Two Questions You May Have About Assisted Living Facilties
by Tony Grant
Choosing an assisted living facility for yourself or a loved one is a major decision that requires extremely careful consideration. For those that are going through this process, it can all seem very overwhelming. There are a couple of questions that you may need answered about assisted living when you are evaluating your options, and learning these answers should help you to make an informed decision about this extremely important topic.
What Are Residents Required To Do For Themselves?
When you are evaluating these facilities, it is important for you to understand what is expected of residents of the facilities. This is particularly true for those that suffer from conditions that inhibit their ability to freely move. In these instances, it is important to consider a facility that offers full-service care, and this will include meal preparation, cleaning, laundry and a host of other routine tasks that people need to do for themselves.
The exact services that are included with the cost of the facility can vary greatly from one provider to another. When these services are not included, there is often an additional charge added to the final bill each time an additional service is requested. This can quickly add up to a monstrous monthly bill. As a result, it is critical for you to carefully review everything that is included with the cost to make sure that you choose a facility where you will not need to use these additional services frequently.
When Should You Schedule A Tour?
Touring the facilities that you are considering is essential for ensuring that you are choosing a facility that meets all your needs and has a friendly staff. However, it can be difficult to get an accurate feel for these communities because they will always present the community in the best light possible. Yet, in order to make an informed decision, you will need to get a view of the community as it is on a day to day basis.
To this end, you may want to consider making an unannounced visit during weekend hours. By catching the staff off guard, you will be able to see how they handle stress. The weekend may be the best time for this because many of the more senior staff members may be gone. This will allow you to gauge the type of interactions that can be expected from the rest of the staff.
Deciding on an assisted living facility for you or a loved one does not have to be a risky gamble. By following these two tips, you can help ensure that this process goes as smoothly as possible.
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About Me
When you're facing putting your loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility, you want to make the best possible choice for your loved one. That can be difficult when you don't know much about the nursing homes in your area, or about what you should be looking for in a nursing home to begin with. It's a good idea to tour as many facilities in your area as possible to get an idea of which ones you like, but you still need to know what the signs of a good or bad nursing home are. I used to work as a kitchen assistant in long term care facilities, and I learned a lot about them during that time. I started this blog to share some of my insights into what makes a nursing home great, and how to spot problems in a facility that you're considering.