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.