My Parent Isn’t Safe to be Alone Anymore. Now What?

Assisted Living Options That Offer Safety and Assistance

By Eldonna Rayburn, The Lexington Assisted Living

An AARP study found 90% of individuals over 65 want to stay in their homes as long as possible, while www.singlecare.com reports that roughly 70% of people age 65 and older will need some type of long-term care during their lifetime. Long-term care can be assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing (nursing home).

The majority of people do not want to leave their home, their friends, their possessions, and, who can blame them? A move at this point in their life is a big, no, a really big change. It’s not just the physical impact but more important, it is the emotional impact. It’s about loss, not the excitement of a new moving to a new space, learning a new routine, meeting new people, new, new, new. With that said, the majority of people who move in to AL adjusts to their new lifestyle, they LOVE it! But until then what do you do? How do we keep our loved one safe? What’s the answer?

I have been in the aging adult healthcare world for over 25 years and have met hundreds of people in crisis looking for these very answers. With that much experience, you would hope for an easy answer. If it were easy, you wouldn’t be reading this right now, right? Buuuut, hold on, I’m writing this to tell you that healthcare is complex but it is also doable, with the right resources.

The internet provides lots of information quickly, but that’s just scratching the surface. You still need a person, a guide if you will, to light the path ahead. And, if you think of this process as a journey, not a destination, you will be a happier person. Take control! Be proactive. Spend a little time now so you can hopefully avoid the hot mess of facing the crisis of needing to move in days versus weeks or months. By taking charge, you have more time, more choice and more financial options. There are several variables to consider: the type of healthcare community such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing; type of services and amenities within each community; location and payment options. This article focuses on assisted living services. Now that you have determined your loved one needs 24/7 safety and security in an assisted living (AL), what’s next? Probably, the most significant question is how are you going to pay for AL services?

PAYMENT OPTIONS. Different ALs have different payment requirements. The options are paying out-of-pocket at the private pay rate, paying a portion of Social Security income while the Medicaid Waiver reimburses the AL up to a certain amount, long-term care insurance, and Veteran’s Aid & Attendance benefits. Some facilities only accept private pay and others accept the Medicaid Waiver program after two years of private pay. Long-term care insurance and Aid & Attendance may pay a portion of AL services. If you are like most Americans, you will most likely be paying a few months of private pay to “spend down” and quality for the Medicaid Assisted Living Waiver program. This article will not go into detail what the Medicaid Waiver process entails, but that there are options for those on limited incomes and can’t live alone safely anymore. The Lexington Assisted Living does accept all of these forms of payment. For a free, no-obligation conversation, please contact Eldonna at 402.486.4400 or email erayburn@thelexington.com.

Limited Visitation Policy (Phase III Only)

Limited Visitation Policy (Phase III Only)

The ability to allow visitation changes based on COVID-19 activity. Always call ahead to see if The Lexington is able to accommodate Limited Visitation.

Contact Number: 402-486-4400

Limited Visitation Policy | 6/20/2020

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Visitation is allowed for compassionate care situations, including end-of-life and residents with significant changes in condition including psycho-social or medical issues as determined by the facility with as much limited contact as much as possible. Visits may be limited as follows:

  • By appointment only, as coordinated by the facility, based limited spaces that are designated for visiting and to manage infection control practices and proper social distancing
  • Between the hours of 9a and 3p Monday – Sunday
  • Limit two people per visit with the resident
  • Designated areas that allow for social distancing and sanitization
  • Time limited
  • Only in designated areas to ensure safe distancing, proper hand hygiene, universal source control, and overall facility supervision of safe practices related to visitors. The designated area(s) may change based on need for space
  • Limited in duration with time in between appointments to accommodate staff sanitizing furniture and high-touch areas
  • Limited in frequency for each resident one per week
  • Weather permitting, outdoor visitation opportunities may be available with social distancing
  • All visitors are screened upon entry (or for outside visit) and additional precautions are taken, including social distancing and hand hygiene
  • Visitors unable to pass the screening or comply with infection control practices such as wearing a facemask will not be allowed entry
  • All visitors and residents must wear facemask for the duration of their visit
  • The Lexington will provide a facemask and other PPE to any visitor
  • Areas will be staged to ensure chairs are six feet apart

Scam Alert

Scam Alert

Help your loved one stay scam-free! It’s not enough to fight the spread of the coronavirus, but we must also be aware of those who want to scam us. The Better Business Bureau warns that the Government relief checks trigger Coronavirus scams. How it works: you receive a message or see a social media post regarding the COVID-19 economic impact check. You click the link and are taken to what seems to be an official website asking you to enter your personal information and/or banking details. The site says it is necessary to verify your identity and process your check. NO MATTER WHAT THE MESSAGE, DON’T CLICK!

Tips to Spot a COVID-19 Grant Scam:

  • Government Agencies don’t communication through social media
  • Do not pay any money for a “free” government grant
  • Check for look-alikes
  • Don’t assume an offer in social media is from a friend

Order any personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, etc) from reputable sources. There are a lot of bogus websites that promote these items. They accept your money then never send the product. We will share this information with all Residents but it doesn’t hurt to remind them when you visit next with them.

Covid-19 Infection Control Precautions

Covid-19 Infection Control Precautions

  • Residents must stay in their apartment with the door closed
  • Residents will be monitored daily for fever and other COVID-19 symptoms
  • Residents returning from the hospital will quarantine for 14 days and staff will wear additional protective equipment
  • Staff will deliver mail to Residents three hours after the mail is delivered
  • Staff that may have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, will also be tested/retested
  • Staff will wear additional protective equipment for Residents that require close personal contact such as putting on ted hose or giving dressing assistance
  • We continue to restrict visitors, including into our courtyard
  • We are practicing surface quarantining of items brought in to our building. We are asking that family greatly restrict what they bring in the building for their loved one. Everything must quarantine for at least three hours. Food items need to be limited to products that can withstand three hours at room temperature. We sanitize the item(s) whenever possible
  • Staff are screened for fever and respiratory illness each shift and before they begin their shift
  • Staff deliver meals and snacks to Residents in their apartments
  • Staff members in Resident care areas are being limited to the care providers
  • We are using technology for telehealth medical appointments for Residents and staff
  • We mask and maintain a social distance of at least six (6) feet from another
  • We sanitize commonly used areas after each contact
  • Wash hands/sanitize before entering/leaving apartments
  • We continue to follow the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommendations to help protect Residents and staff from this virus

Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” ― Roger Crawford

Covid-19 Surface Quarantine

Covid-19 Surface Quarantine

We will quarantine items brought into the building based on information from the “New England Journal of Medicine.”

  • Mail: We are having the U.S mail remain in Resident mailboxes for three hours after it is delivered.
  • Packages: All packages (cardboard and plastic) will be kept 24 hours before delivering them to recipients.
  • Newspaper: We will temporarily suspend the availability of the newspapers at the Front Desk. Residents who get their own subscription, will get the paper later in the day.