Questions to ask when choosing facilities

mpang123

Please list questions I should ask when choosing AL/MC facilities.

CaliforniaGirl-1

I am sure you are going to get lots of good responses about staffing ratios, staff turn over and activities and processes so I am going to skip those.

Perhaps because my LO is quite elderly, I was interested in what level of care and assistance could be provided. Ask about the ability of your parent to remain if they become weak or ill. How mobile do they have to be? How much assistance can they need? You don't want to be scrambling and looking for another place.

My LO fell and broke a hip and needed surgery and when they were getting out of the SNF. I became worried about if they could return do their MC before they were weight bearing. And I was very relieved to find out that the MC would take them back in any case even if they would not necessarily accepted a new resident in that condition.

Ask what happens as they age or become ill, under what circumstances can they remain and under what cirumstances might you need to add additional resources? I remember talking to a number of places that said they could accept patients who needed supplementary oxogen but the resident would have to be able to adjust the oxogen themselves.

Go with your gut. Just because it is MC does not mean it should not feel like a friendly homey place. The residents should be treated like members of a community with individual tastes and likes and dislikes and capabilities which are honored and respected, not like patients.

Jeanne C.

Here's a link to when I asked the same question:

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/67385/questions-for-mcf

H1235

Rather than questions I would recommend making observations. Is it clean, does it smell, what kind of interactions do you notice between staff and residents, what is the age of the staff(sorry about the age discrimination here, but most staff at my mom’s facility are very young and inexperienced), look for an activity calendar, look around in the dining room. Sense I’m struggling with this now, ask what happens when your LO refuses something (medication, food, showering). What happens if there is a fall? Do you want them to watch LO take pills or just give them to them? How much control do you have over visitors and who can take your LO out of the building? Will they bring food to the room if LO wants, what if LO wants food in their room and you want them in the dining area?

sandwichone123

I always want to know who owns the place. That gives me a lot of information about their priorities: is it primarily about profit? Is it owned by an individual/group in the community with a goal of helping people (while making a lot of money)?