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AL residents told they can no longer eat downstairs with the IL residents or they will be charged. There is no communication about this and still when I ask there is nothing written but they were stopped from going down the elevator at dinner time. Is this legal or what can I do or say to the director and the new head of food and beverage who are dictating these new procedures. This is in Illinois.

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Highly doubt this is a legal matter. More like a rule of the community, something to discuss with the director
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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They're not banned, they just need to pay for their meals. Probably the payment structure for meals is different in the contracts for Al and IL. How much is the charge? Usually it's not very much. Probably the amount that would be charged for a guest from outside the community. As long as they are still able to eat as usual on their own floor, there's nothing illegal about that. Just ask, and be reasonable about it.
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Reply to MG8522
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They are not completely banned. If they make a reservation 24 hours in advance and pay for their meal. They can eat downstairs but only two residents from AL can eat down there at one time.
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Reply to AginginIL
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MG8522 Apr 2, 2026
That sounds reasonable. Most facilities with multiple levels of care have similar policies. It's not like a for-profit restaurant where the more meals they sell, the better. They need to have some predictability about what the meal needs will be.
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If all the AL residents with their walkers and wheelchairs go to dinner in the IL dining room, is it going to feel like Independent Living to those who signed up for Independent Senior Living? As a private pay facility, the administration is allowed to make any rules they see fit to make. They were probably receiving a lot of complaints from the IL residents. And remembering my mother's "table manners" when she lived in AL, it was pretty difficult to watch her eat. That's not to say your loved one has questionable table manners, but MANY AL residents do, and think nothing of belching and slurping during dinner.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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At the ccrc that dh worked for, al residents could eat in the il dining rooms at all times. Most chose not to as the ccrc offered an individual service just fir them.
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Reply to PeggySue2020
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Folks in IL can really be weird about AL folks. Generally once someone moves to AL, that’s the end of their social life with their IL friends. It’s like they don’t want to see people like themselves who are obviously declining. This could be a meal management thing OR it could be IL folks complaining that too many very frail appearing people are ruining their restaurant experience. Either way, you can complain but you have no actual “rights” that are being violated.
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Reply to ShirleyDot
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If I were paying a fortune to be in IL, I would find it very unsettling to eat with the AL population. My mom was in AL and the atmosphere in the dining room was much more "nursing home " than I would expect in Independent Living. People were HOH and yelling at each other, table manners were very questionable, and there were constant other uncomfortable behaviors. There were also some fights about who is sitting at which table and he sat in "MY"chair. It was sort of like lunch in a nursery school.
I had never thought of this dining room situation before. Before signing up for independent living, be sure there is not too much interaction with higher levels of care. It can really be depressing for the independent residents. They are not paying to be exposed to this situation. I am not at all against anyone in AL or SNF, they should just be separated. Remember that AL includes cognitively impaired individuals. It is probably considered stimulating for AL population to be around independent adults, but it should not be expected for IL residents to have to deal with these things.
In some facilities, the independent residents may act as volunteers with residents at higher care levels. They may transport wheelchair users to PT, or be friendly visitors to play cards, or even have lunch together occasionally, but they are VOLUNTEERING their time. Socializing should not be required.
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Reply to Sandra2424
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Sandra2424 Apr 9, 2026
One other thought. Independent residents can get to and from the dining room independently. It takes much more planning and staff to escort AL residents with walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, etc. to the dining room.
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I have to say I agree with everyone. If I were paying to live in an IL facility, I would not like to eat with some of the people that were in the AL section where my Mom was, that includes my Mom who had Dementia. The only way I would see an AL resident eating with IL residents would be if it were a husband and wife thing. And as brought up, the kitchen needs a headcount. And maybe the ALs and ILs budget are now separate.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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I eat with an AL patient every day. His wife brings him to dinner. Yes, he needs help. Yes, he can be messy. Yes, he tends to choke on his food and vomit. Yes, he wants/needs contact with other humans. To deny him this would simply be wrong. Yes, ne is welcome to eat dinner with me and the rest of his table companions. Because NO ONE knows what their circumstances will be tomorrow, I do not understand the antagonism toward AL patients.

And for lealonnie1's complaint about walkers, get over it. Lots of people use walkers and rollators without being in AL. Ask me how I know.

I'm not truly sure how the facility gets to charge AL patients extra for their meals. Where I am, meals are a part of your regular fees.
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Reply to StarJoan
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lealonnie1 Apr 8, 2026
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I can understand some aspects of this.
A person in AL that needs help with eating or may be prone to aspiration may need help and in IL there is no help.
A friend of mine was in IL and the staff could noting to physically help an IL resident. If they fell they could call 911. But there could be no "hands on" help.
So if a group of residents from AL all traipse down to IL for a meal there is no staff to help them if it is needed. And this does place an extra burden on the staff that is there to "help and serve" the IL residents. So if the facility has 50 IL residents and they staff a meal for 50 and all of a sudden 10 extra people show up this takes time and attention from the people that are actual residents of IL.
This of what happens to you in a restaurant, you are having a nice meal and all of a sudden a large group of 10 people show up and now you have to wait because your waitress/waiter is slammed.
I would think that this is probably in your contract or it may be worded such that they can make a change if actions of residents compromise workplace efficiency or safety
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Reply to Grandma1954
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How would it not be legal?!
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Reply to LoopyLoo
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The OP replied somewhere below that they are not banned, but they have to make reservations in advance and the number of people who can for any meal is limited. Most of the senior places I've been involved with have policies like this simply because of space and logistics.
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