Magpie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2007
In my mom's case, she had a stroke and went from the hospital, to a rehab center that also had nursing home care. The people at rehab told me "you don't want your mother here with 120 other patients". They set me up with a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly. These are homes in regular neighborhoods that have no more than 6 residents, each with their own bedroom and bathroom, a common living and dining area, and 24 hour care. Much cheaper, and insurance paid for rehab and nursing staff to come by every few days to check on her
Very nice!
My mother-in-law's residence was organized by floor, each having about twenty residents. Depending on your floor, there were varying levels of care. (ie, the "Memory floor" was for patients with dementia, while the "Independent living" floors were for people who didn't need assistance with daily life, etc) On my mother-in-law's floor, there were two nurses available 24/7, plus the kitchen staff (her floor had its own kitchen) who frequently helped out when the nurses were busy. As well, she was getting many hours of personal support workers each day, who would help her with her personal needs and keep her company. They came in the morning, then again at lunch, and in the evening - paid for by the province.
Every patient had their own apartment (of varying sizes) with their own bathroom. The downstairs dining room looked like a nice restaurant and had the menu posted every day. There was an activity schedule posted in the elevator and movies played twice daily in the building's theatre. Plus regular concerts and guest lecturers, etc. Near the end, my mother-in-law preferred to leave her door open, as she wanted the company when she was in her room. The nurses would pop their heads in on her, every time they passed by. She also spent a lot of time in the common area, near the kitchen, with other residents. Often sleeping in her wheelchair, but she preferred it that way (she said). She was very tired, toward the end.
I would say that her building was in a "regular neighbourhood" though it wasn't a suburb style thing. It was centrally urban, right across the street from a mall, a bus stop out front, and very close to our home, which was nice. (I'm not really sure how to define "regular neighbourhood, to be honest.)