1. Are you a
Nursing Home?
No. We are an assisted living facility (Type
B)
2. What is the
difference between an assisted living
facility and a
Nursing Home?
Nursing Homes provide a more intensive level
of care than an assisted living. Nursing
Home residents usually have complex medical
conditions that require interventions such
as injections, feeding tubes or restraint.
Nursing homes are required to have nurses
around the clock who provide and supervise
the care of their patients. Nursing homes
are also oriented toward a medical model of
care, with physicians on staff. Some Nursing
Homes receive public funding such as
Medicare and Medicaid and most Long Term
Care Insurance policies pay for Nursing Home
care.
Assisted Living facilities provide a less
intensive level of care and, generally, do
not subscribe to the medical model of care.
Most assisted living facilities do not have
nurses or physicians on their staff and
provide mainly physical and personal care,
such as assistance with bathing, eating,
dressing and toileting. Generally speaking,
any complex medical or nursing care needed
must be performed by an outside agency such
as home health. Public funding is not
available in Texas for assisted living
facilities. Some Long Term Care Insurance
Policies will pay for care in an assisted
living. Many assisted living facilities have
a more home like feeling and some are
actually small homes with just 3 or 4
elderly residents.
3. Does Alzcare
have Nurses on staff?
Yes, we have a nurse on staff who oversees
the medical care of each resident. Our nurses will
also work with the resident’s physician when
minor illnesses or medication problems
arise.
4. What are your
staffing ratios?
During waking hours, our staffing ratios
range from 1 caregiver for every 5
residents. During sleeping hours, our ratio
is 1 to 7.5.
5. Does Alzcare
take care of people with all types of
Dementia?
The types of Dementia that we see most
frequently at Alzcare are Alzheimer’s type
and Vascular type. We will perform
pre-admission assessments and evaluations on
individuals with other types of Dementia.
We screen our residents carefully to make
sure that we can provide the level of care
that they need and that they will be a good
“fit” with the other residents at Alzcare.
We also perform assessments to ascertain
that the potential resident is able to
benefit from the program that we offer.
6. Do you provide
day care or respite care?
We offer day care when space is available.
We are licensed by the state to have only 16
residents so even one extra person for 2
hours or overnight would not be possible. We
must assess the resident the same way we
would assess/omit if that person were moving
in to be a permanent resident.
7. Do you help
residents take their medication?
Absolutely! In fact, we supervise all of the
resident’s medication as we believe that
this aspect of care is dangerous for the
residents to cope with on their own. All
resident medication is kept in a locked
medicine cabinet in the office.
8. What about
over-the-counter medications, nutritional
supplements and herbal remedies?
We will gladly supervise any substance that
the resident’s physician prescribes. We must
have a physicians order for all substances
that are supervised. All substances that we
supervise must be labeled by a pharmacy. Our
residents are not allowed to keep any type
of medication or other potentially dangerous
items/substances in their room.
9. Do you have your
own pharmacy to refill medications?
No, but we do have an agreement with a local
pharmacy in the neighborhood which delivers
directly to Alzcare. If you want to continue
using your own pharmacy we ask that you be
consistent and timely with refills for your
loved one.
10. Do you provide
transportation to and from appointments?
Because of our small size and staffing
ratio, it is difficult for us to provide
transportation for the residents. Only in
certain special circumstances can we provide
transportation. Some family members prefer
to take their loved one to the appointments
themselves which we encourage. In the event
of an emergency however we call EMS or
another ambulance service to transport the
resident to an appropriate medical facility.
11. What type of
Activity Program do you provide?
Because individuals with Dementia need
routine and structure, our Activity Program
is designed to structure the residents day
from the time that they arise throughout the
day until they go to bed. The Activity
Program is designed to accentuate our
residents’ strengths and minimize their
disabilities. We incorporate hygiene and
activities of daily living into the program.
Some of our residents prefer to stay busy
with household chores as that adds value to
their being. The activities are designed to
stimulate cognition, movement, communication
and socialization.
We are very
excited to introduce “Clubs” to the Alzcare
family. Recently, at a conference in
Galveston Texas, our management staff was
informed on the success that club activities
were having for a group of Assisted Living
Facilities. After learning the idea behind
these types of activities, promoting a
better quality of life, as well as
discussing the possibilities with
co-workers, we have decided to try club
activities at Alzcare. Potential clubs will
include cooking, gardening, photo and a
men’s club.
12. Are the
residents allowed to have pets?
No. We find that pets are territorial and
the change of environment can cause
distractions for our residents. The Alzcare
family does include pets, which includes 2
dogs, 2 cats and a lot of fish.
13. May I drop in
for a tour?
Sure! We prefer to provide tours by
appointment, but if you are in the area
please stop by. We have several requests for
tours each day and to honor all of these
requests is not conducive to a calm
environment. We believe that Alzcare is
their home and they should not be disrupted
too many times during the day.
14. When can I
visit my loved one?
We have no set visiting hours. Families are
welcome at any time of the day. We strongly
encourage the families to be involved in the
resident’s life. It gives the residents
continuity.
15. Can families
eat at Alzcare when visiting?
Sure! Families are welcome to have meals
with the residents, FREE OF CHARGE. We ask
that you give us a few hours notice so that
our kitchen staff can make sure there is
enough food for everyone.
16. Can I take my
loved one for an outing?
Sure you can! The residents may leave with
family any time the family wants to take
them out. We do ask that you sign them out
and back in with staff. We will not let a
resident leave with someone that we are not
familiar with unless we first obtain
permission from the family.
17. What kinds of
behaviors are your staff capable of
handling?
We are specially trained to deal with
individuals who display most of the common
(and not so common) behaviors associated
with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.
Behaviors such as hoarding (which is
shopping, wandering, hiding objects,
confusion, disorientation, paranoia,
reluctance to bathe, difficulty dressing,
layering of clothing, problems with
toileting, sundowning, agitation, anger,
frustration, difficulty with mobility,
problems with eating and withdrawal are all
behaviors that we are trained to work with
and manage.
18. Are meals
served at scheduled and specific times? Do
the residents have to eat at that time?
All meals, snacks and beverages are served
family style. While breakfast, lunch and
dinner are served at general times; we try
to respect and support the lifestyles our
residents have practiced all of their lives.
Late risers and early birds may not
necessarily eat breakfast together.
19. Can my loved
one walk around at night if he/she cannot
sleep?
Yes. Our staff is trained to support the
resident that may encounter a restless
evening of sleep. However, our staff is also
trained to understand why this restlessness
may occur. If there is evidence that this is
a patterned behavior, in conjunction with
the family and the attending physician, we
will develop a care plan that will meet the
needs of the resident.
20. Are your homes
just for the people with early stage
dementia?
No. It is the philosophy of Alzcare that our
homes are created to provide care for all
levels of dementia, regardless of the stage.
This is their home and they need to be
surrounded by the friends and caregivers
whom they are familiar with. We would prefer
the resident be able to live with us until
end-of-life. We work very closely with
hospice in special situations to ease the
process of the final days of the disease.
21. Will my mother
have to go to a nursing home when she needs
more and more care?
We will do everything within our power to
assure that your loved one will not have to
go into a nursing home. In the past we have
brought in home health and/or hospice to
provide any additional care needed. These
additional services will be at the families
expense.
22. How do you
handle wandering?
Alzcare is a secured facility so there is
little risk of a resident wandering away. If
the resident is wandering we try to redirect
by giving them a task or occupy them with
conversation. If the resident prefers to
walk, be active, there are walking paths
located in the backyard which is a secure
location.
23. Dad uses a
walker (wheelchair). Will you still take
him?
We prefer that new residents are ambulatory.
However what we are really looking for is
their ability to bear weight. All potential
residents require an assessment, so the best
thing to do is schedule an appointment. The
person doing the assessment will assess
their abilities at that time.
24. Should I put a
TV in Dad’s room?
No. We discourage family members from doing
this because it could lead to isolation. We
encourage our residents to socialize and
participate in activities, a TV in their
room could encourage the resident to stay in
their room.
25. Mom loves to be
outdoors. Can she go outside?
Yes! Our backyard is very spacious as well
as secure. Residents are free to wander in
this secure area.
26. Do you add fees
as mom needs more care?
No. At Alzcare we provide all services at a
fixed, affordable rate.
27. Do you have
doctors and nurses?
Residents are required to have a primary
physician of their choice. Alzcare does not
contract with nor have any financial
relationship with any physician or physician
group. We allow the primary physician access
to our homes in order to minimize resident
inconvenience with travel. Our homes are
staffed with a licensed nurse.
28. Is your home
secure? Can Mom wander away?
Each of our homes is equipped with a non
threatening, but state of the art security
system. Each yard is protected by a secured
alarmed fence. Every door and window of each
home is protected by an audible alarm that
alerts staff when there is an unaccompanied
resident who attempts to wander outside the
home.
29. Do you do
criminal background checks on your
employees? What other precautions do you
take?
Of course we do! All employees go through a
criminal background check process, as well
as the state misconduct registry check.
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