Utah Senior Care Advisors

Make no mistake; laundry is a huge issue in every assisted living. Items will be lost, misplaced, bleached, torn etc That is a simple fact that you must come to terms with. All assisted living communities try their best. Every garment must be labeled and every community has a different system. If their services are not up to your standards, instruct administration to leave your loved ones laundry in their room.You can take it home to launder or ask the administration if you can use their facilities to launder clothing while you are visiting. They will generally let you do as you please during off hours, when the nursing assistants are busy helping resident to bed or during meals. Christmas time is the worst time for laundry, because family members always want their loved one to wear a garment before they are required to label it.

CNA Certified Nursing Assistant, as they are called in most states. They provide direct care to the residents and administer medications under the registered nurses direction and license.POA Power of Attorney. Assisted living administration must work directly with person responsible for making decisions for their loved one. Sometimes the resident themselves may have the power of attorney.DNR Do Not Resuscitate. This states that under direction from the power of Attorney, the resident shall not be resuscitated in the case of a medical emergency.POLST Physician Orders Life-Sustaining Treatment; a form that dictates treatment in the case of an emergency. It must be completed by the power of attorney and a physician.ADLs Activities of Daily Living record. A record kept by the assisted living staff. It includes a record of hygiene procedures administered, activities attended, percentage of meals consumed and will even go as far as to track bowel movements if necessary.MAR Medication Administration Record. This is a record of medications administered, usually on a computer software platform.PRN MEDICATION is an abbreviation meaning when necessary from the Latin pro re nata, as circumstances require, as needed. These may include constipation or blood pressure medications and narcotics.SERVICE PLAN A general plan of care tailored to each resident including assistance needed, likes and dislikes, general routine, as well as family directions. This plan is continually reviewed and revised by the care team.INCONTINENCE When a resident requires a brief.BRIEF Diapers are for infants, briefs are for adults.

Independent Senior Living- These apartment setting communities for people 55+ are generally for those who do not require assistance with activities of daily living. Most of these residents maintain their drivers license and care for pets. All Independent livings communities offer different amenities and programs. Many include an activities program or socials and meals in a dining room. Some may have laundry services, transportation, housekeeping and other amenities such as a pool or gym. Larger companies may have Independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing communities on one campus, so your loved one can graduate to a high care community as their needs progress.When my grandmother could no longer keep her home in order, Independent living was the perfect fit for her. She was able to maintain her dignity, her dog and her car. There were plenty of social programs and we were comforted knowing she wasnt making herself the same peanut butter toast for every meal of the day. The community was essentially an apartment complex with socials and a dining room. We paid for a housekeeper to clean her apartment once a week and resident were supposed to use their own vehicles for transportation. The common areas were maintained, however a resident had to submit a request for apartment repairs.Assisted Living- Apartment setting communities that assist with activities of daily living including hygiene, prepared meal, and laundry and medication assistance. There is generally a full time activities program, a hair salon and other amenities for the residents to enjoy. These communities have an RN available, but not on staff around the clock.Memory Care-These communities provide all of the same services that an assisted living provides, but specialize in caring for resident with dementia. The communities are generally smaller and have a higher staff to resident ratio. A good activities program is based on sensory stimulation.Skilled Nursing- Hospital setting communities that employ doctors and have around the clock registered nurses on staff. This type of community assists those that need attention that only an around the clock nursing staff can provide.Respite Care- This service if for caregivers that need temporary care for their loved one. A person may stay at an assisted living for up to fourteen days, before actually having to move into the community permanently. This service is great for spouses acting as primary caregivers and need a vacation etcRegulations may vary state to state. Some assisted living communities specializing in memory care often offer some type of adult day care programs as well.Home Health and Hospice agencies- These agencies offer additional caregiver support, at home or at an assisted living community. These services may be covered by Medicaid. Home health allows people to prolong their move to an assisted living and helps residents that need additional care at an assisted living prolong their move to a skilled nursing community. Hospice agencies focus on care for residents that are actively dying or near the end of life. Their focus is on palliative care such as pain management and comfort. They are also a great resource, helping families prepare for the loss of their loved one.CCRC- Continuing Care Retirement Communities. These are communities that offer assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing at one location or campus.

Helping a loved one transition from their cherished home into an assisted living community can be a challenging experience to say the least. Companies are building communities all over the valley in anticipation of the Baby Boomer generation eventually coming of age to need assisted living accommodations. The Baby Boomer generation (1946-1964) are nostalgically defined as the children that were joyously conceived after the Allied Forces ending WWII.Working after school at my family assisted living communities, my best friends were the soldiers and mothers that raised the Boomers, these seniors were my residents and they each taught me something unique about embracing old age. The oldest of the Boomer population is currently eclipsing their early seventies, years away from any thought of the assisted living communities in their future.Many large assisted living companies have already taken advantage of building communities in anticipation of the aging Boomer population with the complete understanding that their resident population boom is still more than a few years away, especially with the average person living a longer, healthier lives than their parents. Black lung and exposure to radiation is less common every day Thanks to OSHA.The consolation for families in need of care for a loved one is knowing that the assisted living market is oversaturated with communities that need residents. Many communities are willing to cut deals, because most of them are competing for the same clients. Let me use my years of assisted living operations experience to advise your family. No other company has the hands on experience that I have. Other senior advisor companies have franchise owners associates with backgrounds in sales and marketing, not much direct care or management experience in an actual assisted living community. Experience makes a big, big difference. Allow me to personally help your family.

With the cost of assisted living care through the roof, many families choose to take care of their elderly loved ones in their own homes for as long as possible. It is a demanding task that takes a lot of family support. Most families are unaware that a majority of assisted living and memory care communities offer adult day care and respite care. While day care is self explanatory, respite care is much lesser known. Respite care is essentially short term lodging at assisted living communities.The lives of in-home caregivers can be challenging. You may be taking care of your husband with dementia and need to attend the funeral of a loved one out of State or maybe you are planning a trip to Europe before the kids go back to school in the fall. In any situation, it is nice to know that assisted living communities can accommodate your needs short term. Most communities have a furnished room available, if not, ask to use their model room. All of the same principles apply when looking for short term assisted living accommodations. As a caregiver, you need to have peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in good hands while you are away. That is why you should call me, Jason at Utah Senior Care Advisors!