Nursing Homes - 9 Compelling Reasons to Choose One

1. Assistance with daily tasks - nursing homes provide assistance to their residents with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, drinking, using restroom, running errands and administering medicine. Typical daily tasks can become increasingly difficult with old age. Many seniors lose their driver's license at some point and are no longer able to drive to the grocery store or local pharmacy.

2. Social environment - residing in a nursing facility provides seniors with a built-in social network of their peers. Senior residents can enjoy the company of others who are living in the same facility and share their experiences. Many nursing facilities also offer organized social events open for participation from all residents. Many senior citizens suffer from depression due to feelings of isolation from living alone and not having access to social outlets.

3. House keeping - the nursing home staff will take care of laundry service, dry cleaning and general cleaning services in your apartment home. Cleaning can be an arduous task for many aging seniors. Having an on-site cleaning staff can prove to be valuable and save time and energy.

4. Food service - nursing facilities provide all meals and snacks. Many facilities offer various meal plans to cater to different tastes and dietary requirements. Some facilities also offer meal planning services with a licensed dietitian to ensure that their residents are enjoying a healthy and balanced diet. The food services and meals provided is incorporated into the nursing home cost.

5. Health care services - Amongst the most obvious benefits of skilled nursing facilities is the personalized health care services offered to residents. These services typically include regular administration of daily prescriptions, medical attention when needed, emergency medical services, 24-hour health monitoring services. Having on-site medical care available from registered nurses and health care providers is crucial to a senior's safety and well-being.

6. Safety - the elderly are frequently targets of physical, emotional and financial abuse. Living in an assisted living facility offers seniors a protected environment to help insulate them from possible abuse. Imagine if a senior was living alone and forgot to lock their front door at night due to Alzheimer's or dementia suffering. Nursing homes offer greater levels of security and protection than seniors who are living alone or un-supervised.

7. Access to resources - while living in a nursing home, residents enjoy easy access to whatever resources they might need. Nursing home residents don't have to worry about learning how to use the internet or holding on the phone while trying to obtain information. The nursing home staff will help residents find the information they need quickly and efficiently.

8. Relieving your family - many family members become caretakers for elderly parents or relatives. Many of these people have their own lives with busy work schedules, children, obligations, etc and don't have enough time to attend to their own personal lives while providing constant care to their elderly family members. By living in a nursing home, the senior citizen is taking a burden off their younger family members and is also receiving care from dedicated professionals who are available 24-7.

9. Specialized health care - skilled nursing facilities are staffed by registered nurses and they have the ability to provide proper health care to seniors with serious health conditions. This level of care is above and beyond what a family member can provide. Many of the serious diseases that plague the elderly such as Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, cancer and diabetes require health care by a medical professional. Living in a facility with 24-7 health care services will maximize a senior's health and safety.

Georgia Assisted Living Costs

Long term elder care help at assisted living homes costs approximately $2,500 a month generally in the state of Georgia. If you think that's steep, the cost for nursing care is almost twice, costing between five thousand and six thousand dollars a month on average.

With monthly prices so stiff, how can you intend to pay for these services appropriate for long term care?

It's expensive in GA to be given long term senior care, regrettably there are only two options available to most of the general public. You can pay for the care services out-of-pocket, or you can buy long term care protection which will probably cost about $50.00 a month whether you wind up needing the care or not.

Here is a summary of the typical costs of long term help in Georgia, and Metro Atlanta, including Alpharetta, Augusta, Macon, and Savannah.

• Georgia: $2,400 monthly


• Atlanta: $3,451 monthly


• Alpharetta: $3,750 monthly


• Augusta: $2,277 monthly


• Macon: $2,656 monthly


• Savannah: $2,836 monthly

The cost of assisted living in GA can also vary relative to the needs of the individual. For many facilities there is a base monthly charge for the suite plus supplementary fees are added as required. There can also be a 1 time community fee during move in.

Monthly Room Fee: $4,500 and Under

The suite charge at an assisted living home every month in georgia includes upkeep, maintenance of the room and common areas, some to all utilities, activities and sufficient assistance with daily activities. The costs differ for different reasons, but the primary factor is location. You can more often than not estimate this by the local real estate. A Buckhead community in Atlanta would cost more than one located in Woodstock.

Supplemental Charges: $600 - $4500

Determined by the level of aid that is essential for the individual, GA assisted living homes all have extra services to help you or a loved one with daily or common activities. The services vary in prices, and depending on how many are essential can start at $20 a day, and get as costly as $100 daily. Everyday medication reminders and circulation is the most used service and runs about $450 a month if not included.

Be sure to check each communities price plan for these services even if they're not necessary at first, they may rapidly cause the bill to escalate in the near future. The following services are commonly offered throughout assisted living homes in GA.

• Grooming


• Dietary


• Speech


• Socialization


• Vital signs


• Bathing


• Vision


• Transfer


• Weight loss/gain


• Skin Care


• Dressing


• Hearing


• Mobility


• Lab work


• Special requests

1 Time Facility Entrance Charge

The entrance charge is a 1 time, payment made upfront between 1 - 2 thousand dollars and is as a rule paid before moving in. Typically it's used for maintenance of the building and campus of the facility. It varies from $1000-$2000.

The Advantages Of Assisted Living And How Facilities Can Help

It may be difficult having to come to the realization that a loved one can no longer go through their daily routine on their own. Perhaps it is parent or grandparent that needs special care. In many cases their offspring can not take them into their own home to care for because they do not have the specially needed facilities and equipment to accommodate them. Many people cannot afford to stop work in order to provide full time care and hiring a round the clock in-home caregiver is too expensive. Sadly, in a great deal of cases, many people do not have anyone close to them that may provide care so assisted living facilities become the final option.

There are millions of people who are in need of assisted living all over the world because they can no longer conduct activities of daily life (ADLs) on their own. This usually refers to the elderly but can also include those with disabilities. This type of care usually means that a person resides in a facility where normal daily needs such as eating, bathing, dressing and taking medications are conducted under the supervision or with the assistance of trained professionals.

In most cases a person who resides in these establishment requires help in at least three ADLs. These are people who do not require the intensive amount of care that could be present in a nursing home and requires a more social environment to be comfortable.

Statistically, residents of these facilities are women which outnumber the men three to one. Most are widowed but some still have husbands, wives, or significant others. The average age of one of the residents is 86.9 years and the average length of care is around twenty eight years.

One of the largest advantages is that of the social environment that these residences provide. Large common areas are available for eating with others and this helps to mitigate the loneliness many elders feel. This is a primary difference between ALFs and intensive care units where patients are kept bedridden and hooked up to monitoring devices most of or all the day.

Also, the residents need not be concerned with the preparation of meals. A trained kitchen staff offers three meals a day in a community dining hall where the people who live their can converse and mingle if they choose to do so.

Many of the newer facilities provide the residents with many amenities that are akin to still being independent while always ensuring that trained assistance is close by. For instance, in many cases a person may be given their own apartment type living area. No special monitoring equipment such as might be present in nursing homes are needed but basic household chores are provided by the staff. Bedding changes, trash removal, laundry services and fresh meals are provided daily.

Several assisted living facilities also offer service to the mentally ill. This is primarily reserved for people who are in certain stages of dementia, to include Alzheimer's disease. However, other types of patients with mental disabilities are welcome in some cases as long as they do not pose a threat to others or themselves.

Types of Retirement Communities

Introduction

According to a recent survey by the Met Life Mature Market Institute, 83 percent of individuals reaching retirement age do not plan to leave their current residence. Unfortunately, some of these individuals are going to be faced with circumstances beyond their control that will require them to do just that. The good news? Seniors today have many available options when it comes to choosing a retirement community. For some, the type of community selected will be a matter of choice, while for others it will be based on need. There are essentially six types to choose from: Active Adult, Independent Living, Assisted Living, Continuing Care, Alzheimer's Care and Nursing Care. Let's take a closer look at each type.

Active Adult Communities

Active Adult Communities include a variety of different dwelling options such as single-family homes, town homes, cluster homes, manufactured housing and multifamily housing. These communities are either age-restricted or age-targeted. Age-Restricted Communities are specifically aimed at persons age 55 and older while Age-Targeted Communities are similar to Age-Restricted Communities except their marketing targets adults age 55 or older but they are not explicitly age-restricted. Leisure Communities are another option designed for empty nesters but without age restrictions.

Independent Living Communities

Independent Living Communities are designed for seniors who are active, healthy and able to live without assistance. They also consist of a variety of housing options in settings designed for independent lifestyles. They are no different from other residential communities except that there is an age restriction (over 55) or an age target.

Assisted Living Communities

Assisted Living Communities cater to people who have trouble performing some activities of daily living without help. They are state licensed and designed for seniors who need regular help with daily activities (bathing, dressing, toilet assistance, walking, medication reminders) but who do not need a nursing care facility. Care is available for seniors with some functional impairments, either physical or cognitive. Other services consist of an emergency call system supported by 24-hour security and staff availability, meals served in a common dining room, housekeeping services, transportation, health promotion and exercise programs, medication management, personal laundry services, and social and recreational activities.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities

Continuing Care Retirement Communities are designed for healthy people who don't want additional worries about where they are going to live as they grow older and how they are going to cope with potential future illness or the frailty of extreme old age. Once moved into a Continuing Care Retirement Community, residency is continued in the same development regardless of health changes at an established unchanging cost.

Alzheimer's Care Facilities

These facilities specialize in caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. A patient may start off in an assisted living facility in the early or mid-stages of the disease, but due to its progressive, degenerative nature will most likely need more care as time goes on. Frequently, assisted living facilities have a separate Alzheimer's unit but when this isn't the case, after the onset of advanced dementia, the patient would need to be transferred to a facility equipped to provide the required care.

Nursing Care Facilities

There are two types of nursing facilities associated with residential facilities. There are intermediate care facilities which provide custodial and intermediate care, and skilled nursing facilities, which provide custodial, intermediate, and skilled care. Custodial care is non medical care that includes around-the-clock supervision, as well as assistance with personal needs such as eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, toilet assistance, and mobility. Intermediate care provides basic medical care. Skilled care provides more intensive medical care.

Conclusion

As you can see, Seniors have many options when it comes to choosing a retirement community. While some choices are driven more by need than desire, at least we can take comfort in knowing there are so many options and levels of care available. And those reluctant to embrace the idea of giving up their pre-retirement home should be made aware that it's not only possible to live independently, but that independence can co-exist with the conveniences, amenities and peace of mind many adult active and independent living communities have to offer.

Premise Liability Law

A person who is injured while on the premises of another has the right, under Premise Liability Law, to seek compensation from the property owner. A court may determine whether or not compensation should be paid, and will also determine the amount of compensation. In general, compensation will only be payable if the claimant can prove that the property owner was negligent in some way, and that it was this negligence which led to the injury or loss.

Premise Liability Law and the Workplace

Any employee who suffers an injury while in his or her place of work is covered by the terms of Premise Liability Law. If the employee can prove negligence on behalf of the employer, compensation may be payable.

This is a complex area, and it is advisable to seek advice from an accident lawyer. To see why, it is best to look at a couple of examples.

Workplace Accidents

1) The first example is relatively straightforward. A storeowner decides to replace the flooring behind the store counter. The new flooring is elevated several inches above the surrounding flooring. It is installed overnight when the store is closed.

The following morning, the employee responsible for opening the store, trips over the new flooring and injures herself. The storeowner had not told her of the new flooring, and accident lawyers could claim that the owner is negligent.

2) The second example is more complicated. A store uses a basement area to hold stock. Access to the basement is via a trapdoor. The owner realizes that the trapdoor is potentially dangerous when open. She buys a protective cage to be placed around the trapdoor before it is opened. Every member of staff is shown how to use the cage, and given explicit orders that they must use it every time they want to open the trapdoor.

An employee, believing he is the only employee in the store at the time, opens the trapdoor without putting the safety cage in place. A cleaner coming to work earlier than expected falls through the open trapdoor and is injured.

While the cleaner's injuries are clearly the result of negligence, who is actually responsible for paying compensation? An accident injury lawyer could best explain the options in this particular example.

Professional Expertise

Nearly every area of law has the potential to be extremely complicated, and Premise Liability Law is no exception. What may seem to be a straightforward case can have many twists and turns. Whether you are a plaintiff (claimant) or an employer, it is a high-risk strategy to proceed without getting professional advice from a specialist accident lawyer. Not only can an experienced accident lawyer insure that all the facts beneficial to your case are presented, but he or she is best qualified to know if the compensation amount offered or asked for is realistic.

The Notion of Time in Dealing With a Dementia Patient

The notion of time is an acquired taste. We are not born with it, kids spend years trying to deal with it properly (i.e. to their parents' satisfaction), some people never learn to manage it, and dementia patients lose it even if they were previously very organized and excellent planners like my mother.

As a caregiver though, I was thoroughly convinced that time exists and must be obeyed. Silly me! In my defense, I must say that I was coming from a professional career and that I do have a bit of a reputation as a control freak. Moving in with my mother who has dementia was quite a lesson in how people who have no notion of time, live. It can definitely be done and actually, once you learn to do it, it changes your whole perspective on day-to-day living. Nothing is stable and making plans is almost a gratuitous exercise.

When I first arrived, my mother's physical condition was quite poor so she had many appointments for doctors, tests, rehabilitation, etc. Unfortunately, her mental condition had deteriorated so much that I also had to take over the role of parent to my own mother. Initially it is a disconcerting feeling, but soon you realize that it is essential and you just get down to it. Every morning at breakfast, I would announce what visit we had that day (I never scheduled more than one per day so that she would not get totally stressed). An hour before we were scheduled to leave, I would go in to help her choose her clothes and get dressed. Then I would let her rest. At departure time minus 20 min., I would go to get her only to find that she had fallen totally asleep (she was taking a lot of meds for pain) and it would take more than 15 min. to get her to a semblance of "awake". At this point, I was literally dancing around trying to get us out of the house and on our way. I was snappish and brusque. My mother would get her "deer in the headlights" look, she was totally lost. Almost from one minute to the next, she could forget that we had an appointment.

Eventually we would get into the car and I would see that we weren't too late. (I come from Switzerland where we believe on being on time!!) I would heave a deep inner sigh of relief, then my mother would announce that we had to go back home: she was not feeling well or had to go to the bathroom again, etc. Usually this would happen about two miles from home and was due to fear of the unknown. With no recent memory, she would feel totally destabilized at the idea of going somewhere unfamiliar, or even familiar since she couldn't hold on to the idea of where we were going. My usual "because the doctor said to" was not always successful. I would try to cajole/bully her into waiting until we got to the appointment (nothing is really very far from where we live), but she would become panicky and we would often wind up returning home and missing the appointment. Some of my U-turns were less than smooth! I was doing neither of us any good: I was still driven by a clock that was becoming more and more meaningless and my mother could sense my tension and annoyance. We were having very unpleasant moments, all because of my notion of time.

Finally, as I adapted my mindset to my new situation, I realized that in our little world, the notion of time can be taken with a grain of salt. If we are late to a doctor's appointment, then we just have to sit in the waiting room longer; no one really minds and we have nothing to do for the rest of the day anyway... I now pack books for us to read in case this happens and we take little walks if my mother gets stiff. If we are late to the senior gym class, the instructor just smiles broadly at us and thanks us for coming; classmates move seats so that we can have two seats together. If we are late to our occasional social luncheons, everybody hustles to make room for us and says how great my mother looks. They also give me a wink and whisper in my ear what a great job I am doing. Time such as I knew it, is becoming irrelevant. If we miss a gym class or a luncheon, it makes no difference since my mother won't even remember that we missed it. I am learning to live differently. I can't imagine trying to have a responsible outside job in this way, but I have come to realize that since I came here to help my mother live out her last years pleasantly, I should keep that in mind at all times.

I am convinced that the lack of memory causes the poor notion of time. How can you situate yourself if you cannot remember what just happened or what is supposed to happen soon? How can you get from one point in time to another with no memory? How can "cause and effect" exist when cause is completely forgotten by the time effect happens? It means that dementia patients believe that things happen for no apparent reason and that can be very scary.

Also, in my mother's case as for most, it is the short term memory that goes first. The long term memories from her youth are still there, creating a hodge-podge of ideas and concerns that seem very present and worrisome to her. I remember one day early on when my mother lowered her voice to confide in me that when "Maman" and "Papa" (her parents) died, the house would be "ours". I pointed out, yet again, that the house was hers, that she and my father had had it built 30 years ago, that her parents had never come to this country and had died years ago, and that my sister and I would inherit the house when she died and that we would worry about it then. She needn't worry.

It might sound a little brutal, I could just say "uh-huh", but in my thinking, much of her memory bank is a blank slate wiped clean by her TIA's or her stroke(s). When I explain things to her, I always try to put things in context and in a positive light, so that she can mull them over, without becoming alarmed. It's a repetitious job but I think that she is responding. Her short term memory is still gone, but her reasoning seems to be coming back. The other day, I was showing her the baby blanket I am making for my next grandchild and I said that I might like to add one more row of crochet. She actually looked at me and said: "Will you have enough wool?" Wow! What awareness! I was thrilled and, smiling in my heart, I said: "Probably not, we'll have to go to the store to get some." She was quite pleased , the knitting goods store is very familiar and she likes going there. (Can I even hope that this was the reason that she asked the question? ) The trip would be something that she could look forward to, if only she could remember it. On the other hand, this way she has a little jolt of pleasure every time I mention that we have to go or are on our way to the knitting goods store.

It's a strange way to live, I find I am becoming remarkably zen. As I let the importance of time drift away, my mother seems less fearful, more accepting of living in only the present moment.

Watch For The Signs Of Nursing Home Abuse

If your loved one is confined to a nursing home facility, take time out to be concerned about possible nursing home abuse. Many families don't think about things like this--they just assume that their relative is being given the proper treatment and are being closely monitored by staff. Nursing homes, in fact, are usually understaffed and the employees are overworked and stressed out--a breeding ground for abuse toward the helpless patient. The first type of abuse I will mention is physical abuse--this includes assault and battery (sexually also) conducted by a staff member who may have a mental problem or emotional problem. The problem is being taken out on the patient. Physical abuse can also include unreasonable or unauthorized restraining or a patient being made to stay in a certain confined area. Also it could include not feeding the patient or medicating the patient properly. Look also for the surfacing of injuries that cannot adequately be explained by anyone and also investigate any reports of nursing home abuse directly from the patient.

Now, physical abuse is not the only way your loved ones can be abused in a nursing home. Verbal abuse can also be devastating and harmful to a nursing home patient's condition. Notice the actions of your relative when you visit him or her in the nursing home. If an outgoing person becomes suddenly and noticeably withdrawn and quiet--something may be wrong on the part of the staff conduct. The patient may appear to be unusually upset and seem frightened of people. You may also notice that a patient has recently started to behave nervously---such as rocking back and forth, biting the nails, wrenching the hands and shaking. Or the patient may suddenly and curiously ask to be away from the crowd and left alone in their room. Sometimes a once loving and caring relative will suddenly turn mean and vicious toward their family--this may also be a sign of verbal nursing home abuse.

Neglect is also a form of abusive behavior by the staff of a nursing home. A nursing home patient needs particular items for everyday living--food, cleansing and grooming products, clean clothes, and help with personal hygiene. If the nursing home fails to supply these for the patient's use--this is considered neglect. Also if the resident's room or any facility inside the nursing home where the patient will be exposed to is unsafe or nasty, the resident is being neglected. Last, but certainly not least, if the patient requires special medical attention the situation needs to be addressed by the nursing staff. The patient may be under nourished or have bed sores that could have been prevented if not for neglect.

Be very aware that there are much more serious results that can occur from nursing home abuse. It all depends upon the extent of the abuse. One frightening and devastating incident is the death of a resident under unexpected or neglectful circumstances. There have been incidents where a patient wandering around outside was hit by a vehicle or took a fall resulting in death or a serious injury. Watch your relative who is a nursing home resident for rapid, unusual weight loss which is not consistent with any known ailment that the patient has. Sometimes a resident's illness is ignored when they need emergency treatment or need to be taken to the hospital.

In short, if you have a close relative or friend in a nursing home, you cannot avoid watching for signs and symptoms of nursing home abuse. If you see the abuse or suspect it, contact your lawyer.