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.
Showing posts with label Seniors Residential Care Facility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seniors Residential Care Facility. Show all posts
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Local Article Identifies Violations at Residential Care Facilities
Examination of records of violations at residential care facilities for the elderly was part of an investigative report in today's San Luis Obispo Tribune. The story was titled "County's Worst Offending Homes Are Cited After Repeat Violations". Poor medication management, insufficient and unqualified staffing, poor food quality, and inadequate dementia care provisions were listed as the most common violations found by the Tribune.
The local facilities were listed and violations were discussed in the article. Training the staff to use proper emergency response programs was also an issue at one facility, where a resident wandered outside, fell, and broke a hip.
At another facility inspectors found that staff failed to call 911 after a resident fell and suffered broken ribs.
I would like to add the information that when a frail elder falls caregivers can call 911 for rescue workers to come to the house. The fire department provides a free lift assist and the rescue workers can check for injuries. If there is any chance at all that there is an injury caregivers can call 911 for an ambulance to bring paramedics and transport to the emergency room.
Moving someone who has an injury can make the injury worse. Let trained medical personnel check for injuries and lift someone from the floor. The local fire department provides a free lift assist. Call 911 when there is a fall and ask for rescue workers to come to the house for a lift assist.
The local facilities were listed and violations were discussed in the article. Training the staff to use proper emergency response programs was also an issue at one facility, where a resident wandered outside, fell, and broke a hip.
At another facility inspectors found that staff failed to call 911 after a resident fell and suffered broken ribs.
I would like to add the information that when a frail elder falls caregivers can call 911 for rescue workers to come to the house. The fire department provides a free lift assist and the rescue workers can check for injuries. If there is any chance at all that there is an injury caregivers can call 911 for an ambulance to bring paramedics and transport to the emergency room.
Moving someone who has an injury can make the injury worse. Let trained medical personnel check for injuries and lift someone from the floor. The local fire department provides a free lift assist. Call 911 when there is a fall and ask for rescue workers to come to the house for a lift assist.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Board and Care Residential Facilities Offer Homelike Setting for Seniors
Seniorresource.com explains that one of the long term care options is a board and care facility, which often is a converted or adapted home that has 5 or 6 residents who receive care. A residential board and care home may specialize in the type of care provided, for instance, early stage Alzheimer's.
The number of residents depends upon the zoning for the home. When a facility has room for a larger number of residents it is called an assisted care facility.
The homelike family style atmosphere of a converted house and the small number of residents appeals to those who do not wish to move to a larger facility. Caregivers or aides provide assistance in a group home and many people enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere and shared social interaction. Often everyone becomes like a part of the "family" and the residents and aides may develop close friendships.
To find Residential Care or Board and Care in your area you can search the internet, check with the local ombudsman services, browse the yellow pages, and ask local consultants and care coordinators.
In the San Luis Obispo area Hillside Villa Retirement Home is located in Arroyo Grande. I visited several times around Christmas and the warm, friendly family style atmosphere was wonderful. There are a number of residential homes in San Luis Obispo County, and if you live elsewhere you can check for similar homes in your area.
The number of residents depends upon the zoning for the home. When a facility has room for a larger number of residents it is called an assisted care facility.
The homelike family style atmosphere of a converted house and the small number of residents appeals to those who do not wish to move to a larger facility. Caregivers or aides provide assistance in a group home and many people enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere and shared social interaction. Often everyone becomes like a part of the "family" and the residents and aides may develop close friendships.
To find Residential Care or Board and Care in your area you can search the internet, check with the local ombudsman services, browse the yellow pages, and ask local consultants and care coordinators.
In the San Luis Obispo area Hillside Villa Retirement Home is located in Arroyo Grande. I visited several times around Christmas and the warm, friendly family style atmosphere was wonderful. There are a number of residential homes in San Luis Obispo County, and if you live elsewhere you can check for similar homes in your area.
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