Myths with Assisted Living Centers

Signs To Look Out For Before Considering Assisted Living Centers

When you were little, your parents were the ones who took care of you. From making sure you were eating properly down to bathing you every day. Therefore, moving a parent into an assisted living center is one of the hardest and heart-wrenching decisions of your life. You feel guilty because you want to return the care that your parents gave you. However, guilt is the last thing you need to feel when considering assisted living for your parents. Always remember that in an assisted living center, they are provided assistance to make sure they are safe and healthy.

Unlike a nursing home, assisted living centers do not provide medical care such as treatment for specific conditions or diseases, making it appealing as they offer a relatively high level of independence. In fact, residing in an assisted living center is similar to having a private apartment but with an added perk that a trained staff is on hand to help your loved one when necessary.

But when is it the right time to decide when to move a parent to an assisted living center? Take a good look at the present housing situation, health status, and medical needs. If your parent is telling you that they are eating but you see food go bad in the refrigerator. If your parent is covering up bruises from a fall. If your parent cannot bathe themselves, groom adequately and launder clothes. If they forget to turn the appliances when they are finished cooking. And if you do not see the same bright and vibrant person they used to be years ago. These are some of the sure signs that tell you it is time for you to make that decision.

All of us care for our parents. And moving a parent to an assisted living center does not make us care for them any less.

Parents and Assisted Living Centers – Things to Consider Before Moving

Assisted Living Centers, also referred as residential care, is a kind of living arrangement where personal and essential services for daily living is provided, especially for seniors. It also provides the emotional aspects needed such as security, feeling of belonging, and comfort. This is not similar to nursing homes. The main difference is that assisted living creates independence by letting residents live under normal residential settings.

When Moving a Parent

Deciding to move a beloved elderly parent into an assisted living is difficult. If you already made up your mind, then there are two certain things you need to consider before pushing through:

Cost

The charge for services varies, depending on location and type of care. Private Assisted Living centers range from $800 to more than $5, 000 a month. Add-ons that may need to be covered are medications, laundry service, security, and transportation. Comparing fees with different facilities can help you find the best option. Also, make sure to notice how often a facility raise their prices.

Now, who will pay for the cost? Medicaid pays for the services in assisted living centers, except for room and boarding. Not everyone can benefit this though, Medicaid does not cover those who have assets more than $2, 000. Overall, Medicaid can only pay less than 11% of the total cost.

As for Medicare, excluding those under Supplementary Security Income (SSI), more than 90% of the total cost will be paid by individuals or families. They will not pay for housing except for those who are mentally retarded and developmentally disabled.

Cost for assisted living may be cheap for those who have insurance. Depending on age, you can only pay 3-8% out of pocket cost for a three-year stay.

Residence

Local and national referral services exist in helping you decide where to find a good place for the elderly to live. The Department of Human Resources in every state can provide a list of public services. Private referral services can be of great help as well.

Shop around and visit as many residences as you can. Know what you need and find out if they can cater those. Better to talk to staff, residents, and other family members to know the current situation of the place.

Conclusion

Assisted living center are not cheap, so be ready for it. Also, since you are entrusting the lives of your beloved ones, make sure you find the best one you can find. So, take time in knowing these facilities. Once you have these two factors figured out, moving your parents would not be as difficult.

When you are about to choose a senior care option for your loved one, you perceive ideas about the assisted living centers. Your perceptions and ideas are brought by the media who highlighted the negative accounts about these facilities. A single bad story about a living center will surely affect everything. The media tends to focus on the bad side of things. Not everything you heard on the news are true for all. There are good senior care facilities that have quality care services.

To help you decide, let’s talk about the common myths you’ve heard about assisted living centers. First myth: Assisted living centers won’t accept patients with urinary incontinence and those who are in a wheelchair.

It is true that patients must be able to move on their own, but wheelchairs are not prohibited, as long as they are able to transfer from the bed to the wheelchair or vice versa with the help of another person. Patients who needs two people to move or can no longer bear weight are not accepted. This is because the assisted living centers are not licensed to provide such services.

Patients who experience urinary incontinence are typically accepted as long as their situation can be supervised with toilet scheduling, using incontinence products and reminders on a constant basis. If bowel incontinence turns out to be an issue and cannot be handled properly, this may require an alternative care setting as the circumstance may affect other patients.

Another myth is that Medicare will take care of all expenses in the assisted living centers. Medicare does not cover non-skilled care services like assistance with activities of daily living, specifically bathing, medication management, dressing, toileting and transportation. The Medicare cover skilled nursing services, however in most cases, the assisted living centers prefers private pay (cash) or long term insurances.