Difficulty finding ltc for mom with openings in my area.

My mom is an hour away. We are in a rural area (I’m almost an half hour from just about anything) and it was way better than anything closer. I drive there once a week. It’s a lot! I sometimes try to time it so I can visit and then get my groceries or run other errands while I’m out. But that makes for a very long day. I worry about getting to the hospital in a reasonable amount of time if she were to have a fall or something. Thankfully I haven’t had to deal with that yet. Have you considered a small private care home (I’m not sure exactly what they are really called). I was Leary of the lack of checks and balances in such a small setting, but there are some here that have been very happy with this alternative. The waiting list was something that really caught me off guard. I try to stress to anyone here that is even considering a facility to get on a waiting list! I hope there is an opening soon.

Keep following up on the admission applications. After mom's placement we received a call from one of the places we had her waitlisted on with an opening. I had emailed them for an updated status a couple weeks before so I think it helped. We decided to keep her where she is at because the other place didn't have a lock down unit (she's a wanderer). I'm not sure how long we would have waited if she wasn't admitted directly from the hospital. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a crisis to make it happen. Also, check with her state's department of aging. They may have information and resources to help. I agree with the other posts that it would be worth it to get her in somewhere even if it's not close by. You are in crisis mode and need to make this more manageable. This could be a very long road. Before my mom's placement I felt like I was on the path to a nervous breakdown. I felt so out of control and my life wasn't mine anymore, it was hers with no end in sight. Mom has paranoid personality disorder, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's. I work FT, have two active kids and a husband. I was also having health issues. I can't say that everything magically changed when she was placed but we can now sleep at night. The LTC facility she is at is not perfect but we have a good communication with the staff and I think they truly care about mom. These decisions are so difficult.