Assisted Living Directory Blog

My stomach is in knots today, thinking about everyone on the Gulf Coast in the face of Gustav.   Evacuations have begun and I think this time people are going to take Gustav very seriously.

I don’t live in the Gulf area, but I have to wonder what goes through the minds of assisted living facility administrators when a category 4 hurricane is barreling toward them.  Of course, most people would say, without much thought “evacuate the residents.”  But, what the averege person may not know is that some residents may be endangered more by the process of moving them than by the hurricane itself.

This is a decision that I would not like to ever have to make.   I know that during Katrina several facilities decided to ride the storm out, which resulted in disaster.

I really just wanted to send my good thoughts and energy towards everyone in this area.   I can’t imagine the stress you all are going through.

Blessings.

The Maine state Department of Health and Human Services cut funding to about 120 assisted living facilities that provide care for 4,000 residents.    The funding  “was being paid to assisted living facilities’ operators to ensure that residents with illnesses would not lose their beds during periods of prolonged hospitalization.”

Naturally, there were some strong reactions to this on both sides of the issue.    You can read the full article here.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time, the head of the Maine Health Care Association was quoted as saying.

You can now leave a comment on any one of our articles on our main site.  We just added this today!

When we write an article about assisted living, we realize that we are not the only expert out there, and we would love to hear our readers chime in with their 2 cents!

My great aunt was living in an assisted living facility in El Paso several years ago.    My folks and I were on a vacation when we received a phone call that she was gravely ill and only had a weeks, if not days to live.   We promptly packed up our luggage, got in the car, and drove about 600 miles overnight to El Paso to assist her.

We arrived at the hospital, and she did indeed look to be on her last days.   She was sunken, her pupils were dialated, and she was hardly coherent.  It wsa very sad, and I thought that she could go at any minute.

One topic of conversation that came up in the hallways was what to do with her beloved cat, Tatters.  Tatters was at home, and my great aunt was in no condition to give instructions on what to do with the cat.   The topic of the cat soon was forgotton as we attended to my aunt.

My aunt passed away a few days later.  I had to leave town as I had some work commitments to attend to, and came back the next week for the funeral.   I asked someone what happened to Tatters.   I learned that she too was put to sleep.

I wondered why this action was taken.  I am a cat lover, and would have happily taken Tatters if I had been asked to.  Maybe I should have volunteered to take her in the first place.

What is the best course of action when a pet is involved with a singular caretaker that is facing imminent death?   Is it better for the animal to be put to sleep, as it may suffer more with the loss of it’s owner?   Is it better to take it to the pound?

I don’t know the answers to these questions.  I do know that cats and dogs have successfully been handed to new owners at all stages of their lives, and that a lot of love and reassurance is what is needed.

I just wish that someone would have asked me.

I never really realized how big Fresno, California is.   I have most certainly heard about it many times, and I think that I have been through there a couple of times as a kid, but never really grasped that it is a pretty major city in California.   I suppose that it can be said that it is in a pretty good location too.   You are near wine country, the mountains and Yosemite, and just a hop and a skip away from Sacramento.   There is a pretty heatlthy senior population in Fresno as well - almost 50,000 residents are over 65!  Fresno also has the UCSF Fresno Alzheimer’s & Memory Center, which is a pretty big deal for many seniors considering assisted living in this area.

For these reasons, I have added Fresno assisted living to the site - a page dedicated to this great town.  My hope is that this page will become the difinitive resource for the Fresno area for assisted living and long-term care.

I think California in general is going to see a huge boom in the number of seniors in the coming 4-5 years.  The weather is one major factor that would attract more seniors, but California also has a very ‘friendly’ atmosphere when it comes to ‘alternative’ lifestyles, which may attract seniors that wouldn’t feel welcome in more conservative states.

There are a lot of wealthy seniors out there, which is driving a new segment of the assisted living industry - upscale assisted living.     These fancy facilities could be confused with a high-end country club - often times having their own spa’s, golf courses in some instances, full-sized movie theaters, and other amenities that you might expect to see if you were visiting a hotel in Beverly Hills.

A report published recently from Kalorama Information called ‘Long Term Care Markets” talks about this emerging transformation.    The report also cited the factors that will lead to a 12 % annual growth rate in this market for the next 4 years.

Aside from the fact that the elderly population is growing at almost 3 times the rate of the overall US population, many of these seniors are retiring with a high net worth, allowing them the option for more amenities, and more discretionary expenses when they choose assisted living.   Many seniors will sell their existing homes, which may be worth a large amount, to pay for their assisted living costs.

I was at the gym today trying to get a workout in (escaping the almost 100 degree heat) and I was noticing that a lot of people were on the cranky side. This probably due to how hot it was, but it was definitely a lot more noticeable today (the crankiness).

I then started thinking to myself at what age, or age range are people generally the nicest? My wife and I had this discussion once, and we both agree it is folks older than 60 who are the most pleasant. While I was at the gym, our local “Silver Sneakers” group was there working out. Almost without exception, every one of them will look up and say hello if you are on a machine next to them. Their heads are held high, and almost always these nice folks have a big fat smile on their faces. Many of these seniors are battling health problems, but they are still really pleasant and nice to be around.

On the flip-side, my wife and I both agreed that the 20-somethings are the least pleasant, or nice. This is a very general statement, of course, and there are certainly always exceptions to this, but we have both noticed that this group rarely says “please” or “thank you” and rarely holds the door open for you, or smiles. My wife and I both remember being in our 20’s and we remember that it was a very stressful, and uncomfortable time. Most 20-somethings have recently been thrust into the professional or working world, and have cut the tether from their parents. Many of these young folks are also starting families, and I would imagine they are also financially vulnerable. I guess they have an excuse to be more self-absorbed.

Seniors seem to have the attitude of “I’ve gotten past all of that, and I’m still here, so why not make the best of it?” Many of the seniors I see seem to be re-learning how to enjoy life, and to slow down a bit. I have taken many cues from people older than me lately, and by slowing myself down and appreciating the moment, I seem to be smiling a little more lately.

Almost daily now I see news articles about assisted living facilities being shut down or losing their license. Just today Florida regulators have shut down an assisted living facility that allegedly failed to report injuries and or notice a missing resident (this out of Ormond Beach, Florida). This facility had been penalized before, but failed to take care of it’s residents safely.

This is always disturbing to read not only because of the horrors that happen at some assisted living facilities on a daily basis, but also in terms of the trauma caused to the residents when they are told that they have to move. Try telling this to someone suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Many states still don’t have strong regulations when it comes to assisted living facilities. This is very unfortunate, as this industry is growing at an almost uncontrollable rate.

I was pleased to read about the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance which is “A new organization of consumers, family members and advocates for the elderly and persons with disabilities is pushing for quality standards in Pennsylvania state regulations covering assisted living facilities.”

I hope more states follow suit with organizations such as this. Assisted living handles the elderly, the frail, and the weak. There is little room for mistakes or safety violations, and plenty of room for improvement in standards in many cases.

Assisted-Living-Directory.com is committed to quality and safety. The facilities and services listed on our site should have a track record of safety, quality, and adherence to the law.
There is no way for us to monitor every facility or senior care service on our site, so if any of our users know of any ‘red flags’ or safety issues with any facility or service on our site, we will investigate and remove it from our directory. Just contact us with your information and we will promptly look into it.

I had someone writing me asking me for ideas for their facility’s activities calendar. Although I am not an administrator, or an activities coordinator, I would like to offer some ideas of things that you could put on your activities roster. I found a few calendars from various facilities online, and have included some of those ideas in here as well:
* Book and Coffee Club - Reading is one of the things people can do even though they might have a physical limitation, and discussing a book over coffee is a great way to have subject matter for a conversation!
* Worship Services - These don’t have to just fall on Sunday. You can do a worship service any day of the week, and it is another good excuse to get residents together.
* Movie Night - Who doesn’t like a good movie? A great way to save money is to have a Netflix account, and you could have each resident add to the queue of movies to be watched!
* How about manicures and pedicures? I think even the men in the facility might enjoy this!
* Exercise Classes - There are so many different types of exercise classes and programs that you could offer to your residents. Even those confined to a wheelchair could do plenty of exercises from their chair. “Chairrobics” is a term I saw on one calendar.
* How about a wine tasting and seminar?
* Bingo is a good standby!
* Computer courses or classes are a great activity as many of our seniors are becoming computer saavy, or are wanting to. Most assisted living facilities have internet or wireless capability, and knowing how to use a computer will help your residents stay connected to friends and family.

These are just a few ideas. I hope that anyone with ideas for an activity calendar not mentioned here will add a comment!