Assisted Living Directory Blog

Gee whiz – the assisted living space is getting pretty crowded – and crowded with some pretty shady characters.

Seems like every time I look at my blog comments, there’s another spammy, awful “referral” service or site trying to post their site and information, in hopes to benefit from our site’s reputation and longevity (we’ve been around for almost 6 years now).

I also get google alerts for “assisted living” and almost daily a new site posts a PRweb-type “press release” about their new and “revolutionary” assisted living finder or service that offers the most complete, unique and unbiased service out there…..or something to that effect.  When I actually go to the site out of curiosity (knowing what I’ll get when I click on it) – it’s the same old-same old – a very spammily put together site with a big, obvious lead form so they can capture your information to sell to the highest bidder.

When I say “crowded” that may be a bit of an overstatement – since, most of these lame sites will fall to the wayside soon enough.   I mean, if you have to resort to stuffing your site’s url into other sites’ blog comment section, you probably aren’t getting quality sites to link to you naturally and organically – which means that you probably don’t have quality content or worthwhile services.

To the end-user – my advice is when you are truly looking for assisted living for yourself, or a loved one – take a little time to research a website that you are looking at.  Find out how long they have been around, and make sure you know exactly what they are going to do with your information once you hit the ‘submit’ button.

It’s becoming a bit of a dark neighborhood out there – be careful!

Another great question directed to one of the facilities on our site (names have been removed)..

My 91 year old grandmother has been living with us for some time. She had her 3rd hip operation in May and came home from Heartland Rehab this past week. Unfortunately she is weak and has difficulty transferring herself from her wheelchair. She has had multiple toileting accidents as well. I am checking into long term care facilities to see what our options are. We work full time and cannot leave her unattended like we used to. She has become too much for us handle. Is your establishment an option for her? What is the cost? I’m guessing Medicare doesn’t pay for this, but maybe you know for sure. We live at Wattles/John R, so keeping her close to home is a plus. She also is an avid euchre and pinochle player, so having another person (or 3) in the home that also plays, would be a HUGE advantage. Thanks for any info you can provide.

Another great question about assisted living and government funding that came into our site -

“My 67 year old sister has been told she needs to go into assisted living.  She requires assistance with diet and medication administration.  Most of her family is in Macomb and Oakland counties Michigan.  She only recieves disability pension and is on Medicaid.  Are there any facilities or in-home programs that will only take the government funding?”
~ Melissa

Every so often I happen upon something relevant to our site that makes me pause to process it’s significance.

I know that Alzheimer’s is a dreadful disease – stripping a person down to almost nothing but an empty shell.   However, although we might think there is nothing left, and that the well of emotion and connectedness is dry – there can be a moment shared that has deep meaning between the victim and a loved one.

Still Giving Kisses – a book described on occupational therapist, Barbara Smith’s website that I found this week talks about the author’s mother – and one of the few remaining motor acts that she was able to perform – giving kisses – reflecting the title of the book.

I haven’t read the book yet – I hope to – but the title really struck me, and got me thinking -

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can drown a caregiver with legal demands, bureaucratic issues, and personal exhaustion.

However, if the caregiver (usually a son and/or daughter) can try to always be on the lookout for “kisses” – in whatever manifestation  – the human side of the Alzheimer’s gauntlet might not be forgotten.

Here is another great inquiry that came through the site – a person with some complex needs looking for a small residential apartment-style assisted living in Florida. The question was as follows:

Dear Sirs:
I am writing because I have my brother in need of a residence place, but he is handicap. He is a retired Medical Doctor, and needs a place with health care, and companionship. He refuses to go into a regular home for the old. He is 75 years old, and he wants something like a small residential apartment where other people like him, are living, with available doctors and emergency service.
His mind is Ok so far, although sometimes is slow; he had an aneurysm; at the present he has an Emphysema and Prostate Cancer both under control. He can walk slowly with his cane. At the present time he is living by himself in the outskirts of Seebring Fla, doing his own home chores. As relatives, he has myself and my other brother, both of us living in the Dominican Republic, having no other family. He must stay in Florida in order to be able to get the proper medical care he needs for his illness as an American citizen, of course. He is a Surgeon Doctor and Psychiatrist, who served in the US, and it is too bad he is in this shape.
He is only source of income is a Social Security monthly check, and also he has the benefits of Medicare and Medicaid.

The purpose of this letter, if possible is to obtain the following information:
1. The different type of facilities that your institution provides
2. The financial cost of my brother living with you
3. If you accept Medicaid, and if so, what percentage of your cost would cover the Medicaid, as well as his Social Security.

Our intentions are if possible to move him to the new residence by the month of July 2010

Thank you so much in advance for your cooperation…….

Another good question that came in to a particular facility – I always find these interesting – would **your* facility be able to take this person?

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Do you accept, & have an opening for elderly Medicaid person with dementia? My mother is 86, physically active, currently in a nursing home in Ann Arbor, but needs to be moved to a more compassionate & smaller home. She loves the outdoors. But she’s a wanderer. My sister & I have petitioned for guardianship, & my mother’s lawyer & the probate judge would like us (me) to find a nicer place for my mother. Thank you.

Here is another great question submitted through our site to an assisted living facility – we’ve removed anyidentifying names. We think it is a great question relevant to our “how to open” an assisted living facility article.Many people who dream of opening their own ALF may not fully realize the scope of issues that their potential residents mayhave. The question was:

“I have been asked to do a little preliminary recon from afar and will be in your area after Easter. My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s, scoliosis, recovered from a broken hip, and now uses a walker. A gait belt is used whenever she is not seated or lying down. A toileting schedule of every 2 hours daytime and 4 hours at night. She is very kind and childlike (without the tantrums).
Should you have room for her and/or be willing to take her in your care, I have no inkling of the costs involved.
We currently have in home care 7:30am-5:30pm 4 days a week at $12/hr. The two wonderful caregivers are considering
retirement themselves and we (daughters and sons) are looking at all options.”

Would your facility be able to accommodate this person?

It’s always amazing to me how I learn about new things, and meet new people. I stumbled upon a great site through the course of some general surfing around last week – the National University of Singapore, and I noticed that they have an initiative spearheaded by the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre called InnoAge – where among other things their projects include assistive technologies – (a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities, including the elderly).

I had a question about the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, and e-mailed David Lim – the  Associate Director for the Centre.  David is truly a delightful fellow – we have had a really nice e-mail conversation – I had mentioned to him that when I was a kid, I had a pen-pal from Singapore, and actually learned quite a bit about the country.  David really encouraged me to visit Singapore (my wife and I keep talking about taking some trips in the next few years) and it sounds like Singapore is really evolving into a wonderful place to spend some time, and then “hop off to the rest of Asia” as David put it.  David says that some people call it “Little Red Dot”  because of Singapore’s flag.

I spent some time today looking at some of the incredible projects the Centre is working on – like a “Haptic Knob: A Robotic Device For Rehabilitation After Stroke” or a “Augmented reality-based virtual keyboard for Elderly & Disabled.”

Truly amazing stuff.  I really encourage anyone interested in assistive technologies, or anyone who works with the disabled or elderly to check out the Centre  – they’re really onto some great stuff.  I wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavors!

This was a great question submitted to our site recently – I am posting it because it is a great “loaded” question for a facility. I did not include any personal information to protect the person who submitted it.

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“My father-in-law is a ex-POW from the Korean War receiving 100% V.A. disability, Medicare, all medications through the V.A., and has Medicare supplementary insurance through Humana. He has suffered mini-strokes and has been diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia. His physician has stated he requires 24-hour supervision but since he can attend to his personal hygiene, dress, operate a microwave, etc., he is not recommending a ‘nursing home’ per say. Based on this information, which of your facilities’ services would be best suited for my father-in-law’s needs and can you provide a ballpark monthly price range for said services. Thank you.”

This is a great question that we received this week through our site – we’d like to invite anyone who might have input to comment. Thank you! – David (editor)

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Hello,

Is there an assisted living environment in the area, that caters to early stages Alzheimer’s patients who wander but are not yet appropriate for memory care?

My Mother has Alzheimer’s. She is in the early stages and is currently living in an assisted living facility, in Portland, Oregon. She enjoys her own apartment and the many activities that this environment offers. Lately, she has begun to wander from the facility. This, of course, poses a huge liability to my Mother and the facility. Some of the staff have recommended that we move her to the memory care unit. While visiting memory care, we observed people who were much more advanced in the disease. Many were catatonic, lifeless and immobile. Aside from some memory loss, my mother is still very lucid, savvy and mobile. She was very disturbed by what she saw. I feel that if put in this environment, she would decline emotionally, very quickly.

We have researched adult foster care but feel that my mother really benefits from her private apartment, coupled with many people and activities.

Is there an assisted living environment that monitors the doors closely, not allowing Alzheimer’s patients to leave without supervision or redirects them back into the facility? Or, is there a facility that has a secure outdoor setting, allowing people to wander outside without risk?

Please send any resources that you think might be viable.

Much Appreciation,
Troy