Mom has lived at an ALF for 8 yrs. Her dementia has advanced and we had to find a secure memory care facility. She's only been there 3 weeks, and her dentures have been misplaced 2x's. The first time they were found this second time , not as of yet. Who is responsible for the cost of replacing the lost dentures? (If not found) BTW I texted the administrator on the issue and have yet to receive a reply!
at my mom's memory care dental hygiene is nearly non existent, and fortunately mom doesn't wear dentures but her teeth are beginning to disintegrate now at 93 1/2 without proper brushing and flossing and I have private aides with her 12 hours a day
what I observe of others with dentures and hearing aides is this:
staff tends to discourage dentures as residents tend to choke on them in later stages
really good nurses at bedtime will remind caregivers to collect both dentures and hearing aides and give to her - now this is a challenge if the caregivers are short staffed or constantly turning over and/or any particular nurse is new and doesn't do the same - I don't know about dentures but hearing aides are very expensive
request a care meeting to go over your mother's needs - meds, meals etc
I have a long list of items that have gone missing from mom's belongings the past year, but have refrained from giving them a bill
When I'm there and her walker or wheelchair are missing then I get nasty and make them find it before I leave - they are clearly marked and are unique and no one should be taking them
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You may be able to get a supplemental insurance policy (which you would pay out of your mom's social security and then I believe they adjust the Medicaid payment accordingly) to cover dental and/or vision. The person in the business office should be able to give you information on whether there is something like that available. It won't help now but might with the next set.
I remember I couldn't find my Mom's eyeglasses in the usual places, searched and searched. Then for some reason I checked under the bed, it was a maze under there, not much light, but sure enough leaning up on the side of footing was Mom's glasses.
Does anyone know if Medicare/
Medicaid pay for dentures? All of mom's check goes to facility for rent I pay the difference. There is no $$$ for anything let alone dentures.
Thanks
I would also discuss a plan for the care of the new dentures. Care of things like dentures, eye glasses, hearing aids, etc. is very challenging in a MC facility. If the resident is prone to discard the item, it's not practical to keep up with them anymore. Even if the staff put the items away at night and provide them to the resident the next day, the items can be misplaced during the day. The resident can remove them and put them in someone else's drawers, place in trash can, hide in some unlikely place, behind a bed, under a chair, etc. Once my LO's glasses went missing, it was a constant struggle to keep up with them. She would place them all over the place.
I might discuss other options with her dentist or ask if she can receive her dentures for meals and then have them placed in safekeeping after the meal.
VonPing, I appreciate how infuriating this situation is, but take deep breaths and deal with the issues one at a time. Issue one is to replace your mother's denture. Issue two is to figure out a way of ensuring the new one doesn't also go missing, and for that you need to work with the staff to understand the unit's routine, not have a go at them. Issue three is to claim back the cost of the replacement denture, if possible (see answers above). I do sympathise.