I think I'm Ready

• By angelbrd67
• Posted June 13, 2009 at 8:45 pm
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I have not lived in a group home or assisted living but have had family in them and have worked in them myself. The best thing you can do is look at all your options and see what each place has to offer. Where I worked they had a dietician who worked with those with diabetes and helped them follow a good healthy diet. Each place is different. My Grandmother was in assisted living..she lived in an apartment that had a small kitchen and bathroom. She was required to show up for at least one meal a day in the dinning room. But was offered 3 meals a day plus afternoon tea and cookies. She LOVED the food where she was at..and If she didn't show they hunted her down. She had nurses come in to give her medications and if she wanted to go out on the town she had to just let the staff know where she was going and with whom. Her room was equipped so if she needed anyone all she had to do is push a button on a bracelet and someone would answer her on an intercom to see how she was. Now not all places have the same things. Her's had group activities. A social director who offered Exercise and Crafts,... Music and Sunday Services. They even had outings....single socials and such. I taught a Bonsai class at one of the home's I was a caregiver in....They encourage the tenants to participate in something as they don't like them to just hide in their room's and watch TV.

A good place will offer many things to it's tenants just make sure you shop around and don't just jump into something because it become's available. Do your research talk to other tenants make sure it is somewhere you will feel comfort in. If you go and you see sad faces don't even go in the door. How others look is the key to what your getting into.

Group home's are the same way. Do your research make sure there are no bad reports on the place or it's owners. Make sure they have an activity director and a dietician on staff. Do your research!!!

My father spent his last months in a combo home as we called it. It had level's of care. From non assisted to semi assisted to full assistance and nursing facility. He had his own room TV and meal's were prepared for him. He was a very bad diabetic. Now I lived out of state and didn't have a choice as to where he went after his last massive stroke and the plan was for him to get better and move to Florida with me. Now He didn't like the food.. My sister smuggled in food he shouldn't have been eating and cheetoos...he was ok with the staff as the people caring for him were young people us kids had grown up with. He couldn't talk and needed to be fed on most days. They did have activities for people there but what I didn't like is they figured that a person in his state wouldn't want to get out of bed. That is unacceptable. To this day I ache inside for the two months he was there before I got home that he laid around his room with out going outside. When I got there I got him dressed into a wheel chair he had no muscles left from laying around to much and this actually makes a nurses job harder as they have to do more to care for them when they let their bodies go like that. So you would think they would want to get them moving. I had to strap him upright in his chair and then with nurses yelling down the hall chasing after me I wheeled him out the front door and took him for a walk. We walked a half mile to a store and I tossed balls at him and then took him back and he was all smiles laughing wanting to visit people in the halls grasping hands and shaking them...
This is the kind of situation you DONT want to get into ... If things get rough you don't want someone giving up on you ...and having to rely on those kind of people sucks. I never got to take my father home.. and since have always made an effort to everyone I have cared for to make sure when the time came for them to move into assisted living or a nursing facility that they went in with their eye's open and not blind to what is around them.

Good luck in your search.

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• By goldy24k
• Posted June 14, 2009 at 2:49 pm
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Thank you for the antidote. It gives us something to think about. I think I want to wait as long as posible. My mom wanted to print this info out. Where are you? I like the idea of doing all the activities. I'm a writer. I like to type out my stories on my computer. I heard that they have a computer at one home. I have friends who Live in homes that come to bowling and other classes.

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• By angelbrd67
• Posted June 17, 2009 at 9:38 pm
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Where am I ?... I am in Lady Lake, FL.... The Q-tip capital of the world...(meaning retirement capital of the world). I am glad I could help a little... I just know one day when I have to make that choice for myself or my kid's have to make it , I have educated them enough to know what is good and what isn't.. it is so vital to have quality of life and I believe everyone should have that no matter what their circumstances are.. every day is a gift to be cherished and enjoyed to the MAX!

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