Personal Care Homes – When You Want Homelike Assisted Living

People are living longer today and many families are spread across the country so they are not necessarily near their aging parents. Therefore the idea of personal home care has become extremely popular. It’s a small and homelike version of the formal assisted living homes.Personal care homes are known by several names, according to where you live in the country. They can be called foster homes, residential care facilities, board and care homes, and also assisted living homes.

A personal care home can look like a boarding house or any other type of house in a residential area. They usually have two to ten residents and these residents either have their own bedroom or they may have a roommate. They have their own furnishings and personal items to adorn their room but they all met in the dinning room or kitchen for meals and they have group activities or watch TV in living room or den. The personal care homes are very much like being in your own home.

The major difference is that these homes supply trained supervision and the qualified staff assists in bathing, grooming, toileting, eating, and dressing and also the supervision of medications. However most of these personal care homes do not have a license to give medical or nursing care.

Not all of these homes are licensed or certified though most states will have some form of certification or licensing. According to some reports as many as half of these homes are not licensed or certified, however, the smaller homes that have only two or three occupants are sometimes exempt from these regulations.

It may be harder to locate the personal care homes that are not licensed or certified, since they are not included on the list of regulatory agencies. To find a personal care home in near you try the internet, professional advisors, resource pamphlets and word of mouth.

What to Look For in a Personal Care Home:

• Is there an adequate staff? There should be a least one caregiver for every three occupants.
• Is the home cleaned regularly? Examine the kitchen and bathrooms.
• Is the home accessible to wheelchairs? Are there safety devices installed in the bathrooms, like grab rails, stools or seats in the shower, and shower wands? Also make sure that the rooms are free of obstructions like slippery rugs, or elevated thresholds.
• Is the home resident friendly? The home should not look like an ad for Home and Garden magazine. It should be homey and cozy but not ornate. The residents can’t be afraid to bump into things or be afraid to break something.
• Is the person in charge of giving out medications trained for this job? Who is in charge of contacting the doctor or getting prescriptions refilled? Where and how are the medications stored?
• Is the kitchen equipped for special diet needs and are snacks readily available for residence?
• Is exercise or outside recreation provided? Are there organized activities for the residents?
• When the staff is not providing personal care or meals, do they still interact with the residents? Sometimes just talking or listening to the residents means a lot to them and adds to their well being.
• Who takes the residents to their doctor visits? Or does the home have doctor or nurse on call? If so, is the family kept up to date on this?
• Last but not least, is there an evacuation plan in place?

If possible visit several times. Once you decide on the home you like, make sure to review the admission agreement and any other important papers. Be aware that handbooks, attachments or other documents can be as legally binding as a personal care home agreement.

Last Modified April 9, 2010 @ 7:54 pm