My Mom is 95, blind and in good health. She currently lives with us and we have caregivers who come to our home for a few hours 6 days a week. I have heard of 24-hour homes that are managed by a caregiver where there are only a few live-in guests. I have heard very good comments about these homes and would like to explore the possibility for my Mom. I don't know what these homes are called, where they are located or how to get in touch with them. Can you help please. Thanks so much, JanMarie
They have just been written up on the AHCA list again for negligence but sometimes the fancy furniture and chandeliers don't mean a thing go behind the scences-does it smell, are patients just parked or attented to?It all comes down to the STAFF that is doing the care! It's very frustrating.......strength and peace on your venture!
My mother was in a resident situation like this for nearly a year, a situation that I now realize was ultimately not to her benefit, and is not one I would recommend. During her time there I became quite familiar with the residential care setting, both where she lived and in other homes of the same sort, so l'll expand a bit on egiuffre's comments (above).
In my experience these places tend to be understaffed for the kind of care needed. The same people who lift, roll, shower and toilet residents are also responsible for cooking, cleaning, laundry, entertainment (typically placing residents in front of a TV for most of the day), feeding, dressing, undressing, etc., every resident.
Most times the caregivers also live in the residence, which means they are on duty 24/7. To be brutally honest, taking care of memory impaired or physically impaired elders is a similar to managing toddlers, but far more labor intensive and much less emotionally rewarding. Would you be willing to fully care for 6-8 toddlers for 16 hours a day with only one assistant, plus manage all the other aspects of running that household? I sure wouldn't. But that's what residential care is like.
The caregivers themselves are exploitable by the residential care owners because they need work and/or a place to live, but lack something vital that would enable them to have a better opportunity, whether that is legal resident status (no green card), poor education, poor work record, poor English skills, or all of the above.
Cutting corners becomes a survival skill for the employees. To describe their work as physically, mentally & emotionally exhausting plus a fast track for burnout would be massive understatements.
I moved Mom to an AL facility and cannot believe the difference in her care, much of which I attribute to long-term, trained staffers (many with 5-10 year seniority) that put in a reasonable amount of work. They're on duty only 8 hours per day, rotate throughout the facility and go home to their own lives at the end of their shifts, returning refreshed the following day.
In the Los Angeles area's San Fernando Valley suburbs, resident care runs approximately $2000+ per month, so it's not inexpensive but is indeed less costly than many AL facilities. Mom is 92, has vascular dementia and is in the memory care unit of a fairly large facility (about 125 residents). The cost is $2800 total per month. She can feed herself but otherwise requires full care.
I learned that it was naive to imagine that Mom would receive better care from a residential care setting with an inferior caregiver to patient ratio than she had in our own home. If we want our parents to be well cared for and can't do it ourselves, that comes at a price.
My recommendation is to look into a bona fide AL facility that has professional, well paid staff who have remained long-term, or to consider short-term respite care.
Just my brutally honest opinion. I hope it helps.
homes that have been suspended or have had violations. You may get a few that only take 2 residents at a time-they do not have to be licensed- some are probably ok but due very diligent research on a unlicensed facility as they are not goverened by AHCA but CFS.I have and found felony convictions at some.Also do not give up any finacial control to any of these people large or small. Pay them directly ..do not give anyone acess to her accounts etc...Saying that many are loving, care and really are able to handle more than we alone can.As said before you can always go in as a respite patients 2 weeks or so to make sure you and she like it then continue to permanant if it's a good fit.
Good luck....
Change is hard for anyone. You might say we are going to try this.
Your question sure became lost for a bit. This happens I think when site activity is high. If you put some sort of short response to your own question, that will bump it up the the top of the list.