WEA2016 Asked August 2016
Getting families to listen about independent living?
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How do you get families to understand that independent living is just what it says it is? There are no services in these types of facilities and the staff is not in the capacity to monitor whereabouts, medications or anything else. Families are responsible for their loved ones and their needs unless they are in assisted living etc. A big frustration of mine is families depositing their aging loved ones and not wanting to listen when I tell them more services or a different facility is needed. I would love some insight on why this happens and how to get through to them.
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I completely understand that it must be frustrating when people visit your facility, see what it comprises, and then stubbornly close their eyes and move their frail, dependent elders in there anyway.
But you were asking why. And one reason is that the elder won't consider anything that involves a higher level of care = interference in their freedom of action; another is wishful thinking; another is desperation, as in "placement comes first"; yet another is cost. What it all amounts to is false economies and short-term thinking; and yes, it must leave you all too often with your heart in your mouth about how you're going to cope with these people, and your heart in your boots about the kind of conversations you'll be facing with the relatives when it all goes belly-up.
Having said that, what can you do at your end to reject applications from obviously unsuitable candidates? Do you use some kind of formal assessment?
After all, there must be distinctions to be made between Independent Living and bog-standard rental accommodation. Otherwise what's the difference between you and any other landlord, and what's the point of calling it anything?
My Dad is lucky to be in an independent living facility where there is optional care available at an added cost when the time comes. For example, my Dad has the "med option" where the facility comes twice a day to dispense his prescription medicine. And more recently I also opted for the higher care option where an Aide helps Dad get ready for bed at night, and checks on him every couple of hours.
As for families not realizing what level of care the love one needs I think is quite common. It's the family first rodeo so they aren't sure what to do or why. Many of us are in denial, I know I was when recently the IL side of the facility said it is time to think about moving Dad to the AL side of the facility.
So it can be a first step in getting consent to leave their family homes and move into a place where at least somebody will notice if they're lying outside their front door. Whereas if you try whisking them, whammo, into a full-on care environment they will fight it tooth and nail until the day comes of the broken hip and no choice at all about where they get carted off to.
But are you running or working in an IL facility where there is no option to scale up the level of assistance? I'd have thought that continuing care is becoming the norm, isn't it?
Another thing that I see as a problem is that long term residents are not reassessed as often as they should be. It has also been my experience that sometimes management will keep a resident who should have a higher level of care because they don't want a vacant room, a problem in some of the older buildings because people opt for the newer options.
Why not just move the loved on into a senior apartment until they do actually need help. It is probably cheaper and may even have the rent subsidized. A phone call once or twice a day and visits to take the person shopping or bring supplies may be all that is needed in the beginning. Adding a lifeline pendant if the facility does not have an emergency call button is helpful and getting such services as meals on wheels or county health services where available. All of these things exist where I live and one of the local pharmacies will deliver drugs and basic food supplies. A local bus service is also available which is handicapped access able to go to places like Walmart. This is all in a small city in upstate NYS. Our hospice had several patients who were able to remain in this accommodation till the end of life.
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