At Like Family Home Care, we believe in treating everyone like family (hence the name ☺). Our care model goes beyond just providing a boilerplate service to families.
With that in mind, let's talk about some of the important parts of intake in this industry, and making sure you have the right services set up for elderly family members.
Neurological Evaluations Are Critically Important
When you meet someone who is in the process of transitioning to becoming a facility resident or part of an assisted living community, you have to ask the right questions about neurological function.
You don't just shake someone's hand and tick a box – someone has to be responsible to really understand the way that the individual's mind is working. For example, is some memory loss or general “spacy-ness” a sign of regular senility, or more involved dementia? Are there flags for Alzheimer's or other staged neurological problems?
The answers to these questions are going to impact someone's care in very fundamental ways, so it's important to get them answered upfront.
Mobility Evaluations Are Also Fundamental
When you're talking about the kind of day to day care that elderly individuals need, much of it comes back to mobility. Are they independent to a particular level? Is the individual able to move his or her body the way that he or she needs to during a given day?
Again, with the right answers in play, we can support that person correctly. Maybe he or she only needs occasional assistance – but the right kinds of monitoring and observation have to be in place to keep your loved one safe!
We're dedicated to that.
Environment, Comfort, and Personality
This one's a little more abstract.
Simply put, everyone comes to assisted living or facility living from a different place. It has to do with their personalities, preferences, and previous lifestyles.
Why does documenting this make a difference? Because you don't want to be trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, or making everyone conform to the same kind of thinking. Some facilities suffer from this kind of approach because people don't feel heard and valued.
By doing a little more work on intake and observation, we can better understand the individual's needs and preferences, in order to provide better-targeted care. Reach out to us with any questions about assistance in AZ – we’re here for you!
