Choices of dementia care facilities

[christinie355]

My mother went into residential dementia care on 18 August after two years of intensive change in her life, losing my dad, and being diagnosed with both Alzheimers and Vascular dementias which both my dad and her over compensated and dealt with without us really knowing there was a huge progression although we suspected and requested mother had tests which were ignored by them. Anyway once we were well aware and they were both in sheltered accommodation til dad died we worked with it. Last year i saw a notice about an innovative care home opening in our area and went to its opening day and was taken aback on how really fabulous their way of care and the building was i kept it on the back burner informed siblings who were not very impressed with the information, without going to see it or read the literature ,but i did take one of my sisters and she was equally impressed, well as the year progressed and mother went on a downward spiral one of my younger sisters insisted we go to find a suitable care home and whe shen was totally unimpressed by what was available and those who charged the most and purported to be the 'best' in dementia care (clinically sterile in my opinion) stand in line sergeant major) As we were out we made her go to my choice (name of care home removed) She was so impressed she had decided there an then to choose this as the place for mum. There are four houses in a building which in itself is five star, a balcony for sunny days a wonderful large library which is used for musical stimulation they have a 'pub' where everyone goes on sundays and wednesdays (no real alcahol but a few shandies) with karaoke , there are 13 residents to each house, cared in a home environment encouraged to take part in washing dishes, cooking cakes and scones, enjoying communal crosswords all around are games ,toys scarves familiar ornaments from residents homes welcoming colour scheme pictures of all residents when you go in pictures of residents when you reach their home, lovely gardens access at anytime to residents and visitors conservatory with aviary budgies and canaries, a caravan and car in the garden to be visited at any time veggie patch and greenhouse. Residents can do any activity in any house thats taking place the carers take them and bring them back knit and natter and Film night with tea in front of the tv the lounge in each house is cosy with fireplace and piano for the residents who play. My mother was allowed to take her own bed and bedding and her china cabinet which locks her room is a familiar place to be and has also its own fireplace and tv the atmosphere is wonderful the staff do not wear uniforms and night staff wear pyjamas to define to night wanderers that its not day time. After my mother had been wandering at night and was endangering herself with the care and busy days that she now has she sleeps at night and is very different more relaxed and not lonely as lonliness was a huge issue she is happy , she is sliding quite fast but we have no fears for her anymore. This home was not as expensive as the apparent 'best but we do have to pay a top up fee which for the quality of care is not begrudged under any circumstances the food is wonderful a bit too wonderful mum has put on weight. I am hoping this level of care is going to be taken up by more care facilities because what we saw was awful and made us sad. Also for anyone wanting to take part in free courses on learning about dementia the University of Tasmania Wicking dept do courses through the year just log on and you will find them also for those wanting to go into care they issue certificates of course completion its is so informative i have learned so much i want to pass it on to you take it on its a great course.

 

[Shedrech]

hello christinie355
welcome to TP
it's good that you and your family are happy with the care home your mother has moved into
I hope you have factored in quite hefty % increases in the top-up over time - the last increase to dad's fees was near 10%
I hope your mum enjoys the facilities in her new home, and that the staff are able to provide for her increasing care needs the longer she lives there - it's a boon to family to know that their parent/spouse is safe and well taken care of
it sounds lovely - though when my dad moved into his care home, he was at a stage that all those extras would have meant little to him and now what matters is that he has somewhere quiet to go when he is agitated, and that the staff have got to know him well and support him effectively and considerately
the courses you mention are regularly flagged up here and many members have benefitted from them - always worth a reminder
best wishes

 

[christinie355]

Yes I understand about the future increases but the social worker said it wouldnt hurt to negotiate it down as the care home is open to discussion we dont have to fund this ourselves as its connected to dads will trust thank goodness but thats another thing we found a problem with the difficulty actually getting an appointment with a bank official to set it up but thats another story its a difficult world we live in. I think the best thing with good care is the release of pressure and the quality of time we can now give to our mother instead of cleaning washing ,re-sorting her hoarding and sorting her sorting, her scattered clothing, and disorientation, person obsession. Yes we still have to deal with downslides and her wondering when she can go home and not knowing where home is but all in all she is calmer less agitated and a cup of tea is always on hand for all of us at any moment of the day. this building is so good it has flats on the top floor that anyone who has early stages and even without alzheimers or vascular any dementia syndrome can rent, and take advantage of the activities and use the gardens my aunt and uncle move in soon he has alzheimers so as they cant bear to be apart when he needs 24 hour care aunty is just upstairs which is an huge assurance to aunty. and us because their daughter lives in Australlia. The recent comments about families putting their elderly relatives in care homes, needs for those who make those comments to know exactly what life is like trying to cope as a carer there are four daughters and two sons in my mothers family and we girls have had the most to do, all of us work in some form but had to rotate on days off our own families and ourselves lose some form of contact with spare time ( what was that) anyway i diverse but all in all a good care home really helps the blood pressure and our own health as well as our cared for relatives.

 

[canary]

If its working well at the moment, then thats the main thing

her wondering when she can go home and not knowing where home is

This is really common - even when that person is still in their home. "Home" is more a state of mind, or a fantasy than a real place and what they are really wanting is to go somewhere to escape the confusions of dementia. When mum used to ask to go home I asked her what her home was like (rather than where it is) and she used to describe a place that sounded like her childhood home and she was convinced that her parents and all her sibling (long since dead) were all waiting to look after her.