[ekdk92]

The first thread I'm starting and it's a request for help - I know I'm in the right place.

Does anyone have any advice/experience with finding a quality nursing home either in the TV area or in southeast Florida. My mother-in-law is in need of this level of care -- she suffers with many illnesses, but her mind is sharp.
She needs a place that can respond to her physical ailments that does not primarily serve people with dementia.

Thank you all,

ekdk92

[MSNPA]

The Sterling House in Leesburg is very good. They have two units. One is for those with Alzheimer's and the other is assisted living which cares for both short term and long term patients. Here in The Villages there is one next to the new Freedom Point (I think it is called Homewood). I'm sure it is also very good.

[SABRMnLgs]

While I have little experience with the inner workings of such a facility, my employment puts me in contact with about 100+ facilities from North Gainesville to Claremont and from Lecanto to Apopka.
There are many differant levels of care from Independent living to skilled nursing. I would suggest you contact an association that could make suggestions based on her doctors reccomendations for her needs. Her mind is sharp, so she may not really need a nursing home, but rather an ALF. There are many withing a 100 mile radius. IMHO there are some better run and maintained with more to do than others. Some cost more, some cost less. You have to fit her medical needs within her allotted budget. Can she still cook, clean, maintain herself? Can she do certain things and not others?

This all has to be figured into along with her medical management and what her physician feels she can or cannot do.

[aln]

My mother-in-law has been diagnosed with Alzheimers for more than 5 years. When we moved here we immediately started looking at homes in about a 50 mile radius.
I guess my question is if her mind is 'sharp', is there a medical need such as being handicaped by parallysis or the such?
We chose Arbor Village in Wildwood because 'it meets our needs' after her stroke.
I'm sure there are better places; I'm sure there are worse.
Care is in the hands of the ''care-giver''. No matter what home you're at.
Good luck and the following website was very helpful to us..
http://local-nursing-homes.com/
You can also get a good evaluation from '' http://www.healthgrades.com/ ''
but you'll have to pay for it.

[clyd709]

I had a loved one who was in Lady Lake Specialty Care about 9 years ago and the care was excellent. The only advice I can give you is to check out several places and the main thing to find out is what is the ratio of staff to patients. VISIT OFTEN AND GO IN AT VERY ODD HOURS. That way the staff will not know when you are coming and you will get a very clear picture of the facility and the quality of care your loved one is getting. Some facilitys have very fancy appearance but do not let that fool you. Also ask what level of facility they are check with the State of Florida to see when the last inspection was done and the inspection report and make sure that if there were any violations how and when they were corrected. And most of all remember THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GET'S THE OIL. VISIT YOU LOVED ONES OFTEN keep on top of things and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do for your loved one also make sure that they do criminal background checks and random drug testing on all employees.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by clyd709

I had a loved one who was in Lady Lake Specialty Care about 9 years ago and the care was excellent. The only advice I can give you is to check out several places and the main thing to find out is what is the ratio of staff to patients. VISIT OFTEN AND GO IN AT VERY ODD HOURS. That way the staff will not know when you are coming and you will get a very clear picture of the facility and the quality of care your loved one is getting. Some facilitys have very fancy appearance but do not let that fool you. Also ask what level of facility they are check with the State of Florida to see when the last inspection was done and the inspection report and make sure that if there were any violations how and when they were corrected. And most of all remember THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GET'S THE OIL. VISIT YOU LOVED ONES OFTEN keep on top of things and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do for your loved one also make sure that they do criminal background checks and random drug testing on all employees.

The advice above, given by clyd709, is excellent.

The staff is the key to good nursing home care. I was told by someone who works in the field as a head administrator that you should ask if the caregivers are direct employees of the nursing home or if they are agency. She felt that direct employees could make the situation better for the residents. But it is also important to know if the staff has a lot of turnover, even if they are directly employed. You may also find agency staffing in some departments of a nursing home, but not others. Sometimes just the physical therapy department is from an agency, and that can work well. And I am sure there are nursing homes who use some caregiver agency help effectively by using the same caregivers from the agency on a continuing basis, keeping the connection to the residents consistent and comfortable.

Something else that can be important is to find a place that provides a continuum of care. There are facilities that have everything from independent living, with help available nearby if needed, to assisted living, to skilled nursing care, to longterm nursing home care, as well as memory care, as it is sometimes called for Alzheimer's patients.

Visit at different times. Meal times can tell you a lot. In nursing homes, there are sometimes patients who need to be fed. Observe how the staff handles that. Is it done in a respectful and interactive manner? Or is it methodical, with the caregiver being distant and robotic? Dignity for the residents is of utmost importance. When you visit, at different times, you should be able to begin getting a sense of the overall attitude of the staff. Are the residents treated with dignity?

And I do not mean to be indelicate by saying this, but a nursing home should not smell bad. If the residents are being cared for properly and their needs attended in a timely manner, a bad smell will be an unusual thing and it will not last long. Smells should not linger in nursing homes. If a place smells bad for any length of time, it is badly staffed. There could be just bad staff or there could be an impossible issue with the ratio of caregivers to residents.

The Medicare website has a lot information. On the opening page of this link, half way down, under Search Tools, over to the right, you will see "Compare Nursing Homes in Your Area." When you click on that, it takes you to the next page where there is a lot of information. There is a white bar that says, "Find and Compare Nursing Homes" and that is where you can start by answering the questions that narrow the information to your location.

http://www.medicare.gov/

I hope this helps. I live in Ohio so I cannot give you specific recommendations. This can work out well, but I know it is not easy. There are some really good facilities, staffed with caring, kind people. Just do your homework and take your time and you will find the right place.

I wish the best for you and yours. And visit often.

Boomer

[clyd709]

This is an adendum to my previous post. It is very important that a facility has a nurse on staff 24/7. Some have a nurse on duty for the first and second shift which is usually 7am to 3pm and from 3pm to 11pm but for night shift quite often A NURSE IS ONLY AVAILABLE WHICH MEANS HE OR SHE HAS TO BE CALLED IN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.THIS IS QUITE COMMON IN SOME ASSISTED LIVING FACILITYS BE SURE TO CHECK THIS OUT BEFORE PLACING A LOVED ONE IN A FACILITY

[ekdk92]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences - you've given me lots of useful information.

[kregski]

freedom point on el camino real.brand new center,very nice