Assisted Living Facilities

Educate Yourself about the Hidden Costs from Some Assisted Living Facilities

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Moving into assisted living facilities is not only stressful for you but also to your pocket. Because no matter how affordable the costs are, there are hidden fees that could add up.

 

To avoid such a stressful situation, you should be aware of the hidden fees and charges of assisted living. The more you know, the fewer surprises you’ll have to deal with financially.

 

This article is designed to educate seniors in need of nursing care and their families about the financial requirements of assisted living. Knowing the potential costs will help you make an informed decision before you commit to a facility.

 

 

Assisted Living Facilities Services and Costs

 

Hygiene

You know that laundry services are not always free. What you may not know is that dressing and undressing come with a fee as well. The same is true with bathing and bathroom/incontinence care.

 

Hidden costs may vary from one facility to another, so it is important to know how much things like these cost:

 

  • dressing/morning hygiene
  • undressing/evening hygiene
  • Incontinence Care
  • Stand-by during 7 showers a week

 

 

Medical

Have you ever wondered what’s included in the health care costs in your bill?

 

What you should be asking about are the services you are receiving. Also, which costs are added on top of the fees of major medical expenses. These are:

 

  • Health training before moving into assisted living facilities
  • An on-site doctor or pharmacy access
  • Management of medication
  • Treatment for temporary illness or wounds
  • Monitoring of blood pressure and or blood glucose
  • Insulin injections

 

If you happen to be diabetic, expect to pay hidden medical costs.

 

 

Mobility and some Forms of Assistance

Nearly every form of help that you receive from staff, comes with a price.

 

Did you know that some facilities will charge when they escort you to and from the activity center or the dining room? The same is true for the following:

 

  • Reminding you to take your medication, to go to the bathroom every few hours, or to get therapy.
  • Checking in on you at regular intervals
  • Transporting you to the doctor’s office, area shops, and other places
  • Admission or discharge
  • Your use of telephone and/or on-site gym or spa
  • Some facilities even include deep-cleaning charges

 

 

How much to Expect in Hidden Charges?

When added up, hidden costs can range from $3,500 to $4000 on top of the basic accommodation rental and services. If you need a great deal of assistance, expect the numbers to increase too.

 

In memory care facilities, fees for personalized care is often all-inclusive since the expectation is that you’ll need 24-hour assistance and monitoring.

 

Make sure to always check your bill. If you see any prepaid services that you did not use, make sure to ask for a refund. Before you do, however, check any related policies. The hidden cost of your discharge, for example, could be outlined in a facility’s discharge policies as non-refundable.

 

Ask the right questions when comparing assisted living facilities so you can make the right choice without burning a hole in your pocket.

 

 

Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper

Fallbrook Memory Care Facility

Ways Caregivers Can Better Help with Memory Care

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When it comes to dementia and Alzheimer’s memory care, both patients and caregivers face many challenges. Caregiving, under the circumstances, is a long and stressful journey. It is intensely emotional for all parties involved too.

 

But caregivers have a crucial role to play in caring for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. After all, they provide the Alzheimer’s memory care people need to deal with and manage their condition.

 

 

How Caregivers Help with Alzheimer’s Memory Care

 

Engage and Interact

 

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers can help slow down the progress by involving loved ones in brain-stimulating activities. These include board games, jigsaw puzzles, reading, and writing.

 

It would also help to take a patient for short walks, to play with pets, and to exercise or do any physical activities. Provided that a loved one can handle the demands, a caregiver should find ways to play, engage, and interact with a patient.

 

 

Enhance Caregiving Skills

 

As dementia progresses, the challenges a caregiver faces also changes. It is important to update your skills to cope and keep up with the demands of a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

 

 

Ask for Help

 

Even if you know exactly what you need to do, don’t hesitate to reach out to other family members, volunteer organizations, and friends to help lighten up the load. If you can free up time you spend doing mundane tasks, such as doing household chores or grocery shopping, you’ll have more quality time to spend with a patient.

 

Don’t feel like you’re being disloyal, neglectful, or shirking from your duties if you spend time away. Most caregivers who take a break, find more satisfaction in want they do.

 

 

Join a Support Group

 

What better way to update your skills than to learn from the experiences of other caregivers? Connecting with others who know exactly what you’re going through will eliminate feelings of fear, hopelessness, and isolation.  You will also discover strategies of Alzheimer’s memory care that you may not know of but a loved one needs.

 

 

Take Advantage of Resources Available

 

Whether online or within your community, you will find a wealth of resources that can help you provide effective care and reinforce your efforts. Look up organizations that offer practical support for caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementia.

 

Is there an Alzheimer’s association in your state? You can tap into it for advice and training as well.

 

Checkout helplines, directory of associations, and get in touch with local support groups.

 

 

Take Better Care of Yourself

 

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is stressful emotionally, physically, and mentally. If you don’t learn how to manage stress and take care of yourself, you will experience burnout that could impact the way you provide day-to-day care.

 

What do you think will happen to your patient if your health deteriorates or that you will feel exhausted, fatigued, and overwhelmed?

 

For effective Alzheimer’s memory care, a caregiver should take care of themselves too.

 

Look out for signs of burnout or stress, such as:

 

  • Exhaustion
  • Depression
  • Sleeplessness
  • Social withdrawal
  • Denial about dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
  • Lack of concentration
  • Anxiety about what’s to come

 

But the most glaring sign are health problems that will make you an ineffective caregiver.

 

 

Fallbrook Assisted Living is proud to offer its services to Fremont, NE, and surrounding areas and cities: Arlington, Cedar Bluffs, Ames Nickerson, Fontanelle, Arlington, Leshara, Colon, and Hooper