Alzheimer’s/Memory Care
Reducing Caregiver Burnout
Pauline and Bert have been married for 65 years. They live in a small house in Beaverton where they raised their children and know all the neighbors. About 5 years ago Pauline started developing memory problems that were gradually getting worse and worse. Bert has been her caregiver and assuming more of the daily tasks around the house and helping her with her personal care needs. Bert is exhausted and his health is starting to deteriorate. He recently spent a few days in the hospital due to the stress of being her caregiver. That's common for family caregivers, they're so busy taking care of their loved ones that their own health declines faster than those they're caring for. Bert's family recognized his stress and exhaustion so called me to help find a place for Pauline to live...
In the past Pauline has walked out the front door looking for Bert and wandered down the street. As such she's considered an elopement risk in assisted living so we looked for a secure memory care building for her. Bert wanted to be able to visit her daily so the memory care had to be near their house. They have long term care insurance so we had to find a place that is accredited and works with long term care insurance companies. Continue reading Finding Assisted Living – I’m Out of Town and My Parents Need to Move
June and Martin lived in a 55+ community in Tigard. Martin had Alzheimer's disease but physically was very healthy. June had some significant health issues but no cognitive disabilities. Between them, though, they were able to leverage their strengths to live independently-- until Martin ended up in the hospital then rehab. June and Martin's son (and Power of Attorney) realized they needed to move to assisted living but he lived out of town and couldn't get away from work to help them find a place for them to go. He called us to help.
We listened to his concerns about his parents then met with June to talk about what she wanted. We then arranged to tour several assisted living communities with her. She found one she really liked in nearby Tualatin and decided that's where she wanted to move. She depended on her son to manage their finances so we helped facilitate the discussion between the community and her son to ensure paperwork was completed and deposits were made. Continue reading
Moving Into an Adult Foster Care Home Allows Wife to Go From Family Caregiver to Spouse Again
Mary's husband John had early onset Alzheimer's. Mary still worked full time so she hired caregivers to come a few hours each day to ensure he had meals and was safe while she was gone. When she got home from work she had to fix dinner, help him shower, clean the mess he made throughout the day, get his medications and meals ready for the next day, do laundry as he often had accidents. Mary heard him get up several times during the night which interrupted her sleep. Realistically she knew he was just going to get worse but she had hope that he would at least stabilize. He wasn't improving, unfortunately he was definitely getting worse. Mary knew she couldn't continue to work full time and worry all day about his safety. She couldn't afford to pay for caregivers to be with him the whole time he was at work yet she couldn't afford not to. Mary was exhausted emotionally and physically. She couldn't do it anymore and turned to Right Fit Senior Living Solutions for help...
We met with both of them to determine their ideal situation. She wanted him to live in an adult foster care home in nearby Tualatin so she could visit him on her way home from work in Portland. She liked the idea of an adult foster care home as there would be four other seniors living with a private family who is very experienced with being caregivers and working with people with Alzheimer's and other dementias. He would get a lot of personal attention in a quiet, calm and safe home. She liked that their food is all made from scratch and that they would manage his medications, do his laundry and help him shower. Continue reading
Urgent Need for Memory Care after Hospital Stay Causes Family Caregiver Stress Don’t Wait for a Crisis to Make a Move!
A call came from the discharge planner at the hospital in Hillsboro. They had a patient that needed 24x7 supervision who couldn't return to his home and needed to find a memory care facility as he was an "elopement risk" (they were worried he would walk out the front door and wander away). The hospital case manager wanted to discharge him as quickly as possible and asked us to help find him a room in memory care in Portland as it wasn't safe to allow him to return home...
There were lots of signs he (and his wife) needed more assistance. The daughters had already decided the next time he was in the hospital would be the final straw, it would be time to move. While usually we can find the perfect place for him to move, this time every memory care building was full and most had a waiting list.
Our number one recommendation is don't wait until there's a crisis to make a move. When it's a crisis you are stuck with what's available and it may not be what you really want. The senior in crisis won't get input on which place he/she wants, family will have to make all the decisions. They're already feeling overwhelmed with all that's going on with their loved ones and the pressure of making a quick decision to meet hospital discharge expectations is extremely stressful! Continue reading
Our number one recommendation is don't wait until there's a crisis to make a move. When it's a crisis you are stuck with what's available and it may not be what you really want. The senior in crisis won't get input on which place he/she wants, family will have to make all the decisions. They're already feeling overwhelmed with all that's going on with their loved ones and the pressure of making a quick decision to meet hospital discharge expectations is extremely stressful! Continue reading Planning Ahead for Alzheimer’s Care
Mr. and Mrs. C live in their own home in a large neighborhood in Beaverton, Oregon. They love their home and don't wish to move. They were referred to us by an in-home care agency who has been helping care for Mrs. C in their home. Mrs. C is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease. Mr. C recently had a heart attack scare, and after his recovery, got his family together for a meeting to talk about the future. Mr. C called me to find out what Memory Care communities were out there; in the event that something happens to him, his wife will need to be looked after...
Both Mr. and Mrs. C liked one community in particular. It's near their son, near walking trails, has a nice courtyard and a nice view, and meets their budget. They also made a second choice as a backup plan in case the first community has no availability. They had another family meeting and told their sons about their decision. When the time comes, the sons know this is their choice, and will contact us to move forward with Mrs. C either moving to Assisted Living or Memory Care, depending on the nurse's assessment.
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From Assisted Living to Adult Foster Care
Sometimes an adult foster care home is a better option. Mr. T is an 85 year-old blind man who was living in an assisted living community. Because of his vision issues, his dementia, and his being confined to a wheelchair, it seemed assisted living just wasn't the right environment for him. He was not participating in activities with the other residents, he stayed in his apartment most of the time, and he simply required too much care compared to the other residents in the community...
His daughter contacted us to see what other options were available for her dad. She loves her dad and wanted him to be happy and feel safe and secure in his living space. What seemed to be a lovely assisted living community when she moved him in, turned out to be the wrong environment for her father. So we started looking at much smaller senior living communities: adult foster care homes. 
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