Tribune Article: Finding Quality Long Term Care

A third article relating to eldercare in today's San Luis Obispo Tribune is titled "How To Find a Quality Assisted Living Facility". To learn more about assisted living and long term care options for the elderly contacting your local ombudsman service is recommended. The article is relevant for people living outside of the area as well, because issues of finding quality care are universal.

Additional resources for information about long term care options and quality are listed and costs are discussed.

In San Luis Obispo County residential care homes are described as averaging $4,000 per month or more. A residential care home differs from a larger facility because the residential care home often has 10 beds or less and may be in an adapted house.

The residential homes often offer a warm, friendly family style environment. But, another article in the Tribune explains they may only be inspected once in five years unless there are complaints. Some of the homes are recommended as fantastic and others have had serious complaint issues.

The growth of the number of small residential long term care homes in the county shows the popularity of these smaller facilities. People who are looking for long term care can ask questions about the type of training the staff has received, the ratio of aides to residents, and the emergency response procedures. They can also ask questions regarding medication logbooks, daily care notes, care plans, and the amount of experience that the supervisiors and aides have had with caregiving.

If an employee calls in sick, what plan does the home have to provide for staffing the position?

Other questions might include asking how long a resident has to wait for help, and how much time per shift does the aide have for each person. Is this the aide's first job providing personal care assistance?

There is also the option of hiring paid caregivers from an agency to provide assistance in the senior's own home. Independent caregivers are available also, but as discussed in other posts, insurances, background checks, payroll and supervision will be the responsibility of the client.