Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
I need help on where/who to go too. My Mom is in total denial that anything is wrong with her. She refuses to go to the Dr. to be screened for Dementia/Alz/Bipolar. I am very concerned and do not know who to turn too in this situation. What do I do next?? HELP
naheaton - thanks for the comments. I'm not totally without guilt, but I try. I think I have enough self-preservation (some would say selfishness) to know that I can't burn myself out or use up all my financial resources taking care of mom. I also know that I she wouldn't want me to. (Well, that is what she would have said if asked a few years ago. :-)
JulieW, It's refreshing to me to see how logical you are in taking care of your mother. You seem like you've been taking all the necessary steps with your mother, from diagnosis to finding an asst living/nursing home for her as the disease progresses. And it seems to me, without guilt. I am so glad to hear of someone on this website that doesn't seem to be driven by guilt to take care of their parent. As you can tell, I'm a little more left brained I guess (logical) so I appreciated your response.
A frightening prospect to be sure and obviously you will want to concentrate on what mom will need from a medical perspective first and foremost.
I want to encourage you, however, to think about the financals as soon as is practicable. Many wait and wait before dealing with the fact that the financial resources may not be there to provide for their loved one. The best planning is that which is done as soon as the need for long-term care becomes a possibility.
My father has had Alz for over six years and is still home with my mother and a full time aide. There have been occaisions where mom has felt it was time for assisted living but so far, so good. Much depends on the behaviours of your loved one and what can be managed at home.
All care, whether provided at home or in a facility is expensive. Interestingly, though, it is not in often that facility care is actually less expensive in the end. Moreover, there are greater benefit sets available for assisted living than home care.
My mom is living with us now, but it's becoming more and more difficult for me to take care of her. Incontinence is a huge issue as well as her mobility. She remembers things that happened 30+ years ago but cannot remember what she ate for lunch...if she ate at all. Falls have increased to the point that we have her stay in her area (lower level w/ bathroom access) when I'm at work for safety reasons. She has no strength in her muscles, sleeps ALOT. I do have a caregiver come to the house for 3 hrs a day but not on weekends. The caregiver is noticing her mobility issues and also has concerns for her safety. I guess I just don't know how or when to make the dreadfull and guiltfull decision of asst living arrangements.
My mom saw multiple drs over several months before they came back with a dementia diagnosis. There are MANY types of dementia and many things that can cause it (some, like vitamin K and thyroid problems, can be reversed). There is no one simple test.
After a mini memory test revealed problems, mom saw a memory specialist. Then she saw a geriatrician who tested for a lot of the problems. About 20 or so were ruled out with simple blood tests. Then she had a CAT scan. After that the geriatrician ruled out a couple of other causes. Then she was referred to a geriopsychiatrist who finally determined that Mom has Alzheimer's.
From the memory Dr to final diagnosis took about 3.5 months. Don't let this scare you. Your mom's process might be different. Overall, I was glad that they took the time and did what was needed. The memory Dr initially thought it was Lewy Body Dementia. If they had stopped there and started giving Mom drugs, it would have been bad. Drugs that work for one type of dementia can make others worse. They need to be complete to make sure they treat her correctly.
As far as assisted living, Mom was living with me and still is. She was diagnosed as borderline-severe. After some research, I think she is in Stage 5 Alz (some Stage 6 behaviors). We have just now (10 months later) gotten to a point where we can't leave Mom alone at all. I'm starting to investigate memory care / ALF that deal with Alz patients. But I think we'll still be OK for several months.
Assisted living is an option, but it isn't necessarily mandatory. It all depends on your mom and her circumstances.
My mother-in-laws doctor has a lot of older patients, but he never suggested a formal test done on her for dementia. He did what I call a mini memory test in his office, but he figured out that she was beginning to slip in the memory dept. Just recently she went again (6months later) and he didn't bother with the mini test this time, it was evident that her memory was worse. She even admits that now. She lives in asst. living now, but that was because of her eye sight (macular degeneration) and her falling around in her house, and also the memory thing sure didn't help. So if you think it is unsafe for your mother to live alone now, you'll have to make other arrangements. But if it's dementia only, and it's in the early stages, then don't panic. (yet).
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
I want to encourage you, however, to think about the financals as soon as is practicable. Many wait and wait before dealing with the fact that the financial resources may not be there to provide for their loved one. The best planning is that which is done as soon as the need for long-term care becomes a possibility.
My father has had Alz for over six years and is still home with my mother and a full time aide. There have been occaisions where mom has felt it was time for assisted living but so far, so good. Much depends on the behaviours of your loved one and what can be managed at home.
All care, whether provided at home or in a facility is expensive. Interestingly, though, it is not in often that facility care is actually less expensive in the end. Moreover, there are greater benefit sets available for assisted living than home care.
After a mini memory test revealed problems, mom saw a memory specialist. Then she saw a geriatrician who tested for a lot of the problems. About 20 or so were ruled out with simple blood tests. Then she had a CAT scan. After that the geriatrician ruled out a couple of other causes. Then she was referred to a geriopsychiatrist who finally determined that Mom has Alzheimer's.
From the memory Dr to final diagnosis took about 3.5 months. Don't let this scare you. Your mom's process might be different. Overall, I was glad that they took the time and did what was needed. The memory Dr initially thought it was Lewy Body Dementia. If they had stopped there and started giving Mom drugs, it would have been bad. Drugs that work for one type of dementia can make others worse. They need to be complete to make sure they treat her correctly.
As far as assisted living, Mom was living with me and still is. She was diagnosed as borderline-severe. After some research, I think she is in Stage 5 Alz (some Stage 6 behaviors). We have just now (10 months later) gotten to a point where we can't leave Mom alone at all. I'm starting to investigate memory care / ALF that deal with Alz patients. But I think we'll still be OK for several months.
Assisted living is an option, but it isn't necessarily mandatory. It all depends on your mom and her circumstances.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.