How To Chose The Right Assisted Living Facility For a Loved One

Hello Everyone and welcome to February 2016. 

The time just seems to be going by so fast. It's a beautiful day here in Michigan sunny and on the warm side for this time of year. My daughter just left to go home and we both commented it looks like spring outside. But don't be fooled there is plenty of winter left. Ground hog day is tomorrow and we should know what old man winter has left in him for this year, if you think old Mr. Ground Hog knows his stuff.

I was thinking today about the hard decision we often have to face with regards to a loved one. The decision to move them to assisted living. I know how hard it is to make this important decision because recently my sister and I wrestled with it ourselves. If you follow my blog you know that in the fall we moved my mother to an Adult Family Home. Previously she had lived with myself for 9 years and more recently with my sister. It took us a couple of months to finally decide it was the right thing for all involved and several visits to varying types of facilities before we settled on one.

With the wide variety of facilities available, how do you know which one is right for your loved one? There are some things to consider when making your decision. These are the things that came into play for us.


First what type of care do they need. This is a big one. The level of care for assisted living can range anywhere from total hands on medical care at the high end, to daily supervision with some assistance at the low end. When visiting AL facilities you need to have the care level in mind to determine if the facility can meet all their needs. Make sure that you thoroughly check out the facility to make sure they can provide the type of care they claim and the type you need.

Great pet therapy!

Always consider your loved ones personality. Since the amenities offered at facilities vary greatly and the more amenities the higher the cost in most cases, determine according to your loved ones personality and abilities whether or not they would utilize all of the amenities.  In my mothers case she does not see well and her hearing is very bad. She would not do well in a facility that was large and hard to navigate and so in her case we chose a small home with a family atmosphere where the rooms were bright and cheerful to help her see better. If we had put her in a large facility our concern was that she would stay in her room most of the time because navigating would be a challenge for her and her dementia would become worse because of the confusion. Turns out we were right, she loves the home,  the family and caregivers that run it and the consistency of caregivers helps her remember everyone, even their names. They have a cat named Bob ( it's a she ) and she loves to cuddle with mom and a dog named Bruce who guards the fort and loves back rubs.

I love back rubs!

Next thing to consider is cost. Again there is a wide range of costs from one facility to another. Even the same types of facility can cost several hundred dollars a month different just due to their location. We found that the Adult Family Homes, also called Board and Care or Adult Foster Homes for the Aged depending your state, to be a great value for your money. Consider that the average cost of a nursing home is about $8,000 a month and the home my mother is in costs $3,200 a month for full assist clients. That is a huge difference. This difference means that with my mother's VA Aid & Attendance Benefits and her SS we can almost cover the costs. We can make her savings stretch for another few years before having to apply for medicaid. 

Now consider aging in place. Most people think this term refers to seniors staying in their homes, however it can also refer to a person being allowed to continue to stay at a facility throughout the rest of their lives. Ask does the facility allow clients to continue as a resident once they reach the end of life stage? How about when they need hospice, will they be required to move? This is a big factor. Moving someone when they are near the end can be challenging if not impossible so make sure they can stay where they are for the duration, unless medically necessary of course.

On the forums I read how people everyday struggle with this decision. If it helps to know, we all do. It is not easy as we want the best for our loved ones and with costs rising and people living longer the problem will only get worst. It is for this reason that we at
 Pal Caregivers are striving to shine a light on Family Care Homes. We feel that these homes fill a vast need in our country, that being affordable housing with quality care for the elderly. 

If you would like more information regarding this type of assisted living please feel free to contact us and we will help you in your search. For our family the home mom is in has been a real blessing. 

Until Next Time
Take Care
Ruth Anne