Can you negotiate the cost of assisted living while the resident is away from the facility?

If you get a monthly statement that it itemizes things like med management and laundry, you should be able to eliminate those charges. Some AL facilities will give a "meal credit" for meals missed during a hospitalization or rehab. My mom's statement also lists phone and cable TV charges, so those can also be discontinued during an absence. Services that are included with the monthly "rent" will probably not be reduced because the facility needs that money to pay overhead and payroll.

Blannie, It's good to know it worked for you. Ismiami, thanks for the insight. I think we'll give it a try, at any rate. I'll let you all know if it works.

You can always negotiate. Whether you prevail depends on one thing, what is their occupancy. It's a business, they may give you a small loyalty break, but let's face it, if they have a waiting list, negotiations will be brief.

You can certainly ask. My mom lives in independent living but doesn't go down for meals any more. At 94 she doesn't get dressed most days (and doesn't want to) and it's a very long walk to get to the dining room. So I called and got $150 off her bill monthly. So it doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no.

Ooooh. Ouch. This is why we picked an ALF with a NH sister facility across the street. I would read the ALF contract and look for loopholes. Good Luck.

Thanks, Pam. No, the ALF doesn't have the facilities or staff. She'll need total nursing care for several weeks, since one knee was really splintered and the other, broken, and the ALF doesn't provide that level of care. She was in the same rehab facility a year ago for a different problem. It's brand-new, cheerful, 3 hours of therapy a day, etc. She was very happy with the food, attention, etc., so I don't worry about that. Also, she gets plenty of visitors (local relatives, neighbors, etc.) It's just that money is tight and a couple of thousand saved on the ALF would pay for her extras (newspaper, phone, cable, driver, etc.) for six to eight months.

I think you would be better off to do the rehab (PT and pain management) at the ALF. Better meals and more social contact. Is that possible?