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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Don't expect it. They are often short staffed and tending to many residents, with three or more shifts around the clock, so possibly 10 different staff members have interacted with your loved one during the course of a day. Find out who the nurse in charge is, or the nurse manager, if there is one. The nurses do charting every day, and the nurse manager who oversees everyone in their wing will be able to give you a little report, if you ask. You will have to ask them, "How was Mom today?" They will not take the time to contact every resident's family member every day to report to you.
We are contacted if my father is sick. We don’t expect a daily update. I’m grateful he is dressed and out of bed when I’m there at 11:00. He is in a Medicaid facility that is stretched too thin as it is. An update is a luxury you can only expect from higher priced facilities, not where he is.
I always struggle with this line of thought. Why do you need daily updates? I worked in a child care center years ago, and we did daily update sheets (they do them in an app now). They were limited to a smiley face, neutral face or frowny face at the top - the number of diaper changes (and if they pooped) and whether they ate - not WHAT they ate. 90% of parents just tossed the sheets if they even took them at all. Why? Because if there was something really wrong, they would already know about it.
What purpose does a daily update serve? I don't mean to be obtuse - I really don't - but do you have time to worry over a daily update? And what will you do with it if you get one? Will you worry if their blood sugar spikes or blood pressure is too low? Or will you trust that if there is a problem (a real problem) that the facility will do their due diligence first taking care of the resident and then notifying you if needed?
I think the hardest part for some caregivers is the transition to a SNF is as hard for them as it is for the resident. Getting used to not having the immediate answers and control is part of the process. You had to move them to a facility because you or someone could no longer care for them at home. There is a certain amount of letting go that has to occur.
Or you have a couple of choices. Either you visit daily if you are local (and still don't count on getting daily updates because the staff has tons of other patients to care for while you are there as well) or you hire a private companion or caregiver to be there every day.
One of the biggest reasons that moving a loved one to facility care is so hard is that there is some level of major tradeoffs. You are no longer the one responsible for hands on care - but you no longer have the same level of control.
As someone who has provided hands on care for someone - several times now...I can tell you that it was just ONE person at a time and I STILL would not have had the energy at the end of the day to write up a summary for someone else of what happened that day.
Yes of course the staff at nursing homes are busy. But if they--the owners and management, I mean--were to think creatively, this could be something of a game changer for the industry. I can understand where the OP is coming from; in hospitals nurses chart the care given to patients. In day care centers, parents get a daily report (at least up to preschool age) where the diaper changes, meals, etc. are recorded and sent home with the child at pick-up. To the extent that the caregivers are charting the care in a nursing home, the nursing homes COULD implement a system where that information were made available to the families, with proper legal authorization of course.
I'm sure there would be detail that families might want that wouldn't be practical to include, such as what the resident ate that day, for example. But things like diaper changes, turning in bed, vital signs recorded, perhaps a sentence or two daily on their mood, surely are being recorded somewhere. (If nothing else, how do nursing homes defend against allegations of neglect without any records?) Making this available would be a competitive advantage for the facilities, and deter the phone calls checking on residents. I can't imagine that the phone calls being suggested here aren't a huge distraction from their work.
I know this isn't really an answer to the question, and I don't know of any places that are actually doing this, so the comments that it isn't "realistic" are probably correct. But I agree with the thought behind the question.
I worked in a daycare. We did not record food eaten, bathroom trips, diaper changes or anything else. Parents rarely asked. I've never heard of an adult care facility that has the manpower to record such details. Costs to hire more staff would be prohibitive. They simply do not have the time to note what each resident is doing on a daily basis. Yes, they do note the food eaten and probably the number of diaper changes. The rest is unneeded. Most people simply do not check in even weekly on their loved ones in nursing homes. They are not calling, visiting or emailing. If something concerning happens you know you will be alerted.
I agree with both the desire for more info and the understanding that it's a resource drain that's unrealistic for most facilities. When my MIL entered an AL facility, they showed me what they used internally -- a phone-based app that tracked each touchpoint/task and its status. So the staff would be assigned tasks, the tasks were populated from the patient's care plan, and the staff member who completed them would mark a task complete --- so the system tracked what was done, when, and by whom. This included every daily item like helping her dress, checking to ensure she goes to meals, stopping at her room at intervals to assist with toileting, etc.
I'm guessing this is a common process for many facilities. There's no family-facing view into their system, though that seems to be something that could be built in and I'm guessing exists somewhere at spendier facilities.
It was challenging to shift from at-home caregiving where everyone entered notes in a log book so we had a record of what went on each day, to an AL where we don't have that on-the-ground stream of information. But this whole caregiving gig is a process of adjusting as circumstances change :)
One thing they did have was family/caregiver access to their meal services. I can log online to view activity and history of everything that my MIL orders she goes to the dining center -- and with her habits of bringing any leftovers back to her suite, we can easily see that, yep, she's eating breakfast every day, then nibbling at lunch and dinner, and that she's getting virtually no vegetables but she is eating fruit.
Overly long story short, I agree with Llamalover47 -- talk to the facility about your goals/concerns and ask what is available and realistic.
Most facilities do not have the time or the staff to prepare daily reports for every single resident in the facility. That could be thousands of reports! I am sure there are reports done if there was a problem and that is put in the patient portal. (I would hope that POA's would have access to that information) The best way for you to get information is to visit as often as you can and when you enter the facility greet the receptionist. As you walk down the hall say HI to the person that is cleaning the floor or walking out of another room with a mop bucket. When you get to where mom is greet each staff person you see and ask how their day is. These people are part of your family as well. If you want to try ..put a Whiteboard up in moms room and you can ask staff if there is anything they think you would like to know they can write it down. Don't expect much. (If you don't expect much you won't be disappointed if that's what you get)
My mom's MC facility alerts me anytime mom needs to change meds or has a fall or gets a positive test for an illness. They also called me once to let me know that most residents had a bad virus and I should probably skip a visit that week. Other than that I would have to visit to find out how her day went. The MC also has a Facebook account that posts photos and videos of activities. Mom often tells me she did "nothing" that week, but the videos and photos tell a different story.
My dad is in a skilled nursing facility with advanced dementia. Fortunately I’m able to go daily. It’s a decent facility and yet it’s still hard to get answers sometimes. I’ll be there in the afternoon & I find out by accident/or overhearing someone else, that dad saw the dentist or eye dr. or podiatrist. It would be nice to have a heads up on those things & a report on how it went. However I have to hunt people down, wait, look for someone else that may know, wait, etc. I have asked a few times to be notified when those things are scheduled, but it’s never happened. That’s with me being there daily & them knowing me pretty well & having a pretty good relationship with them. So it’s not likely to happen unfortunately.
It is something lacking in facilities. The nurses & aides definitely don’t have time to do it & the investment companies that own most of the facilities don’t want to pay to have someone do that kind of stuff. Dads facility doesn’t even have a receptionist type person. It’s a good size facility with a couple hundred people at least. No reception desk or anything. When you visit & don’t know where you are going or a delivery person, you walk right into the middle of everything & wait for a nurse or aide to walk by & hope they stop.🤪.
If you live further away & can’t visit much, maybe see if you could hire someone to stop by & check on things & report back. If your mom qualified for hospice, they are usually pretty good at reporting back & being an extra set of eyes, but that’s only a couple times a week.
At the moment, my mother is at home with a caregiver coming four days a week. The agency has a “family room” website, where the caregiver posts a brief report of how each visit went, what they did, and any concerns. We can log in to see this report after every visit and post replies or comments. This is of course a different setting from a residential facility, but this is very helpful for us kids who live 1000 miles away or more from a parent who absolutely refuses to move. Sigh.
Being a former CNA who worked in private homes, hospitals, nursing homes, and in hospice... Also a daughter whose mom died 5 years ago with advanced dementia... The more you show up at the nursing facility, the more information you can gather. All the healthcare providers tend to stay on their toes when they know that a family member can pop up at any time. They are much more inclined to make sure diapers are changed, your loved one is clean, And that they actually do know what's going on with your loved one. That being said, caregiving, and all its shapes and forms, is a very heartwarming but difficult occupation for staff and family alike. The information that you will get about your loved one depends on the size of the staff, the size of the nursing facility, and the dedication of the people in charge. It's helpful when friends or family members can visit a few times a week... Even very briefly... And check to see that their loved one is clean, eating properly, And things look like they're in reasonably good order. It also gives friends and family members a chance to see what kind of programs are going on And to actually try to be a part of that family. Caregiving for a loved one is a joint process between family members and Care staff.
Hi, I understand the responses that nursing homes are too busy to reach out except for major med changes or an accident, in our case. But I know exactly how it feels not knowing how our loved one is doing, especially when their condition is deteriorating. I go weekly so I’m not a distant caregiver. In my opinion it’s a grievous process to live in a facility. No blame for the facility, it’s just hard on everyone. May peace be yours and your family.
I can't really even begin to imagine a facility having the time or ability to give a daily report, no. If you have a special concern then call the caregivers in care of your loved one; ask administration best way to do this. And do check with the facility the circumstances under which they will call you to inform you of any problem. Then "no news is good news".
I know it's difficult from afar but the staff in facilities are not sitting at their computers and on their phones like office workers. They are engaged in hands-out work with needy residents and need to keep their focus there.
Sorry, but the aides and nursing staff do not have that kind of time to keep family aware of what goes on with a resident on a daily basis. If you want to know how she is doing, call the nurses station in her wing but it may not be appreciated if your doing it every day. I would ask the Nurse at the desk how Mom was doing when I visited.
Are you saying you are hoping for daily reports on your Mom's activities and condition every day by the staff? If so, I don't think this is realistic. Imagine if the staff had to do this for every resident... they'd never get their actual work done.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Find out who the nurse in charge is, or the nurse manager, if there is one. The nurses do charting every day, and the nurse manager who oversees everyone in their wing will be able to give you a little report, if you ask. You will have to ask them, "How was Mom today?" They will not take the time to contact every resident's family member every day to report to you.
What purpose does a daily update serve? I don't mean to be obtuse - I really don't - but do you have time to worry over a daily update? And what will you do with it if you get one? Will you worry if their blood sugar spikes or blood pressure is too low? Or will you trust that if there is a problem (a real problem) that the facility will do their due diligence first taking care of the resident and then notifying you if needed?
I think the hardest part for some caregivers is the transition to a SNF is as hard for them as it is for the resident. Getting used to not having the immediate answers and control is part of the process. You had to move them to a facility because you or someone could no longer care for them at home. There is a certain amount of letting go that has to occur.
Or you have a couple of choices. Either you visit daily if you are local (and still don't count on getting daily updates because the staff has tons of other patients to care for while you are there as well) or you hire a private companion or caregiver to be there every day.
One of the biggest reasons that moving a loved one to facility care is so hard is that there is some level of major tradeoffs. You are no longer the one responsible for hands on care - but you no longer have the same level of control.
As someone who has provided hands on care for someone - several times now...I can tell you that it was just ONE person at a time and I STILL would not have had the energy at the end of the day to write up a summary for someone else of what happened that day.
I'm sure there would be detail that families might want that wouldn't be practical to include, such as what the resident ate that day, for example. But things like diaper changes, turning in bed, vital signs recorded, perhaps a sentence or two daily on their mood, surely are being recorded somewhere. (If nothing else, how do nursing homes defend against allegations of neglect without any records?) Making this available would be a competitive advantage for the facilities, and deter the phone calls checking on residents. I can't imagine that the phone calls being suggested here aren't a huge distraction from their work.
I know this isn't really an answer to the question, and I don't know of any places that are actually doing this, so the comments that it isn't "realistic" are probably correct. But I agree with the thought behind the question.
I'm guessing this is a common process for many facilities. There's no family-facing view into their system, though that seems to be something that could be built in and I'm guessing exists somewhere at spendier facilities.
It was challenging to shift from at-home caregiving where everyone entered notes in a log book so we had a record of what went on each day, to an AL where we don't have that on-the-ground stream of information. But this whole caregiving gig is a process of adjusting as circumstances change :)
One thing they did have was family/caregiver access to their meal services. I can log online to view activity and history of everything that my MIL orders she goes to the dining center -- and with her habits of bringing any leftovers back to her suite, we can easily see that, yep, she's eating breakfast every day, then nibbling at lunch and dinner, and that she's getting virtually no vegetables but she is eating fruit.
Overly long story short, I agree with Llamalover47 -- talk to the facility about your goals/concerns and ask what is available and realistic.
I am sure there are reports done if there was a problem and that is put in the patient portal. (I would hope that POA's would have access to that information)
The best way for you to get information is to visit as often as you can and when you enter the facility greet the receptionist. As you walk down the hall say HI to the person that is cleaning the floor or walking out of another room with a mop bucket. When you get to where mom is greet each staff person you see and ask how their day is. These people are part of your family as well.
If you want to try ..put a Whiteboard up in moms room and you can ask staff if there is anything they think you would like to know they can write it down. Don't expect much. (If you don't expect much you won't be disappointed if that's what you get)
It is something lacking in facilities. The nurses & aides definitely don’t have time to do it & the investment companies that own most of the facilities don’t want to pay to have someone do that kind of stuff. Dads facility doesn’t even have a receptionist type person. It’s a good size facility with a couple hundred people at least. No reception desk or anything. When you visit & don’t know where you are going or a delivery person, you walk right into the middle of everything & wait for a nurse or aide to walk by & hope they stop.🤪.
If you live further away & can’t visit much, maybe see if you could hire someone to stop by & check on things & report back. If your mom qualified for hospice, they are usually pretty good at reporting back & being an extra set of eyes, but that’s only a couple times a week.
That being said, caregiving, and all its shapes and forms, is a very heartwarming but difficult occupation for staff and family alike. The information that you will get about your loved one depends on the size of the staff, the size of the nursing facility, and the dedication of the people in charge.
It's helpful when friends or family members can visit a few times a week... Even very briefly... And check to see that their loved one is clean, eating properly, And things look like they're in reasonably good order.
It also gives friends and family members a chance to see what kind of programs are going on And to actually try to be a part of that family. Caregiving for a loved one is a joint process between family members and Care staff.
Is your Mom in AL, MC or LTC or hospice?
Are you saying you are hoping for daily reports on your Mom's activities and condition every day by the staff? If so, I don't think this is realistic. Imagine if the staff had to do this for every resident... they'd never get their actual work done.