Assisted Living Directory Blog

I was reading a news article today about an 85 year-old woman who was found wandering around in a ditch at 3:30 in the morning. Apparently, she had gotten out of her assisted living facility, and wandered away. The facility was unclear as to how she got out. The main entrance is monitored and has an alarm, according to the article. There was some question about the alarm being turned off by another resident who is authorized to leave.

No enforcement action will be taken against the Kennewick (WA) assisted living facility. “But a citation will be issued to Silver Fern Home for not having a proper care plan established in writing for her, said David Moon, regional administrator for residential care services with the state Department of Social & Health Services’ Aging and Disability Services Administration” the article said.

This brings up a great question in regards to who is liable when an incident like this happens. Should the facility be held liable, or should the resident? Of course, matters are complicated when the home is for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients.

Silver Fern home was not cited. Apparently, there is a benchmark for determining if action or a citation is warranted. If the staff “could have known” or “should have known” that it would happen then the facility is more likely to be held accountable.

The home is instituting additional security measures according to the article.

I was thinking today about this website, and really, what the point of it is. I then started thinking about what our mission statement would be. I think I came up with something fitting:

Our mission: Assisted Living Directory strives to make quality online advertising accessible and affordable for assisted living facilities of any size.

Many of the bigger sites out there charge a pretty stiff premium to list a facility, which cuts out a lot of the smaller “mom and pop” facilities that don’t have the deep pockets. It is my hope that my site will become a widely used resource to find assisted living of any type or size, in any part of the U.S.

So there it is. I may fine tune it a bit down the road, but essentially, that is the mission of the site.

Here we are right up at the edge of another holiday season, and most of us are thinking of all of the gifts we’ll be getting and giving, as well as all of the guests coming and going, and travel that will be taking place. However, most of us won’t give any thought to a growing demographic within the elderly population – “orphaned seniors.” These are seniors who are divorced, or seniors who do not have any children or family to speak of. According to a survey commissioned by the National Institute on Aging, in the past 4 decades, divorce has increased fourfold among older adults.

To these seniors, the holidays will be a time of loneliness and alienation. Many won’t get a gift, or a visitor, and their disabilities often times make them incapable of leaving their facility to seek human interaction.

Let’s remember that something as simple as a phone call can make all of the difference to a lonely senior.

An article in the Aspen Times today reported that there is no Assisted Living options in the Aspen area, and that is becoming a concern for the town. Although Aspen is mostly known for being a playground and haven for the young, rich and famous, the reality is that there is a population of aging Aspenites who are going to potentially have to move if they ever need Assisted Care.

Quoting the article – “In response to the absence of an assisted-living facility in Aspen, local governments and publicly-funded organizations are collectively chipping in $25,000 to underwrite the cost of a feasibility study.

The request was introduced by Mayor Mick Ireland this week in front of the Aspen City Council, which voted to contribute one-fourth of the cost — $6,250.”

The feasibility study will hopefully establish if there are enough senios in the Aspen area (today and future) to support a facility.

For a comprehensive look at Assisted Living Facilities in Colorado, click here

Did you know that many major cities have massage schools, and that as a part of the training requirements for their students, the masseuse or masseur in training must visit assisted living facilities or nursing homes to ‘practice’ their craft for free (or for a minimal charge)?

For anyone who hasn’t had a professional massage, it not only works wonders for your physical body, but the mental and emotional benefits are also great.

I came across a great website today that offers massage training “specifically for our elders and the ill or dying person.” They are Compassionate Touch

I also found a little video blub about them:

I just got an email from someone who asked me an interesting question:

“I have a client who is 19 years old and Morbidly Obese. Do you have any facilities that would be suitable for him??”

This brought up a good point – Assisted living isn’t just for the elderly. This is a myth. Unfortunately, there are many younger people with disabilities who can’t operate on their own, so they need assisted living.

I wasn’t able to give this person a good answer, unfortunately. If anyone knows of a facility that might take her client, please let me know in a response to this blog post!

I was working out at our local community center today (it is a spectacular fitness center, I must say). I usually go over there at about 10:30 in the morning, and at this time, the “Silver Sneakers” are there. This is a group of “older” folks who come and work out together. I gather that many of them are from assisted living centers in the area. They are a wonderful group to work out around. They are polite, funny, and always have a smile on!

I can tell that these folks find it to be a very joyful and enriching experience to be able to exercise in a nice facility with a group of their peers.

If your local community recreation center (I assume you have one) doesn’t sponsor a group like the “Silver Sneakers”you should ask your assisted living director to look into it. Arranging transportation so everyone gets there together and safely would be an added bonus.

These folks have a great time, and the health benefits are many.