Seniors and Their Rights in Long-Term Care Facilities

At the skilled nursing facility where I work, we remind seniors that they all have rights. Their rights put them in charge of their experience in the facility and can direct their plan of treatment, as well as their personal way of living.

Well, we have a resident who prefers to wear only his underwear during the day. Yes, he's totally alert, and there's no trace of dementia. Of course, he has his rights, but sometimes resident's rights can get a bit tricky to interpret. There are boundaries and then there are dignity issues.

I often run into situations where residents will request or even do something outrageous. Though, I'm a little too shy to share some of those stories with you today (blush, blush).

If your senior parents have specific requests that may be out of the norm and you're worried about their rights, you should know that there are both state and federal regulations that protect them in long term care facilities.

Seniors who live in long-term care (LTC) facilities are definitely more vulnerable than seniors who live independently. In 1987, the U. S. Congress recognized this fact and passed The Nursing Home Reform Act that gave nursing home residents additional legal protections, including a set of Residents Rights.

In 1995, the Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman successfully persuaded the Washington legislature to extend Residents Rights to other LTC facilities such as assisted living facilities, adult family homes and state operated veterans' homes. The point was to advance consumer healthcare education and to empower older adults and their family members to make informed long-term care decisions.

To review the full list of 12 Residents Rights, go to http://www.ltcop.org/index.htm. It includes all aspects of long-term care stay starting from the day of admission, lasting throughout their stay to the day of their discharge.

Let's dig into 5 of them right now:

1. You can communicate with whom you choose.
This means that seniors can make decisions about all aspects of their daily living. So, the minute a senior wakes up in the morning, he can actually determine the time he wants to get up. Some residents believe that if they don't get up early for breakfast, they would miss their first meal. Not so.

2. Right to participate in and decide your plan of care.
Everyone has the right to refuse care. As health care professionals, we will explain the risks and benefits to you, just to make sure you understand the consequences. For example, nurses may run into the dilemma of a senior declining his medications. This is a tough one and a common one. I personally work with seniors who refuse to eat, every single day.

3. Right to information.
All healthcare professionals will document everything about you, even if you are misbehaving. And, you have the right to read all about it.

4. Right to privacy and respect.
You must be respected and the residents around you must also be respected. The underwear story fits into this one. Again, healthcare professionals will educate you on the risks or benefits of your decisions.

5. Right to hold resident and family meetings.

You have the right to participate in resident gatherings in the facility; lots of meetings are usually going on. And, if you like, you can call a meeting as often as you wish.

A Registered Dietitian and Senior Resource Diva, April Fan, RD, CD, Founder of SeniorResourceCentral.com, a finalist in SeniorHomes.com's "Best of the Web" 2011 and top honors winner in StartupNation.com's "Leading Moms in Business" 2011, is on a mission to educate baffled adult children who are currently caring for their own children as well as their aging parents. Her goal is to help these juggling caregivers discover how to take the confusion out of this daunting role. Tap into April's personal and clinical experiences, proven resources, handy tips and sane ideas at http://www.seniorresourcecentral.com/.

Assisted Living Facilities in Plano Texas

Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities at 3:23 pm by admin

In Plano Texas there are several assisted living facilities to choose from
but each one may fall under a different class.

There are different class facilities of elder care that are equiped to handle certain types of residents in Plano.

The class of facilities start at A and go up to D. Knowing the class of facility is not important at the outset of searching for an elder care facility in Plano TX but it is good information to have on hand.

Some assisted living facilities will attempt to sign a lease for your parent even while knowing they need placed in a licenced alzheimers care facility. These type of Plano TX assisted living facilities skirt the rules and regulations as the ease of comvincing and moving someone in does not take much and the profits can ve huge.

A typical Plano elderly care facility will make around $3,000 per month on the room, board, care, and daily meals per resident. The managers at these places get a significant portion of their income from bonuses based on staying under budget.

These large bonuses force Plano TX assisted living communities to hire less desirable care workers who make minimum wage or very close to it. It is common for these employees to only do the bare minimum while your elderly loved one sits soiled in their clothes over night.

When shopping for Plano elder care facilities take time to go into the facility at night and during the day. Meet the care workers as they are the ones who will take care of your loved one daily.

Also keep in mind that an older facility near a loved one who can more easily visit is better than a nicer newer facility farther a way from relatives who could normally drop by for a visit.

In summary we recommend a Plano TX assisted living community nearby that has a good care staff with the right ratio of workers to residents. Be sure to go in at night and monitor how the care workers do their job if you are suspicious of lack of care which often happens during the evening and sleeping hours.

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Are Retirement Facilities a Good Idea?

Individuals wrapped up with work in accordance to a regular routine risk the fate of having nothing to do upon reaching retirement. Studies conducted show that some easily fall into depression as the abundant time at hand is apparently too much to handle and comprehend. Senior living communities come to the rescue for individuals having stepped past the thresholds of youth and prime of age. They come to the stark realization that having to set the alarm clock, commute to the office, wade through work, commute home to spend precious little time with the family is a thing of the past. Although this may cause many to shiver in their shoes, it is in fact a blessing as the daily rat race run in life's maze has been known to cut short a life or two.

Although the mention of retirement communities may conjure a picture of silver haired folks with paunches and slow gaits, there are exceptions to the case. In the event living on one's own and having solitary meals is no longer in fashion, it may do one well to consider taking up a space in one of these places. As social networking is the latest buzzword amongst the tech savvy crowd, the senior folk can certain take the concept for a test drive minus the technology bit. This however does not discount those who are well versed in the latest offerings of who's who and what's what in this technologically advanced environment. Senior living communities are not made up of dusty folks in dusty surroundings as many of the elderly post and tweet as well as the younger generation.

These places cater to the needs of the able bodied in their golden years by providing a safe and healthy environment. Also referred to as retirement villages, they provide an avenue for those young at heart and comparatively young at body to enjoy life after dedicating more than half their lifespan to work. Due to the abundance of retirement communities, it is best to check with relevant authorities on which are most reputable. Since this is a business like any other, checking ahead of moving in is certainly a worthwhile move. With death and taxes being the sureties in life, one is well advised to make wise decisions in addressing the latter. As the income stream is either greatly reduced or halted, retirees are advised to select ideal places to call it a day.