What To Look For In A Nursing Home - Avoid Nursing Home Neglect Senior Provisions Good morning! In this segment of our show, I’d like to talk about a topic that is very important to me. My mom is in an assisted living facility. As an attorney, I know the horror stories that are out there about nursing home or assisted living abuse or neglect. Let me share with you some scary stats: * The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that 1.5 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured or abused by someone on whom they depended for care or protection. * Of the 1 million nursing home residents that are abused or neglected each year, 2/3 of those are women. * Only 1 in 14 of the abuse or neglect cases are ever reported to the authorities. * In 1999, nursing home statistics regarding the cause of patient death found that almost 5,000 death certificates listed starvation, dehydration, or bedsores as a cause of death. * In 2001, 1 out of every 4 nursing homes was cited for causing death or serious injury to a resident. OK - so we know there are many, may problems out there with nursing homes. How can you protect your loved one? What should you consider when trying to find the right senior care? Thankfully, I have an expert here with us to address this topic. Please welcome Amy Hentschel with Senior Provisions. Gary: Amy, you founded Senior Provisions back in 2011 and you actually helped my dad and my family find an amazing place for my mom. We’ve used your company and we love the results. I’d love for you to share the Top 5 Considerations for people searching for great senior care. Amy: #1: Know your loved one. What are their medical, care and social needs? Gary: Amy, you had us actually make out a top 3 “Needs” list for our mom. Why is this important? Amy: This is an overwhelming process for a family and it helps to narrow down the criteria. Sometimes you have to make some compromise on less important things, so the list makes clear what we won’t or can’t give up. Gary: Tell us about #2. Amy: #2: Check state or national inspections or ratings. They give you some insight into quality and staffing. Amy: If the facility has multiple issues - especially recent ones - you should think twice before you select that one for your mom or dad. Gary: And #3? Amy: #3: Visit frequently and at different times of the day and night. Meet with different managers and ask the same questions. Gary: Why the visits at different times? Amy: You will have different managers and staff members on duty. It will give you a chance to observe them and their interactions with the residents. Gary: And why do you ask the same questions? Amy: You want to make sure they are consistent in the answers they give you. Gary: I know when we toured some facilities; we were given a tour by the marketing director. But these people are not the ones providing the care, are they? Amy: No. They are salespeople trying to promote the facility. So get to know the people that could potentially provide the hands-on, day and night interaction with your loved one. Gary: #4. Tell us about this one. Amy: #4: Let your five senses guide your decision. Do you see happy residents? Smiles on their faces - as well as on the staff? Taste the food. What do you hear while walking around? Music? Laughter? And smell is a big one. Amy: That is a big warning sign. And make sure they are not just “masking” the odors, but are very conscientious about keeping the facility - and the residents - clean. Gary: And the #5 thing to consider when searching for great senior care? Amy: #5: Find a trustworthy advocate. Find someone who knows the senior care industry. Gary: Please explain for our viewers why this is important. Amy: The advocate will have insider information on management, and staff turnover. Someone that knows the senior card industry can tell you about each facility - its reputation, the level of care and the facility’s track record on providing that care. They can also help you with the transition and future needs. Amy: And that is what we do for all of the families we help. We want to get to know the family and the needs of the resident. The more we know, the better we are able to help find the appropriate facility. We know the facilities around Atlanta. Gary: Amy, please tell our viewers how much they can expect to pay to hire your company. Amy: We offer two services to our families, our facility search and placement services are free to families. The private pay providers pay our consulting fee. Our other service is for those families wanting to preplan and make sure that they have a plan in case of a crisis. We educate them on care options, senior living, and how to pay for all of the above. For those services, families pay our consulting fee. Amy: Our phone number is 888-979-8783 (TRUE). Our website is ift.tt/1sqDUrR. _______ FOLLOW LIPSapp Classic Radio _______ FB: r-js/1vz7Pcz / TW: r-js/1kHd2Qt / Listen to LIPSapp Classic Radio r-js/1dOIQ18 #classicrock #rollingstones #ledzeppelin #santana #eagles #zztop #thewho #beatles #elvis #jimihendrix #dylan #acdc #michaeljackson #pinkfloyd #madonna #u2
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:07:34 +0000