The decision to place a loved one in an Denver assisted living community can be a difficult one. What can be a wonderful experience is often dampened by the anxiety of leaving their homes and the fear of being alone. While choosing the right community may seem a bit overwhelming, the entire process can be made easier if you know which questions to ask. By asking the appropriate questions, you can find the perfect community for your loved one and ensure that the remainder of their lives is spent in comfort and happiness.
1. What types of care does the facility offer?
Assisted living communities in Denver all vary in the range of care they are able to provide your loved one. While most of them offer independent living programs, some of them are even attached to nursing homes and special therapies can be made available as health care needs increase.
2. How is the pricing set and what extra fees are added?
Many assisted living communities have a monthly fee that includes rent for the apartment, utilities and the meal plan that you have chosen. Some even include a few basic personal care services and light housekeeping in their monthly fee, but other facilities charge extra for such services. Knowing what is already included in the monthly price will prevent any surprises from occurring when you open your first bill.
3. What types of activities do you offer?
Activity programs vary as much as the facilities themselves. Ask to see a calendar of recent events and decide whether they offer the types of activities your loved one would enjoy. While some senior members take routine day trips to wineries and museums, others enjoy playing a variety of bridge games in their recreation room. Make sure that the community you choose offers the types of activities that are suitable for your loved one.
4. How many caregivers are on site and what credentials do they have?
Even in an assisted living community it is important to know what type of people are working there. Ask how many staff members are routinely available and what background checks are taken to ensure the safety of its members. Nursing home abuse is an unfortunate statistic that can extend to assisted living communities. Make sure that the community you choose has safeguards in place to protect your loved one.
5. What types of meals do you serve?
When you tour an assisted living community, ask to see a copy of the last 3 months menus. This way you can be certain that they will serve the types of food your loved one is accustomed to eating. By viewing three months of menus you can also see how often meals are repeated throughout the month.
6. Ask about their emergency procedures?
Inevitably in an assisted living community, emergencies arrive. Calm any fears you or your loved one has by asking upfront what emergency precautions are already in place. If your loved one needs emergency attention, is there a pull cord system in their rooms? Are their controlled entries into the facility to keep dangerous people from entering? What is the evacuation plan in case of severe weather or fire?
7. Ask other members how they like living in the community?
Once your tour is over, take a moment to walk through the facility and ask a few senior members how they like living in the community. As them if they like the meals, if the activities are enjoyable and whether or not they like the staff members. Getting a first hand account of what living in the community will be like is extremely important and may put your loved one at ease.
8. How easy is it for family members to be involved in the direct care as well as in activities?
Just because your loved one will be enjoying the benefits of an assisted living community does not mean that you don’t want to be involved. Many family members still want to dine with their loved ones from time to time or go on day trip excursions with them. Ask the activities director how easy it is for family members to be involved and whether you will have 24 hour access to visit your loved one should they require some extra TLC.
9. Ask to see their credentials.
Every assisted living community has to regularly meet certain federal health and safety guidelines in order to be Medicare or Medicaid certified. Many states even require certain standards of care to be satisfied in order to remain open. Many facilities are also part of various associations such as the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). These associations generally hold the community to a higher level of care than what is required by law.
10. Ask your loved one if they like the facility.
It doesn’t matter how great an assisted living community seems to you, if your loved one is not pleased with it you are back to square one. If your loved one continually rejects communities that would otherwise seem appropriate, be sure to find out why. There may be underlying fears about life in an assisted living community that you can deal with easily prior to making the transition.
