Family Finds A Way To Get Better Care For Father With Alzheimer’s’

George, a resident in an Assisted Living facility who had Alzheimer’s Disease, lost 25 of his 145 pounds during a hospitalization for pneumonia. During that time and afterward in the sub-acute nursing facility, he was tied to the bed. The family was unhappy with the care he got from the Assisted Living facility as well as the hospital and the nursing home that did the sub-acute care. They were also unhappy at the miscommunication that took place form all the providers, and the fact that they were charged extra for an aide to sit with their father at the sub-acute center during the time they were tying him down.

The LifeSpan Care Manager visited George in the facility, accompanied by his daughter, who had Power of Attorney for his health and financial affairs. George was interviewed, and the records of the facility were reviewed. LifeSpan Care Management was asked by the daughter to assess the situation and suggest ways to avoid a similar occurrence in the future. The family was concerned with George’s safety and quality of life.

Part of the problem was that when George got sick, the Assisted Living facility did not recognize that there was a problem until the very last minute, and he was taken emergently to the nearest hospital. Since the family was not happy with the hospital care and did not want George to have to go back to that hospital in the future, he would need to be relocated close to a hospital that had a better reputation. The Care Manager assisted the family in picking another Assisted Living facility that had a special area for Alzheimer-diagnosed residents. Additionally, the facility was chosen for its strong rehabilitation program for Subacute patients who were recently discharged from the hospital. The rationale is that the skill level of the nursing staff is higher when there are more acutely ill residents to care for, and that if George had additional problems in the future, they could be recognized and addressed before requiring a hospitalization. Additionally, if George did need to go to the hospital, he could return to the same facility for the Subacute portion of the care he would require, where the staff would be more familiar with him and the experience would be less disturbing to him.

The family was greatly relieved that a comprehensive plan was in place to address any future needs their father would require, and that the facility that they chose was actually closer to them than the previous one, enabling them to visit him more often.