Are Denver Discharge Planners A Good Resource for Assisted Living Facilities?

Free Case Managers/Discharge Planners at Hospitals and Rehabilitation facilities can be a good resource for you and your elderly loved one if your loved one needs to transition to a care facility. Unfortunately, they are often stretched for time and rarely tour Assisted Living or other care facilities. They simply don’t have the time. Case managers often have 25 to 50 cases. Simply, your Case Manager may not have the time to give your family the attention you need to find your loved one the best fit.

Everyday, as Senior Transition Specialists, we see how busy Discharge Planners are at Hospital and Rehab Facilities. We know because Joe, our team at Stacys Helping Hands, Inc worked for years as an ER Charge Nurse and Case Manager at Denver Health. We recognize and understand the challenges and frustrations they feel.

A Common Hospital Discharge Scenario

If your loved one is in a Rehab facility, they will need to discharge your loved one when they have plateaued and/or their Medicare days have run out. These Case Managers are required to make sure your loved one has a safe discharge, but they are relying on the care team (PT, OT, RN, Physician) to determine when your loved one is safe to discharge or transition to a care facility. Many times a decision is made to discharge, and your loved one will be required to discharge within 72 hours or you will have to pay privately at a rate of over $200/day.

The actual discharge process often involves a Case Manager calling around to facilities to see who has an opening and/or them handing you the Senior Blue Book as a resource. Other times, Case Managers provide you with the Seniors Blue Book and a list of care facilities that have a marketing person that visits them in their office. We have met Case Managers who make an effort to visit facilities, but there is no way for them to keep up to date on the cost, “feel,” and level of care that more than 350 care facilities offer in the Denver Metro area.

If this situation sounds familiar, and you have questions, please contact our team today at 720-248-7758 for a no pressure, free phone consultation. We will assist you find the best Assisted Living Denver options for your senior.