Thing to Look Out for Before the Move to Assisted Living Facility
Once you’ve decided on an assisted living facility for your loved one the transition process might feel like a whirlwind, but facilities will help guide the process. They’ll want to review the finances and you’ll need to go through mounds of paperwork. Doctors also need to sign off that your loved one needs assisted living. One main thing our team at Stacys Helping Hand, Inc looks for after picking an Assisted Living Facility is to check that the facility is prepared to adequately care for your loved one. This sounds like a minor detail, but it’s really important and often overlooked.
What’s the Catch?
In Colorado, facilities are required to do an “eyes-on” physical assessment in order to ensure that they will be able to take care of your loved one. A large part of the assessment is based on what you tell them about your loved one. People have a tendency to leave out important details during this critical stage because even if you fall in love with a specific facility, this isn’t a guarantee that the facility will be the best fit. Your loved one has to be in the care of an Assisted Living Facility that is suited to their specific needs.
Prepare the Assisted Living Facility
When the time comes, you need to provide as much information about your loved one as possible. Yes, it is uncomfortable to divulge all of the details, past and present events, behaviors, and daily routines of your loved one. But, you’ll be better off telling a facility these things before they have to tell you. In a worst case scenario, facilities can and will tell you when your loved one isn’t a good fit. Everyone is better off if this happens before your loved one moves.
Talking to Your Loved One
Nothing about this transition is easy, and that is especially true for sensitive matters. Start by seeking help. These matters should be reviewed with trusted advisors, lawyers and doctors:
- Power of Attorney or Conservatorship
- Living wills and Estates
- Health Care Directives, DNRs, DNIs, and POLSTs
These matters might feel as though they loom over the process, but to your loved one, they might actually be minor details. To them, the things that will affect their daily life often matter much more:
- Who will handle food?
- How does laundry get done?
- If something goes wrong or becomes a problem, who should they talk to?
Discussing all of the daily details ahead of time with the facility and your loved one will help ensure a smooth transition. Over the coming weeks and months, the facility will get to know your loved one and their social needs. But during the time of transition, you’ll help them create the initial care plan. Creating a care plan is more than just working through activities of daily life, it’s a way for your loved one to maintain a high self esteem.
If you would feel more comfortable talking to a Senior Transition expert to get answers to your questions, Contact Us or Call our team at Stacys Helping Hand, Inc at 720-248-7758 .