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As you look into senior housing options,
you may find you have many questions -- or may
If you have a question that is not listed below,
Independent Living Apartments Questions If I move into a one bedroom apartment, can I move into a two bedroom later? Is there an extra cost for the second person? Can we put pictures and others things on the walls? Do I have to pay for all the meals? Do we have to come down for dinner? Can "Meals on Wheels" still deliver to me? Do you have housekeeping services available? Can I continue to use my own housekeeper to clean my apartment? Do I have to join in on community activities? Are there activities planned throughout the day? Is there a fee to use the community's bus for trips to the grocery store? Do you have extra storage available for me to use? Assisted Living Care Questions How do I know if my mother needs assisted living? What is included in the assisted living monthly fee? Do I pay extra per pill or per visit from a nurse? How can I be sure Mom gets all the help she needs? How many staff members are on duty? How do you screen your employees? Can I take my father with us on vacation? May I visit my dad in the evenings after I get off of work? My dad has high blood pressure and needs to be checked often. Can your staff help to monitor it? My mother needs to have a special diet. Can you accommodate her unique needs? Can I join my mother for lunch when my schedule permits? My dad has become very sedentary. What activities do you have that will get him up and going again? My mom can no longer drive. Do you offer transportation services? What happens if my mother needs more care for a short time? How do your prices compare to a nursing home? Does Medicare cover the cost of the monthly fee? What about health care insurance? Is assisted living deductible? My mother may be developing dementia. How do I know? My mother has Alzheimer's Disease and wanders off a lot. How do I know she will be safe? I seem to have so many questions. Do you have additional information I can review? Independent Living Apartments Yes. There is a lease for the first 12 months. After that period, the lease is on a month-to-month basis. Your rent includes hot and cold water, sewer, scheduled activities and social events, scheduled bus service and 24-hour emergency on-call service. If I move into a one bedroom apartment, can I move into a two bedroom later? Yes. However there is a transfer fee that must be paid to move. Is there an extra cost for the second person? No. Your rent on the apartment is the same whether there is one person or two living in the apartment. Can we put pictures and others things on the walls? Certainly. This is your home; please feel free to make it comfortable for you. Should you need assistance, we offer a handyman’s service for a small fee. Yes. Small dogs and cats are welcome in our community. There is an extra security deposit and a copy of your pet vaccination record is required. Do I have to pay for all the meals? Our meal program is optional. You get to choose what's best for you by signing up at the front desk on a weekly basis. Do we have to come down for dinner? No, you may purchase dinner any time you'd like, or you can fix your own in your kitchen. Can "Meals on Wheels" still deliver to me? Yes, but you may want to check out what our chef is cooking and compare it to what you receive from Meals on Wheels. Do you have housekeeping services available? Yes, for an additional fee. Our housekeeping staff can make an appointment with you to clean your apartment either weekly or bi-weekly or on any schedule you desire. Each building has coin-free laundry facilities for resident's use. We also offer full laundry service or "just linens" for an additional fee. Can I continue to use my own housekeeper to clean my apartment? Yes, of course. If at any time your housekeeper is not available, you can hire our housekeeper. Do I have to join in on community activities? You are not required to join in if you do not wish to, but we have many different activities and we hope you will find something that interests you. Are there activities planned throughout the day? Activities are scheduled throughout the day and evening. Residents are always welcome in the game room or other community rooms to join an existing program or to start a new activity. Is there a fee to use the community's bus for trips to the grocery store? No. Bus trips to the grocery store are a free service to our residents. We only ask that you sign up at the front desk if you wish to participate in any of our scheduled outings, as space is limited. A fee may apply for special outings. Do you have extra storage available for me to use? Yes. We offer extra storage for your seasonal items for a low monthly fee. We have set up a three-tier approach to addressing off-hours emergencies. If staff living in the building do not respond to the emergency in a timely manner, the monitoring company will page the next person on our emergency list. If there is still no response, 911 will be called. How do I know if my mother needs assisted living? There are many indicators that you can look for that may mean your mother needs assisted living. Is your mother keeping up with the responsibilities of living on her own, including housekeeping duties and home repairs? Is she still able to shop for, store and cook food correctly? Does she take her medication on time and in the right amount? Is she keeping a regular bathing schedule? Is she isolating herself? Does she use home appliances safely, including operation of the stove and thermostat? If you need additional help in making this determination, feel free to contact any of our living centers. We have a written residency agreement, but you rent your assisted living apartment on a month-to-month basis. We do require a 30-day move-out notice if you choose to leave. What is included in the assisted living monthly fee? The rental of your apartment--whether it is a studio, suite, or one-bedroom--includes three meals per day, snacks throughout the day, weekly housekeeping, laundry service, scheduled activities, administration of medications, all utilities (except telephone) and basic cable television. There is also staff on-site who are awake and available 24-hours a day. We do allow pets if the resident is able to care for it with no assistance from our staff. There are certain restrictions on size and type. For more details, please contact the administrator of the living center you are interested in. Do I pay extra per pill or per visit from a nurse? No. Our rates are all-inclusive. Once we have determined your level of care, there are no surprise charges. Medication administration and resident support services (including care from our Licensed Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants) are all included in the monthly fee. How can I be sure Mom gets all the help she needs? We will do a personal needs assessment before your mother moves in, to determine exactly what support services she requires. This assessment will be reviewed with you, your mom and other family members as well as her physician. From this assessment we develop a service plan that is unique to your mother's needs. This plan serves as a guide so our staff knows exactly what support your mom needs -- and how to meet those needs. This assessment will be updated 30 days after your mother moves in, in order to confirm the accuracy of the initial assessment and to give her time to adjust to her new home. From that point on, this assessment is updated quarterly or upon any significant change in her physical or mental status. How many staff members are on duty? We make sure we have an appropriate number of staff available at all times based on the number of residents we have living with us at any given time, the level of care required by those residents and by the time of day. That is why we do the personal care assessments (see previous answer) at move-in time and quarterly thereafter. This helps to help us determine the level of staffing that is appropriate for our residents. How do you screen your employees? All personnel -- employees as well as regular volunteers -- are interviewed by trained staff. Personal and professional references are thoroughly checked. Prospective personnel are also screened for criminal history through the state police. We also verify licenses (for licensed personnel such as LPNs, CNAs, etc.) and confirm there are no complaints or charges against that person. Each person completes a comprehensive orientation before they begin employment. Skills and knowledge are routinely evaluated to assure only the most capable personnel are employed to serve our residents. We encourage you to decorate your apartment to suit your taste. We provide a bed and nightstand at no additional charge if you choose to use it. If not, we will remove those items so that you may bring your own furniture. We want this to become your home and encourage you to decorate as you please. Can I take my father with us on vacation? You are encouraged to take your loved one on an outing at any time. Many of our residents have enjoyed taking vacations or weekend getaways with their families after they have moved into one of our living centers, as well as just going out for a short visit. May I visit my dad in the evenings after I get off of work? Family and friends are welcomed and encouraged to visit. We have no set visiting hours. We simply ask that you respect the desires of your loved one, as well as other residents. There are a variety of activities your mother may be interested in. You may find that once she is surrounded by people with similar situations and shared memories and interests she will become more outgoing. If she prefers to be alone, we can assist her to find many activities that she still enjoys doing. My dad has high blood pressure and needs to be checked often. Can your staff help to monitor it? Our staff is available to monitor your father’s blood pressure at any time. My mother needs to have a special diet. Can you accommodate her unique needs? We are able to accommodate many special diets, but they must be prescribed by a physician. Our dining and nutritional services manager can answer any specific questions. Can I join my mother for lunch when my schedule permits? Absolutely. Residents may have guests for meals at any time. Guest meals may be paid for at the time of the meal or charged to the monthly statement. To assure space is available, we ask that you let us know in advance whenever possible. Once each month throughout the year, we conduct fire drills with our residents. These drills are conducted at different times of the day and night to be sure that everyone gets "practice." Once a year, we invite the fire department to monitor our practice drills. We also have tornado drills each month from April through October. This ensures the residents feel confident that during any emergency, or in the event that the building need be evacuated, they know what to do to be safe. In addition to the practice drills we conduct monthly inspections of all fire safety equipment and conduct routine fire safety inspections throughout the building. Finally, we are inspected by a private fire safety company each quarter and annually by the state fire marshal's office. At least once each year, our housekeepers give each apartment a deep cleaning which includes mattress-rotating, cleaning behind and under furniture and window washing. If at any time your dad's apartment needs extra attention, simply let a staff person know. (Some services are offered on a fee-for-service basis, such as upholstery cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc.) My dad has become very sedentary. What activities do you have that will get him up and going again? We have a wide variety of activities for all lifestyles and interests. Your dad may be interested in our Men’s Group or perhaps our daily exercise program. We will learn your father’s interests through completion of the personal needs assessment and will encourage him to attend activities that are of interest to him. And who knows--he may just take up a new hobby or two. My mom can no longer drive. Do you offer transportation services? While the assisted living communities do not own a vehicle or bus, we can help you arrange transportation for your mother’s needs. There are several taxi services, non-emergency ambulance services and companionship companies that offer transportation in the area. In addition, we do rent transportation at least once a month to take our residents on outings. Our residents have gone many places including trips to favorite restaurants, ice cream parlors and other local attractions. A hot breakfast, made to order, is served from 7-9am. Cold breakfast items are available after 9am. We will weigh your dad monthly to ensure that he is maintaining a healthy weight. We can also offer encouragement to attend meals. In addition to a daily exercise program, we offer a walking program during the winter months. Residents gather and walk together throughout the living center - many even track their miles! What happens if my mother needs more care for a short time? We reevaluate your mother’s needs on a quarterly basis or upon a significant change in her condition, including acute illnesses. We will adjust her level of care and the amount of assistance that she may need for the duration of time that she needs it. If the amount of care your mother requires is more than our staff can provide in our assisted living home, it is possible to bring in outside services to meet these needs for the time that it is required. If a short stay in a hospital or nursing home is needed, your mother's apartment will still be available to her when she is ready to "come home" as long as she maintains rental payments. How do your prices compare to a nursing home? We are generally much less expensive than a nursing home. At each of our living centers, each resident is individually assessed as to what type of assistance he or she needs. Therefore, you are not paying for services that are not used. Does Medicare cover the cost of the monthly fee? What about health care insurance? Medicare does not cover the cost of assisted living care. It is possible that some long-term care insurance policies and health care insurance policies will cover the cost. You will want to consult with your insurance company to determine eligibility. Is assisted living tax deductible? Under IRS guidelines, the entire cost of assisted living may be deductible. Be sure to check with your accountant, financial planner or attorney. There are currently no state programs that offer financial assistance for our assisted living homes. There are federal veterans programs that may offer assistance for veterans, their spouse and dependents. Both Michigan and Indiana do offer Medicaid waivers on a limited basis, although we do not participate in the program. My mother may be developing dementia. How do I know? It is best to visit your mother’s physician for a complete evaluation. Some early warning signs may include, but are not limited to, short-term memory loss, less energy, slow to react and learn, loss of initiative, mood/personality changes, poor judgment, trouble handling money or paying bills. My mother has Alzheimer's Disease and wanders off a lot. How do I know she will be safe? The Terrace--which is the special memory loss unit at each of our assisted living centers--offers a secure environment for those with Alzheimer’s, dementia or other memory impairments. The doors remain locked at all times and require a code to open. All doors also have alarms which alert the staff members if a resident is trying to leave the area. Our meals are not only tasty, but also nutritious. Our menus are designed to follow the food pyramid to assure we meet all nutritional needs. We also consider "likes" and "dislikes" so that residents are interested in eating! Meals are a very social time at our living centers. Often, we find that our residents eat more when they are surrounded by friends instead of dining alone. You can be assured that your mother will be getting three nutritious meals a day. We aim to provide residents with the opportunity to be as independent as they can be, while assisting them with anything they may need help with. We can check in with your dad in such a way that he may not even notice we are monitoring him. We will be checking in on him for meals, medication administration, delivery of mail and newspaper and reminders for activities, just to name a few. I seem to have so many questions. Do you have additional information I can review? This is a big decision and it is completely normal for you to have many questions. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have about our home and the services that are available here. We offer a free personal tour which gives us an opportunity to answer questions in person. Many of our sites also offer support groups for families and friends. We also have helpful printed material you can take home with you. Please feel free to call the administrator at the living center of your choice for more information.
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