Senior Resources/Service, Essay Example

This paper, which deals with assisted living and adult day care for seniors, begins with a discussion of the daily operation of each service, as well as the staffing/professions involved in each.

Assisted living quarters and services are quite varied.  People utilizing assisted care may live in a free standing residence, in an addition to an independent living facility, as well as in their own home.  Sometimes even nursing homes are also considered as assisted living.  The people who are admitted to them require care with most aspects of their daily lives.  Patients are awakened in time to carry out their morning hygiene and dress in day clothes (unless they are confined to bed)—with or without assistance.  Those who are able, have their meals in a dining room, while bed patients have theirs in their rooms. Beds are made, rooms are cleaned, and laundry is done.  There is at least one dietitian employed to make certain that residents are given the type of meals prescribed for them, usually by a doctor who routinely sees patients from time to time and is called whenever an RN or the nurse in charge of the ward deems it necessary.  Sometimes such patients end up in hospital for procedures and care that is at a higher level than is available at the nursing home.  Most nursing homes have one or more social workers and they are quite helpful to patients who are experiencing a serious illness—perhaps even a terminal one–, as well as to their families.  While nursing homes do have LPNs and RNs, there is a higher ratio of patients to nurses than in hospital by virtue of the fact they require less nursing care per se and more personal care, which is mostly carried out by lower-paid employees; such as, care aids.  There is also a facility administrator and an office staff, activity workers, and nursing home bus service.  Other assisted living facilities do not receive this comprehensive type of care.

Most other facilities offer room cleaning and at least one meal a day.  Normally residents do their own dusting and laundry.  Upon the recommendation of a visiting nurse from a hospital and/or the family doctor, care aids will come in to help with the patient’s hygiene, medication, and general assessment of the resident.  Most such facilities have an administrator, an office staff, a recreation worker, an LPN and/or an RN, as well as care aids, dietary, and housekeeping staff.

Adult day care programs are just that—day programs.  They provide some much-needed respite for home caregivers,  provide some games and fellowship, as well as a good noon-day meal and morning and afternoon healthy snacks.  In both assisted living situations and adult day care programs, volunteers are indispensable.  For those seniors living in their homes, volunteers deliver meals, drive them to appointments, shop for their groceries and provide companionship.

While most day care facilities require a senior to only pay a nominal fee for a visit, senior housing and long term care are expensive; and most are paid for with private funds.  Other payment options are:  “Senior living line of credit, Medicaid, Medicare, Long Term Care Insurance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Veterans Benefits—Aids and Attendance, and Life Settlements (Senior Housing Net).” Although adult day care centers cost approximately $64.00 per day, “Medicaid will pay most or all of the costs in licensed adult day care centres and Alzheimers-focused centers for patients with vcry low income and few assets (Robinson., Segal, and White, May 2012).”There are approximately 4,600 day care centers.  In 1999 there were 11,459 assisted living facilities in the United States (Hawes, Rose, and Phillips, 1999). To get into a nursing home, a doctor’s referral is required as it is for many services in assisted living facilities.

References

Hawes, C., Rose, M., and Phillips, C (December 14, 1999).  Myers Research Institute.

A National Study of Assisted Living for the Frail Elderly:  Results of a National Survey of Facilities.  Retrieved on October 06, 2012, from http://www.aspe.nhs.gov/dalt.cp/reports/

Robinson, L., Segal, and White (May 2012).  Adult Day Care Centers.  Retrieved on October 06, 2012, from http://www.helpguide.org/elder/adult-day-care-cen

Senior Housing Net.  Retrieved on October 06, 2012, from http://www.seniorhousingnet.com/finance/payment.