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Choosing an
assisted living facility
should not be
done in panic mode.
It happens all the time. A crisis takes place, an accident, a fall or
an illness forces the issue to the forefront.
No one in the family had a real plan on what to do when Mom or Dad
needed help on a daily basis and suddenly decisions have to be made and have to
be made now. In a panic to find an
immediate solution, siblings debate care options and charge out to tour facilities. In the rush to find a place, often very basic
questions are not asked and future possibilities are not
considered. Knowing how to prepare, what
questions to ask and what to look for can save your aging loved ones and the
entire family a lot of heartache down the road.
Here are some common mistakes to avoid.
Not having the conversation
It is unfortunate that most
families get caught off guard about their aging loved one’s future care
needs. The practical decisions of
providing care, in most families, have not been clearly mapped out ahead of
time so everyone knows what to expect.
This often leaves the adult children in the family in conflict with each
other and scrambling to find a care solution when their aging parent suddenly
needs daily help. Wise seniors and their
families will realize that it is better to have a plan in place than go through
the rush and stress of making a major life decision in panic mode.
Have the conversation ahead of time and get a clear plan set down that
the entire family can work with. Do the
research now and make general decisions about how care will be provided once
needed. Create a short list of
facilities and service providers to turn to in the future. Organize a list of things to be taken and
things to be passed along to family members when the time comes to move. Discuss parent preferences of who in the
family will take on managing the finances and who will make care decisions in
case they can’t. Get the legal paperwork
set up so it is just a matter of activating the decision once the time is
right. These are serious and often
uncomfortable issues that all families with aging parents must deal with and
putting off having the conversation and making decisions is being short
sighted.
Not
being realistic about the future
When shopping for a care facility it is important to be realistic
about current and future care needs.
Most families look at an assisted living facility with an eye on location,
cleanliness, decor and activities but fail to consider if the facility can
provide the level of care needed for possible future health and cognitive
issues. Assisted living facilities are strictly
regulated by state governments and fall into different categories which
determine what level of health care they are allowed to provide. For example in the State of Wisconsin, there
are three different levels of assisted living facilities: community-based
residential facilities (CBRF), adult family homes (AFH) and residential care
apartment complexes (RCAC). Out of these
three categories only CBRF facilities can provide significant health care on
site. In addition, within the CBRF category there are various classifications
which determine who they can and cannot serve.
Pay attention to the facility’s classification and ask specific
questions on if they provide up to end of life care as well as if and when they
would ever require a Resident to move.
As the elder ages and health needs change, some facilities will be
forced to evict Residents when they no longer can provide the level of care
required. So it is important to consider future decline in health and cognitive
abilities when choosing an assisted living facility. Moving a loved one from facility to facility
is costly as well as emotionally and physically difficult for the elder so it
is better to be realistic about the future care needs now.
Not understanding the fine print
Even though moving into an assisted living facility is usually a health
care decision rather than a real estate decision, there will still be contracts
involved. Most facilities have
straightforward contracts which need to be read in detail. When choosing between facilities, one of the
main sources of confusion is the various pricing structures which should be
explained in detail in the contract. In
addition to admission fees, facilities will have diverse systems set up to
determine monthly costs. Some facilities
have base rates for room rental and meals and then charge extra fees for
cares. Others may charge for each
service provided a la carte or they may rank the level of care needed on a sliding
scale and increase the monthly charges according to how many cares the person
needs. With a scale system, Residents
start at a lower cost but should expect monthly rates to increase as care needs
increase. Other facilities lock a rate
at admission and will honor that rate regardless of increase of care needs due
to aging, only to address the fees again if there is a major change in health. Since
each assisted living community sets up rates differently, it is important to
understand and compare upfront costs and how they may change over time.
Knowing about these common pitfalls can save the entire family stress
and regret and allows everyone to focus on making the transition to an assisted
living facility easier for your loved one when the time comes.
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Kate McCarthy is Director of Operations for HomeAid Health
Care which provides services for the elderly and disabled who wish to remain
safe and independent at home. HomeAid is
sister company to Prairie Home Assisted Living (Class C, CBRF) which has served
the physical, spiritual, mental and health needs of their Residents since
1999. Together the two family owned companies
provide comprehensive care for the elderly and disabled in the Fox Valley of
Wisconsin.
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