Decades ago, my grandmother was in a "family home" setting. At the time, it was essentially what we would call "assisted living" in today's world - but perhaps with even less medical staffing on site and/or on call. There was a dining room with nicer tables/chairs and nice dishes brought by servers (not just trays with names on them). She had her own room with her own bathroom and she could lock her room up like it was an apartment. She did have a pull cord in her room, but I think it basically just rang the receptionist and/or bookkeeper during the day hours - who would then get up and go check on the person and determine if emergency services were needed or if it was something simple. As far as medical care, I believe a podiatrist visited from time to time & possibly a nurse visited periodically as well. In terms of nurses/aides making rounds and being visible in the facility, there essentially weren't any of those. The dining room was only for the residents - there were no aides present & people had to be able to eat without assistance. It did provide somewhat of a controlled environment for the residents, but a person had to be doing somewhat well in order to live there. Some of the residents had cars on site and I believe they could drive off whenever they wished - although I think they were asked to sign out and give their approximate return time in case they didn't come back someone could look into it - but I don't recall this being a problem. There was a time when a woman wandered off on foot & someone found her down the street walking on the sidewalk. I can't remember if the police found her or if a secretary from the family home had gone looking for her. Anyway, it was a minimal medical presence all the way around. If medical needs were great, this would not be the place for that person. In terms of overnight care, there was one non-medical person who slept on a cot in the office in case a resident called from their room or pulled their pull cord during the night. To be clear, this was all legit and it was never presented as a medical facility. People who put their loved one there knew what they were getting & I recall it cost around $1800/mo at the time (could not get current rates for comparison purposes - their website does not disclose it). It was just somewhere to go for those who only needed a small amount of support & could not live completely alone.
I hear you. We all want more personal care for our loved ones. Take your time and look carefully at all your options. I hope you find something that works for your family.
And, you also need to do your due diligence just like you would if you were putting a child into a daycare. Check licensing, patient to staff ratio, ratings, reviews, do a visual of the place. I’ve heard good things about Group Homes, as long as they are up to standards.
I think your choice depends upon the level of medical care your loved one needs.
If a client "only" has dementia and needs suoervision, social stimulation and meals, a more homelike atmosphere might be a good fit.
In cases where the patient has multiple medical comorbidities, it was good to have my mom in a traditional nursing home where an IV could be ordered and hung within an hour without a trip to the ER.
I hear you. We all want more personal care for our loved ones. Take your time and look carefully at all your options. I hope you find something that works for your family.
If a client "only" has dementia and needs suoervision, social stimulation and meals, a more homelike atmosphere might be a good fit.
In cases where the patient has multiple medical comorbidities, it was good to have my mom in a traditional nursing home where an IV could be ordered and hung within an hour without a trip to the ER.