ALF Placement

While most people say they want to remain in their home until the end, this is not always practical.

There are things that are out of scope from a regulatory perspective as far as what Home Care can provide (For instance, Caregivers can only assist with self-administered meds. IE. They can only prompt and/or assist clients that mentally know what they are taking and physically participate in the administration of the same. Otherwise, an LPN or RN is required). Also, at $30-35 an hour, 24/7 coverage (or even 8 hours a day 7 days a week) can be outside of what many people can afford. In addition, at certain stages in the aging process, many of us need more socialization than one person can offer (or more varied socialization). In these instances, moving to an Assisted Living community (ALF) can be the most appropriate option.

There are many great communities out there. But even the best ones are not right for everyone. Some are set up to better address the needs of couples. Some are pet friendly. Communities also change as their residents age in place. One that might have been great for an active senior 24 months ago, may have an overabundance of end of life residents that are not very active now. Likewise, many have memory units but their strength may be addressing the needs of dementia patients at a different stage than your loved one. Similarly, some are best for those with Alzheimer’s. Others focus on Parkinsons.  These are just a few of the things one wants to consider.

Now, one can do the research themselves but it is very time consuming. There are also professionals that do this for a fee (Aging Life Care Professionals- Geriatric Care Managers). One other option, is engaging an ALF Placement Company. These individuals spend time in the community getting to know the ALF communities inside and out. They will ask you a handful of questions:

• Is it important for you to visit your loved one? If so, they will want to limit their search to communities along your traffic pattern (or close to it)
• What is your loved one’s cognitive and physical/medical condition? This will help them determine who is the best fit medically and socially,  now and in the future.
• What is your budget?
• Etc.

Based upon this information, they will do the research for you and come back with alternatives and then set up visits with those communities so that you can check them out. They do this at no cost to you. They are ultimately paid by the ALF community to which you move your loved one.

We call on ALF communities weekly and network with their marketing folks all the time so when it comes to ALF placement, we are happy to provide any insight we can. However, to get the best most up to date perspective, we always offer to refer you to one or more of the Placement companies with which we have a relationship. So, if you ever need assistance with this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.