Do some MCFs accept those who can no longer transfer?

KathyF1

The one I toured told me no, once they get to the stage of not being able to transfer themselves out of bed to a walker for example, they won’t accept them. And if they are already in their MC when they get to this stage, they put them in their SNF, which is like a hospital. No private rooms.
Can you all tell me your experiences with MC? Do some facilities accept those who are not mobile?
I am caring for DH at home. I hope I can continue but just trying to know the “rules” of MCF if it comes to that.

Joe C.

The MC my wife is in uses a hoyer lift to transfer residents that are no longer ambulatory. When I was researching MC facilities I realized that not all are equal in the level of care they will provide as the residents decline. For example, some MCs will not hand feed residents, crush and mix medication or provide 2 persons assist for transfers. The MC I choose provides all the serves list above but you need to ask very specific questions to make sure of what serves a particular MC will and will not provide.

Vitruvius

At my DW’s MCF they have accepted several PWD that were wheelchair bound from day one. No one that I am aware was ever turfed out to a SNF. I know that all that have passed in her building since my DW has been there passed in the MCF.

Phoenix1966

The MC I chose for my grandmother was fine with her being in a wheelchair. I did confirm before choosing them that they would allow her to "age in place". They also said that after her funds ran out, they would have a Medicaid bed for her there, too.

Not all MCs will allow a resident to "age in place".

harshedbuzz

@KathyF1

This is probably going to vary a great deal.

Some MCFs are a hard no on even wheelchairs at the time of admission, while others will accept a resident who is relatively independent with it. I didn't see anyone enter dad's community with one, but I don't know that there was a blanket ban. A few of the dozen places I toured did insist on ambulation at the time of admission. These tended to be the beautifully decorated corporate stand-alone MCs that cherry-picked for the pleasantly befuddled.

My aunt's MCF was part of a very upscale religious CCRC that was very flexible in a lot of respects. She was accepted as a new wheelchair user. My aunt had a post-operative stroke between being accepted and moving in. She did eventually transfer to their SNF to receive a higher level of care. This was her guardian's decision. This facility did have private SNF suites and were happy to include her in the activities on the MC unit even after she moved.

Dad's MCF allowed aging-in-place, but they did reserve the right to ask family to provide additional caregivers as the PWD needed a higher level of care. This can get expensive— a SNF might be more cost-effective at this point.

That said, transfers are different skill than using a wheelchair. A person who uses a wheelchair and needs minimal transfer assistance is a different kind of resident than one who can't follow instructions or bear any weight.

Sometimes I think the decision is based on how a facility is equipped. MCFs are in a unique position of marketing themselves to self-pay customers whose needs vary while actually operating a facility for those who are generally further along in the disease process. It can be hard for families who aren't there yet to see things like hospital beds, bedside commodes and Hoyer lifts when they tour.

HB

dayn2nite2

I found that one of the most important questions I could ask was "can you keep her until end-of-life and if not, what conditions would need to arise that would prevent that? This is where they need to mention the transfer issue, behavioral issues, incontinence, etc. as conditions that would cause a change of residence. Nothing, of course, will replace the contract and all its terms and conditions, but opening up the conversation that specifically asks about more negative topics gets you away from the "selling" of a facility to you.