I think the AL where my dad is will help us find a place for my dad but I still wanted to ask for your experiences with loved ones in memory care - good and bad experiences welcome.
Any advice for us as we pick a place? Things to look for?
(We are in the Charlotte area.)
COVID-19 tore through long-term care facilities across the country, accounting for a third of coronavirus deaths during the first year of the pandemic. Tragic tales of deaths due to problems with testing, personal protective equipment and infection control emerged at state veterans’ homes in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Texas.
The inspector general’s report on the VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville is the first to publicly detail extensive breakdowns at a facility operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The agency runs a system of 134 nursing homes that serve roughly 9,000 veterans a day across 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
An examination by the Government Accountability Office in June found there were 3,944 cases and 327 deaths among residents of VA nursing homes from March 2020 through mid-February. The cumulative case rate among residents was 17% and the death rate was 1%.
Those numbers are miniscule compared to nursing homes nationwide, where researchers estimate there were 592,629 cases and 118,335 deaths last year. The death rate among long-term care residents as of March was 8%, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
It has been known that some cameras can be hacked, and the images could be shown on web.
God is with You !! Dr Jack Grenan
1. Dementia training for ALL staff, including housekeeping, laundry, and kitchen staff.
2. A robust activities department with lots of dementia friendly activities, including some sort of exercise daily.
Another useful tool was video coverage of the facility. We could check a video feed of Dad without him knowing to assure ourselves he was doing well. Although Dad died before mandatory covid lockdowns, I imagine the video would have been even more important during covid restrictions.
Most places are way understaffed.
Also, inquire about meds they may want to give because Seniors are known to be over medicated just for the convenience of the Aides and Nurses, even tho they tell you it's fir the good of your loved one calling it for their anxiety or depression but ends up making them more like a Zombie and more able to fall. It's not un normal to wait up to 20 minutes to get the patients buzzer answered by someone once they call fir help which means you'll end up in soiled pants or diapers.
Be Realistic and Know that what you see is not reality. The pretty place and all the niceness is to sell you on putting your loved one at their facility.
You need to tour the place unexpectedly and go have lunch in the Dinning Room and talk with a few of the ones living there when Staff are not around!!!
Ask if you're able to have a camera installed in your Loved Ones Room so you can check on lived one any time 24 7.
Check on any and all complaints that may or may not have been filed on the place.
1. Ask (politely) the agency for permission to visit late at night only to observe how the aides look after the place. At night, there will only be a few aides, because the residents are sleeping. However, there are residents who roam at night aimlessly by themselves. What would the aides to then? Do they ignore these roaming residents and play games on their phones, chat loudly with friends or coworkers, or doze off at their work stations?
2. How often or frequent are the residents diapers changed? Some aides leave the dirty diaper duty to the inexperienced or new employee or the next shift. This means your loved one will sit in filth until someone cleans up.
3. Can you afford a private carer in the facility? This happens ALL.THE.TIME. The agency may not have enough aides to help your loved one, so you end up paying for a private caregiver to be with your LO. Unless you can afford it, the whole thing can become VERY expensive - more than keeping your LO at home with 2-3 different caregivers each day.
Watch out for the smokescreen and mirrors. What you want to observe is beyond the well-manicured lawn and beautiful lobby.
My husband’s MC failed these three tests, so I took him home. Now he has private caregivers familiar surrounding. Very challenging to me but at least I have control over his care.
Good luck.
Make at least two visits - one unannounced
Don't be overly impressed with the chantelier and the baby grand in the lobby - LO does not live in the lobby. Care and attitude is what you are concentrating on.
What payment sources are accepted (in some states, it is difficult to find MCs that will accept medicaid without 2 years of private pay)?
Get a list of the current month's scheduled activities. Stop by any activities while you are visiting and observe how the staff and residents interact. Run like get out if there are no activities!!!
Is a medicaid bed guaranteed if private funds are exhausted?
Get a list of available scheduled activities for the month
Get a copy of the weekly menu (and make sure one of your visits is close to meal time)
Can you have lunch with your LO after they become a resident?
What is the staff to patient ratio for all three shifts (guaranteed to be lower than what is stated because of constant call outs but this will get you some sense of what they should be aiming for)
Do they have an evacuation procedure in place?
What is the min. food/water supply backup for emergencies? (in NJ it is 3 days min but it may differ from state to state)
The place in MI was sort of a hybrid- all in one care place. Not locked down which was a problem at first as dad was still looking for his car. (The car thing didn’t end until the last month of his life). Some alarm bracelets and dad -sitting by me and staff for awhile worked until he acclimated. He did well there, could roam the halls, hang out at various nurse stations and nap in the lobby by a big fireplace.
Id recommend to anyone looking at memory care to visit, hang out for an hour in a common area, watch, listen, see how residents are doing. The best places are still depressing as hell and always understaffed and under payed.
My dad died a peaceful death one year ago while on hospice.
Could you share where you are located? It sounds like a good place.
Thanks
https://www.agingcare.com/questions/questions-to-ask-memory-care-facilities-before-placing-a-lo-470196.htm
I would say my #1 concern would be to ensure that the MC was able to care for Dad until end of life. You don't want to have to move him again as he becomes more infirm.
I'd also ask if they divide the more cognizant residents from the less-cognitive ones for activities. My mom's place split them up, so things like trivia, discussion groups, and bingo could go on for the more cognitive folks while the less cognitive ones had lower-key activities. You don't want a place that caters only to the lowest common denominator.
Ask- What charges are not part of monthly fee;
What would cause discharge of person; (e.g., transfer to SNF, need for psychiatric care, can’t pay fee);
What specific dementia training have the aides received;
What are visitor restrictions (hours, eating w/ LO,etc.);
Is there 24/7 nursing in house;
Is there an outside area where residents can walk;
What is the staff/resident ratio;
Are all rooms private w facilities;
Are there adjunct facilities in the building like a salon, cafe,etc.;
What is the facilities plan to care for your LO.
Observe- Staff interactions with residents ( I eliminated one facility because a staff member was pulling a wheelchair bound resident backwards);
Is the facility odorless;
Is the decor simple, attractive, bright, not institutional looking;
Is the staff welcoming, courteous, caring;
Do the meals look appetizing;
These are just some things to consider. Choose a facility that is close enough so it's not a burden to visit, and drop in at different times of day or evening.
Be open minded about his acceptance to this new environment. It might not go as well as you would like. He may get angry, confused, or agitated by the change in environment, or think that you are abandoning him. This is not unusual. The staff should know how to address these occurrences.