The industry of long term care can be confusing and overwhelming to someone the first time they are exposed to it.
There is so much grey area when trying to decide what is appropriate placement for yourself or someone you love or make decisions for. The marketers can be very aggressive because that is the job they are paid to do, they must answer for any empty bed that results in occupancy loss. They will tell you what ever you want to hear to get the lease signed. This could very well be an inappropriate placement but once you sign the lease you will be obligated to then give notice before being released from the payment committment, this could be anywhere from one to thirty days. This could be costly as the fees vary from $160.00/a day to as much as $4800.00 for the month. There are resources available to help you make decisions but ultimately it will be you or the person you love who signs the financial agreement. Never do this without physically seeing the facility and receiving in writing the services that will be provided and the written acceptance of yourself or your loved ones. I have worked in this indusrty for 20+ years and seen first hand how the game is played. The marketer will make every effort to get you to sign a committment and make a deposit, what you don't know is that if for some reason you or your loved one is not accepted often the deposit is nonrefundable. These deposits can be from $500.00 to as much as $4000.00 and by law this is legal.
The best thing to do is to obtain in writing a statement of acceptance before providing any deposit. Always visit the facility unannounced, observe the staff and the residents. Ask to have a meal in the diningroom, does the meal look appealing? Do the dietary staff look clean and professional? The simple fact of the matter is the dining experience is one of the largest portions of this time of life, you or your loved one will spend 1/3 of everyday with this provided service. The staff that will be directly responsible for you or your loved ones care are the other single most important component. Watch the staff closely, marketers and those giving tours often rush you through the actual unit focusing on what services can be provided and talking constantly to avoid allowing you time to actually observe the staff interaction. This is a marketing stradegy, don't allow this to happen, focus closely on how the staff speak and interact with the residents. The primary goal of the staff should be not only to meet the basic needs but to encourage quality of life. The general area where the residents tend to gather should be bright and engaging not just pretty. The staff should be interacting with them not gathered at the desk engaging in thier own conversations. The bottom line is does this facility offer quality of life or just a waiting room.
I have wrote a wonderful informative book that will be released this summer to help potential residents and families make informed decisions before they sign a lease. I wrote this book because I have seen with my own eyes how the system works and believe that the population needs to be provided the full picture to make the right choices. The books title is THE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR CHOOSING LONG TERM CARE
