getting the right Memory Care Facility is the difference between wearing a pair of shoes that fit your feet and are comfortable. On on somebody else's feet, the same pair of shoes would cause blisters, sore spots, and a lot of pain.
More than likely, the medical care practitioner has been invited to a luncheon or an introductory tour of various facilities. Perhaps they even have patients in certain facilities. Often, they may even make “house calls” to those facilities.
A great question to ask the medical care provider is this: “If so-n-so were your spouse, where would you want them to go?”
♦♦Your next resource includes your friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, and those who attend your church. Ask, if you don’t already know, iIf they’ve had any experiences with some of the memory care facilities. Remember, some of the nursing homes have a memory care wing or unit instead of a separate facility and that's okay too.
Have they had good experiences or bad experiences? Remember the shoe that makes blisters on some feet and feels good on other feet! It may be bad for them but it may be ideal for you and vice-versa.
♦♦The next one may surprise you. You may not even know that it's available but in a lot of towns municipalities, counties, and states, they have a Department on Aging. They may call it by a number of different names. More than likely they have every facility available in the area including places you've never heard of that may be say a town over or cross the county or across the river even in another state. That is a good list to start with.
They may have some alternatives such as adult day care or home services that may be available to your loved one that you are unaware they even exist!.
This department can walk you through how are you going to fund the facility Take the time and least make a phone call and talk to them you're probably find somebody that's pleasant, that's overworked but that gets what you need. And is hopefully willing to listen to your story. They probably will not make specific recommendations.
HINT: If you are there in person, watch their face as they mention certain facilities. A smile tells a lot. And so does a frown!
♦♦Next up on our resource list are agencies that are usually for-profit and they fulfill the role of “matchmaker.” They match the needs that you have with a facility whether it's memory care or assisted living or a nursing home. What these people do is spend a lot of time touring the different facilities, keeping detailed notes (even if it’s in their heads) about what facilities and personalities are available.
They normally get paid from a referral fee from the facility I say that not in a bad light at al!
It is their job to match your needs to the resources of a particular facility. They have done the legwork, spent the time and can make solid recommendations.
After all, their livelihood depends totally on “fitting the right feet in the right shoes” and they make money by referrals from satisfied clients!
These folks are invaluable if you have limited time to go through the maze by yourself and/or if your loved one lives out of town, across the state, or even across the states. (While it’s okay to do your own reconnaissance afterward you contract them, once you contact one, USE THEM! They have done your work and need to get paid for it!)
If you have checked with the:
♦♦Medical care provider
♦♦Family & friends, coworkers, etc.
♦♦Department of Aging in your area
♦♦Professional “matchmakers”
then, now is the time to start getting on your computer or your cell phone and doing an internet search before you ever get in your car and drive.
Make a note (I like to use spiral notebooks so I can keep everything in one place. I use one facility per page.) What is available? Staffing ratios? Amenities? Transportation to and from doctors appointments? Activities?
And, very importantly, what is the cost? An internet search is often the cheapest and quickest way to eliminate possibilities, including those that are not in the budget.
Your Assignment Today:
♦♦Call the medical care provider
♦♦Check with friends and family, co-workers, church folks, neighbors
♦♦Call the Department of Aging
♦♦Find out if there is a “Matchmaker” agency that can refer you to the right place in the area you need..
I strongly encourage you, I implore you, I cannot emphasize strong enough, how much you will need to open tomorrow's lesson! You will find in your email - it will start off with saying "Session 2".
until then,
Linda L Culbreth
P.S. Session 2 will be about the law! See you there.
If someone is unable to care for themselves with such things as yard work or even cooking or laundry on their own, then the level of care required might be Assisted Living. Sometimes this is done in their own home.
Nursing home care could actually involve somebody's health conditions. But let’s throw in the Dementia or Alzheimer's and then we call it Memory Care. Some folks are actually in Memory Care without the medical ailments, but that is rare.
Getting the right Memory Care Facility is the difference between wearing a pair of shoes that fit your feet and are comfortable. On on somebody else's feet, the same pair of shoes would cause blisters, sore spots, and a lot of pain.
More than likely, the medical care practitioner has been invited to a luncheon or an introductory tour of various facilities. Perhaps they even have patients in certain facilities. Often, they may even make “house calls” to those facilities.
A great question to ask the medical care provider is this: “If so-n-so were your spouse, where would you want them to go?”
♦♦Your next resource includes your friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, and those who attend your church. Ask, if you don’t already know, iIf they’ve had any experiences with some of the memory care facilities. Remember, some of the nursing homes have a memory care wing or unit instead of a separate facility and that's okay too.
Have they had good experiences or bad experiences? Remember the shoe that makes blisters on some feet and feels good on other feet! It may be bad for them but it may be ideal for you and vice-versa.
♦♦The next one may surprise you. You may not even know that it's available but in a lot of towns municipalities, counties, and states, they have a Department on Aging. They may call it by a number of different names. More than likely they have every facility available in the area including places you've never heard of that may be say a town over or cross the county or across the river even in another state. That is a good list to start with.
They may have some alternatives such as adult day care or home services that may be available to your loved one that you are unaware they even exist!.
This department can walk you through how are you going to fund the facility Take the time and least make a phone call and talk to them you're probably find somebody that's pleasant, that's overworked but that gets what you need. And is hopefully willing to listen to your story. They probably will not make specific recommendations.
HINT: If you are there in person, watch their face as they mention certain facilities. A smile tells a lot. And so does a frown!
♦♦Next up on our resource list are agencies that are usually for-profit and they fulfill the role of “matchmaker.” They match the needs that you have with a facility whether it's memory care or assisted living or a nursing home. What these people do is spend a lot of time touring the different facilities, keeping detailed notes (even if it’s in their heads) about what facilities and personalities are available.
They normally get paid from a referral fee from the facility I say that not in a bad light at al!
It is their job to match your needs to the resources of a particular facility. They have done the legwork, spent the time and can make solid recommendations.
After all, their livelihood depends totally on “fitting the right feet in the right shoes” and they make money by referrals from satisfied clients!
These folks are invaluable if you have limited time to go through the maze by yourself and/or if your loved one lives out of town, across the state, or even across the states. (While it’s okay to do your own reconnaissance afterward you contract them, once you contact one, USE THEM! They have done your work and need to get paid for it!)
If you have checked with the:
♦♦Medical care provider
♦♦Family & friends, coworkers, etc.
♦♦Department of Aging in your area
♦♦Professional “matchmakers”
then, now is the time to start getting on your computer or your cell phone and doing an internet search before you ever get in your car and drive.
Make a note (I like to use spiral notebooks so I can keep everything in one place. I use one facility per page.) What is available? Staffing ratios? Amenities? Transportation to and from doctors appointments? Activities?
And, very importantly, what is the cost? An internet search is often the cheapest and quickest way to eliminate possibilities, including those that are not in the budget.
Your Assignment Today:
♦♦Call the medical care provider
♦♦Check with friends and family, co-workers, church folks, neighbors
♦♦Call the Department of Aging
♦♦Find out if there is a “Matchmaker” agency that can refer you to the right place in the area you need..
I strongly encourage you, I implore you, I cannot emphasize strong enough, how much you will need to open tomorrow's lesson! You will find in your email - it will start off with saying "Session 2".
until then,
Linda L Culbreth
P.S. Session 2 will be about the law! See you there.
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