Assisted Living Concerns...

[Raymond Fries]

I watched the Frontline investigation of Emeritus a few days ago and it was very disturbing. It appears that the company is more interested in taking in money than providing adequate care for the residents. Fees run in the $3k - $5K per month and they have about 42 thousand residents. Interviews with "former" staff told tales of residents that should have been in skilled care instead of being at the Emeritus facility. All of them said the facilities were under staffed. Apparently, there are no regulations on assisted living facilities like those nursing homes must follow. The newly hired staff at Emeritus get an 8 hour training session on caring for the residents many of which have dementia. Really?

After watching what Frontline uncovered, I would never let my family go to one of them.


http://seniorhousingnews.com/2013/07/31/frontline-investigates-assisted-living-profiles-emeritus/


Take Care and Enjoy life...

[Bruce Volden]

Sorry Raymond, but I can't make you feel any better. I worked in the medical field for several years and came to the conclusion it is NOTHING more than the bottom line ($). Some here would like to argue but the fact remains. I was a NucMedTech in the '70s and had to perform an "emergency" thyroid scan on a 90 yo woman-on her deathbed-so the hosp. would get paid??????

We must all take the best care of each other we can and if we fall short it will still be better than what is being forced down our throat by the fortune 500 folks!

Bruce

[Curt Fuller]

I didn't see the Frontline show but my mom is in an Emeritus assisted living facility here in Utah. She loves it, I love it. She saw the program and told me that the places they talked about were nothing like her experience. She's been there a little over a year. Yes it's expensive, about the cost of staying in a moderately priced hotel every night. But it's all inclusive...3 great meals everyday, entertainment, laundry services, cleaning services, everything. The food is delicious (I stop by about once a week and have dinner with her), the staff is great, and the facility is wonderful and the people are very attentitive. The social interaction she has with the other residents has made her so much happier than she was when she was cooped up at home all day alone. I hope I never have to live somewhere like that. But if I got to the point my mom was at, could not drive, could no longer walk, could not be left alone at night, I hope there is a facility as nice for me to go to.

[Matt Meiser]

Curt, that sounds nice, but you'd never get good TV ratings with your version ;)

[Raymond Fries]

Curt

It is comforting to hear that your mother is getting excellent care and is very happy. Hopefully those facilities profiled on the show are the only ones in the Emeritus system. Maybe after the 23 million settlement for the wrongful death of Mrs. Boyce, they will improve the care of residents where where needed.

Thanks for sharing.

[Curt Fuller]

Raymond, when we moved my mother into Emeritus they offered two care levels, I & II. My mom is level one which is for residents that need minimal assistance. Level two covers those that require help with problems like incontinence, memory loss, etc. But they emphasize that neither level offers medical care. They will administer medications, you can even purchase them through the facility at reduced costs, and they have a nurse on staff that does a monthly health evaluation and makes recommendations for any health care needs. But other than that it's basically a apartment that comes with all the services of everyday living. You furnish it with your own furniture, provide your own personal care items, they provide toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies. But the men and women that work their are so nice. My mom knows them all by first name and they know her by first name. Anything she needs help with, she just pushes the button on the pendant she wears and they're there in minutes. When she doesn't feel she can walk (with a walker) to meals or bingo or to play pinochle, they wheel her in her wheelchair. It was a fight to convince her she needed to move there but I can't count the times she has told me how glad she is that we did it. But from what I've read of the article you posted and other things on the internet, I have to wonder if there aren't some that are wanting it to be more than it is. The cost of a nursing home would easily be triple what our cost is to have her live there. I went into it knowing that and I guess I don't expect anything more than what we've received.

[Brian Elfert]

My grandfather is in an assisted living facility. They claim they can provide the same basic level of care as a nursing home if required. They draw the line at IVs so you would need a nursing home if you require IVs. I assume they couldn't handle tube feeding either. My grandfather has been moved to a higher level of care that even includes the staff working his TV for him if needed.