Sorry I took so long to follow up with my comments re: Elan/Watercrest Spanish Springs. I had to go out of town for a few days for a family funeral.
I am happy to try to answer any questions I can. If you respond please do not quote my entire message, as it is quite long!
kathy
We visited the facility and were very favorably impressed. (It is the only place we have seen so far and we will go see a few others.)
The location is fabulous from the standpoint of distance from our house (five minutes by car, 7 or 8 min. by cart). It is also a two block or so walk to the heart of Spanish Springs so residents who are fairly mobile can walk to restaurants, music in the evenings, the movie theater (should it ever reopen). They also have a very nice van/bus that takes them wherever they want to go. (Transportation is included in the monthly fee.)
The Spanish Springs location has Assisted Living (AL) and Memory Care (MC). The Buena Vista location (at 466 and Buena Vista) also has Independent Living. Mom-in-Law (MIL) is ready for AL at this point so SS would work for us. BV has, I think, 120 residents but SS only has 50.
They have four sizes of rooms, each with a small kitchenette:
(1) A very small studio, really the size of a hotel room. Space for a double or queen bed and two chairs with a small table in one corner. The closet in this space is like what you find in a typical guest bedroom in a home (NOT a walk-in closet).
(2) A larger studio with room for any size bed on one side (could probably accommodate a king size bed although I don’t know why a single elderly person would want or need that). The other half of the room could accommodate a sofa and chair or two, coffee table, and a small two-person dining table. Closet is a walk-in. Bathrooms are very large and nice.
(3) One bedroom, with a living room and bedroom that (combined) would probably equal the amount of space in the large studio. Large walk-in closet. Large updated bathroom.
(4) They also have two bedroom units but they don’t expect any 2-bedroom availability any time soon.
When you walk through the front doors there is a huge great room with a fireplace and tv above. Very impressive. To the right is a large dining room. They have a daily “special” planned out for each meal for the month but they also have a lengthy list of foods they can order all day. They also have a bar with beer and wine. (Food and bar are included in monthly fee.) We met the chef and he gave us some fresh-baked cookies.
Someone comes in daily to make the bed and collect trash. They clean the apartments and change bed linens once a week. They will do laundry for the residents but if they prefer, they can do their own. (Two laundry rooms on each floor.) They have a hair salon on site. (Not included in the fee but very reasonable, with a price list posted outside the door.) They have a theater room and a couple other activity rooms.
Since the management was taken over by Watercrest they are doing some updating. Dan thought the apartments were nice but that the halls were a little dark and gloomy. I think that is mostly because of the bland, patterned carpeting in the halls. Our guide is hoping they re-do that soon.
As far as fees:
There is a $2500 entry fee, which is probably mostly to cover administrative processing.
They allow pets with a $500 pet deposit.
The base monthly fees are:
$4390 (small studio)
$5035 (larger studio)
$5625 (one bedroom)
$6860 (two bedroom)
The base fee also includes wifi, cable tv, phone, and an emergency call pendant.
The apartments are NOT furnished so residents need to bring or purchase furnishings.
In addition, there is a monthly “care fee” which is based on the amount of assistance the resident requires on a daily basis. Fee is determined by reviewing a several-page document that must be filled out by the resident’s primary care physician AND an in-person evaluation by their nurse. Care fee runs from $250 to $1600 and can be adjusted up or down throughout the stay, if the resident’s situation changes. (i.e. If someone comes there straight out of the hospital or rehab they might temporarily need more assistance.)
In our case, we think that either the large studio or one bedroom would work well for MIL. She currently has round the clock aides. Besides the cost (!!!) she isn’t getting the kind of physical and mental stimulation she would get in an assisted living situation. We are hoping she is amenable to such a move.