---

 

 

 

 

 

“Assisted Living” at Home

Maintaining Independence … with a little help

by Cheryl Nemanic

My mother has been living in an Independent Living Facility for the past two
years. Recently she has suffered some health problems and needs more help then
she used to. The facility is telling us that they cannot provide her with the
extra care. Mother is very upset at the thought of moving to a new facility.
She has been happy here and we are concerned that a move will be too much for
her to adjust to at this point. Are there any alternatives?


It is true that Independent Living Facilities are not designed to provide
more than very minimal assistance to their residents. In general, there is very
little state or federal regulation of Independent Living Facilities. In order
for her to stay at the facility, you would first have to comply with any
regulations that do exist in your area, and with any policies that are stated in the
facility's contract relating to a resident's condition or level of care.
Another major determining factor is the type of care that is needed. If your
mother needs skilled medical care she may have to be moved to a setting that is
designed to provide that for her, at least temporarily.

Many residents can remain in the same facility with some added support. If
your mother's need is for extra help with bathing, dressing, mobility, daily
activities, or if memory difficulties are becoming an issue and additional safety
or companionship is desired, she may want to hire someone to come in and to
assist her. Depending on the individual situation, outside help may be brought
in for short periods of help at certain times of the day, or longer stretches
during the day or through the night.

Some residents choose to hire outside help on their own or they may hire a
private duty service to find a qualified person for them. If you decide to look
for a person yourself it will be important to do reference and criminal
background checks, even if the person has been referred to you by a reliable source.

Also, remember to consider the applicable tax and insurance issues. Hiring
the service may be a little more expensive, but the cost should include coverage
for the above issues, since the aids are the service's employees. They should
also provide added support by supplying a substitute if the regular aid needs
be off, and supervision to ensure that the resident's needs are being met.
Your local Department of Aging can furnish a list of qualified providers.
Financially speaking, this is often an out of pocket expense, but it is worth
checking on a couple of possible funding sources. Some Long Term Care
insurance policies may cover this type of service, depending on the policy. The
Department of Aging also has several programs that provide this type of help for
qualifying seniors. Even when there is no funding help available, many residents
and family members feel that enabling the resident to stay in a comfortable,
familiar environment offsets the financial and emotional cost of moving.

Cheryl Nemanic, CCM is the General Manager of Private Duty Services for Liken Health Care, Inc., a private duty nursing service in the Pittsburgh area since 1974. If you have a question, Cheryl can be reached by phone at (412) 816-0113, by email at cnemanic@likenhealthcare, or visit the website at www.likenhealthcare.com.