Choosing The Right Assisting Living Place for Your Loved One

Find the right assisted living facility for your mother or father can be a huge undertaking and often very expensive.  There are so many factors in choosing the right assisted living facility for your loved one, not just price. Outlined below are some important things that I have outlined to help you choose the right assisted living place for your loved one.

What type of assisted living does your love one need? 

There are all kinds of assisted living facilities. You need to decide what will be the best fit for your loved one. Large one-story facilities with small bedrooms a chair and shower, multi-level facilities with elevators; hospital like facilities or a residential type home with limited residents and personalized service

• How close does the facility need to be to you for visits?
• How much can you afford? This is probably one of the most difficult decisions to make.  Costs vary by location, type of facility and services provided, do they take insurance, how much can you or your loved one afford etc.
• What kinds of activities do they enjoy? Reading, crossword puzzles, watching TV, arts and crafts, board games, dance, music, gardening, etc.
• Is your loved one mobile without the use of a wheelchair, rollator or walker and needs assistance? 
• Are they able to go to the restroom without assistance?
• Can they take a shower or bath without assistance?
• Are they able to prepared meals for themselves? Do they have dietary issues?
• Does your loved one have health issues, such as; high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, hearing problems, incontinence. etc.
• Does your loved one take a lot of medications and need help with taking the correct medications at the schedule time?
• Do they have dementia or Alzheimer’s? Do they do forget where they are, have a hard time with short term memory or do they wander off at times? Do they have anger issues?
• Are they affected by sundowners and get up at night wandering around checking lights, closing blinds, checking the thermostat, unlocking or locking doors, etc.?
• I am sure I have not addressed all the questions you may have, but this should be a good start. Now we need to talk about the questions to ask the facility you are considering.

Questions for the assisted living facility

Before you ask them the price, you need to know more about the facility and the level and type of care they provide.

• Are they licensed and insured?
• Are they locally owned and operated or corporate owned?
• Where is the facility located? Downtown, in the suburbs, country style setting, etc.?
• What is the maximum number of residents the facility will accommodate?
• Will they provide you with references?
• What is their staffing ratio to the number or residents? Are the staff employees or contractors? Have they been thoroughly vetted, such as background checks, contact with former employers?
• What training does the staff have in carrying for seniors in an assisted living environment? Do they know how to do CPR?
• Do they have a nurse or trained EMT on staff 24 hours a day or are they on call?
• Do they have a physician on call? Does a physician come to the facility periodically to check on the residents?
• How are the resident rooms furnished? Smart TV’s, sitting areas, windows, shower facilities, etc. Are they private rooms or shared?
• How often do they clean and sanitize the rooms and other areas of the facility?
• How often do they wash and change the linens? Are they done in the facility or performed by an outside service?
• Do they have ambulance service and how close is the nearest emergency room or medical facility?
• Do they offer or facilitate transportation services for medical and dental appointments?
• Do they dispense prescribed medications?
• Does the facility have a defibrillator for emergencies and has the staff been trained on how to use it?
• Do they have call buttons ora  similar device for in room calling?
• Does the facility have backup power in case of power outages?
• What about their meal offerings? Are they prepared in house and by whom? Are they catered and/or delivered? How many meals do they serve each day? Do they offer fresh vegetables and fruits that are in season? Can they accommodate dietary restrictions? Where and when do the residents eat their meals?
• What kinds of activities do they offer the residents? Do they offer enrichment activities? Do they have game or sitting rooms? Do they have an outside area so residents can enjoy some fresh air on occasions?
• Do they have protocols for locking the facility so no one can leave with authorization and no one can enter without authorization?
• What are their visiting hours?
• Do they respite care? Respite care provides short-term, temporary relief for primary caregivers—such as family members or friends—by having a trained professional or volunteer take over care duties for a few hours, days, or weeks. It prevents caregiver burnout, reduces stress, and allows for personal time, while ensuring the care recipient continues to receive proper, safe care at a facility. 
• Do they have a hair salon on site?
• What are the protocols if a resident passes away at the facility?

Assisted Living Home in Nashville

Of course, all that being said, we then get to the price. Depending on the type of care, type facility and amenities, prices on average range from a low of $4,500 to $5.500 a month with some costing more.  Medicare does not pay for assisted living costs. Long term care insurance, Veterans benefits and some Medicaid programs may pay some toward assisted living costs, however, private funds are normally used You will have to determine what price you can afford. 

If you live in or close to Nashville TN, I highly recommend that you consider Just Like Home, a residential senior assisted living home located in Nashville TN. This is a home and not a facility. It is locally owned and operated, with ten private resident suites with en-suite bath rooms, centrally located between Franklin TN and Nashville TN in the Bellevue community.  The home sits on 2 acres with hillside and meadow views and the home is all on one level and is state licensed and insured. They have 24-hour care, a 5 to 1 staff to care ratio (the lowest in the state of TN}. Their amenities include just about everything your loved one would need and want:  nicely decorated suites, chef prepared meals, Smart TV’s, tons of individual and group enrichment activities, computer center, hair salon, coffee bar, library with fireplace, personalized care, a 24/7 security monitoring and alert system, health services, transportation coordination and much more, all in a family like environment.

If you are interested in an assisted living home in Nashville TN then I highly recommend that you visit their website at www.justlikehomeseniorliving.com , email them at  info@justlikehomeseniorliving.com or call them at 615.378.7837 and schedule a tour of their assisted living home in Nashville TN.