Thank You! This Blog Is Making A Difference in People's Lives

This is a very focused website. By that, I mean, it's not on a subject nor does it have content large numbers of people would search for and  would generally pick up to read.

We should, of course, we're all aging. We're all facing life challenges and being prepared, having knowledge, working now to ensure a better future for times when we cannot work in this way.....

This being said, I am so grateful you and others have made the time to find this site. To read the entries. To understand my quest to share knowledge and to help others who caregive, who deal with life and death. 

As I write this entry there are over 18,900+ page views and adding more each day. Thank You! 

I see my journey of sharing our challenges, our misfortunes and our exploration of possibilities to raise awareness and be an agent of change is making a difference.

I continue to go on line, revisit various websites I've mentioned and find THERE ARE SOME CHANGES that have been made.

It's a start. We need to get to the finish line: transparency, immediate and accurate information provided to the general public and information provided in a clear, concise way that uses modern technology to give accurate current information along with accurate historical information.

Baby Boomers are on the front lines of caring for Senior family members and friends, the Gen Xers and Millennials are walking in our footprints. 

Last night at a special showing of the new movie, which I highly recommend seeing, "Going In Style", a theme interwoven is the responsibility of world societies to ensure the care of their oldest members. Laughed and laughed while seeing another wonderful theme -- aging is natural, aging opens doors to new opportunities while bringing more value to life and living.

What I loved about the movie was how it showcased the "real" Senior population --

• Often living long distances from family members
• Keeping or initiating new relationships including finding companionship, and yes "relations" -- so much is made today of "ED" everyone thinks you're incapable and not interested as you grow older and so glad to see this movie shows these concepts are myths perpetrated by a society who isolates itself from seeing the reality of aging is caused by a society that focuses inward instead of outward.
• The self focus of corporations and businesses who value only what is best for them, not considering those who gave them this opportunity through years of dedication, hard work and often health problems associated with the job

Gen Xers really need to go. Many are self absorbed and need to get out of their own lives and see the real world around them. Get involved like many of the Millennials. 

The challenges we resolve benefit all the generations giving everyone more freedom, more peace of mind, and above all safety, security and a higher quality of life.

As is my practice, sharing information, raising awareness is the goal of this website. 

Across the board, it's about Lewy Body Dementia, families, caregivers, life and living with Dementia of all types and our experiences to enlighten, assure and be agents of change. 

WARNING: Hidden Facts & Figures Endanger Seniors and Families

How transparent is your Long Term Care facility or the facility you're considering for your loved one?

Where is the DHSS report located? This is the mandated report done at least once a year or more depending on your individual State's laws, rules and regulations.

Although most states require only one year be "on display" or "readily available" -- a good facility should easily be able to provide, hand over, any time of the night or day, the past five years of their reports. 

Some states, as Missouri has finally done, hopefully because of this blog and a lot of "beating the drum" for reform and transparency advocating for Seniors in Long Term Care, Missouri now provides five years of reports on line when they previously only provided one year.

STILL NEEDED:  A much easier, at a glance, compilation of recurring violations especially, to ensure the safety and well being of our Long Term Care residents.

Where are the hours posted for the various members of the Administration and Management Team? 

Where are the days and hours of the Registered Nurse and her office/location posted?

Where, at a glance, in one specific area can you find, without having to ask someone, all the information regarding the rules, regulations, guidelines, practices and procedures if you have a question, a concern and/or an interest in volunteering?

Where, besides in a distributed flyer, usually provided to a resident and who, depending on their mental abilities, could misplace or lose, is there a listing of upcoming activities where you can visit and become involved with your loved one? How up to date and accurate is their website? How visible and viable is the information ?

When there's a meeting for residents and/or for family members aka Resident's Council and Family Council, both of which, by the way, are parts of State Statutes and Federal guidelines, where is this information posted -- is it in an area everyone can see or limited to posting in an area some might see but others might miss?

On the web, how easy is your State's DHSS posting of the violations of each Long Term Care Facility, the reasons for a visit, the infractions, the challenges found, the remedies required, to read at a glance? Or do you have to sift through pages of information rather than a straight and easy Excel type spreadsheet with click throughs to obtain more detailed information?

Does your State have a standard contract for Long Term Care? One that ensures and protects YOU and your loved one? Let me know if you find one; I've spent time since 2012 trying to determine the answer to this question and not finding any.

It's time these "businesses" who have been given so much ability to control what they do, how they do it, are held to a higher standard. That will involve all of our efforts to be united in gaining more transparency and more accurate reporting of what is done, how it is done and by whom.

WARNING: YOU MAY BE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR COSTS INCURRED IN REHAB AND IN LONG TERM CARE.

In admitting my Mom to one facility simply for Rehab services, reading the contract fully I found a small group of words that with my signing OBLIGATED me to pay for any and all services used or requested by Mom that were not covered by her Insurance. 

It was inserted within one of pages of paragraphs and if I hadn't struck it out, would have been paying possibly and potentially thousands of dollars, depending on what was deemed "necessary" for her care. 

With Insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid paying less and less, not seeing this small entry could have been devastating for all of us for many years to come as it would have been a debt incurred through a contractual agreement. 

Why is it so difficult to find out what the basic requirements are in each State for Long Term Care Facilities/Nursing Homes?

I've spent a large part of the time since discovering Mom's Lewy Body Dementia in 2012 and writing this blog trying to find information that is clear and concise, where records can be openly obtained for comparison. It's an ongoing challenge.

I welcome any referrals to specific sites where you have found clear, concise information to pass along to those who read this blog.

In Mom's facility, just getting a list of the Doctors was a hassle. Once we agreed to a Dr, changing that Dr was long and tedious and both the Drs had to agree. Since there were few on the list, we were limited and some simply told us they had "no openings" at this time.

And, when a Dr "leaves" the facility, for whatever reason, you, the family member, are often not told. If your loved one is competent enough to notice, they may tell you, or they may not. Changes to medications, procedures, advisories and many other factors can occur with a change in medical staff and the resident and you should know when changes are considered or made.

If you go to/went with your loved one to Dr's appointments, as I did, you realize they often cannot follow the conversation of a Dr (you and I often have challenges in that way and have to ask a lot of questions) and the older the person is, they often DO NOT question, do not ask what other choices can be made or options there are. 

It's my belief a resident's rights should be ensured, not taken for granted.

For those of you "new" to Long Term Care, please don't assume you'll have connectivity directly with the Dr as they "value" their time and allocate a small amount to actual "on site" visits with a great deal of "phone" analysis, determination if and what level of medical intervention should be taken from information gathered/presented by the LPN/RN who calls.

Even when a resident is dying, the Dr doesn't make "house calls" in most facilities.

You can read the laws/statutes for Long Term Care/Nursing Home Facilities, on your State's website, however, these are the "general" rules and then there are the "specifics' -- for example:  how many hours of "nursing care" are required per resident during a 24 hour time period adjusts with the time of day and often does not include any consideration for the actual lefel of care giving that needs to be done due to the physical, mental, and emotional needs of the individual resident.

The very definition of "Nursing Care" is also open to interpretation. It does not always mean a Registered Nurse or even a Licensed Practical Nurse providing any form or amount of direct care for a resident.

Nursing Care includes administration of medications BUT it can also include the amount of time a Nurse spends in completing records. There is no additional contact or service provided the resident, however, there is service provided "for" the resident and so it counts and usually reported in 15 minute increments, not the actual time it takes. Go over 15 minutes with a service and round up is usually the practice in a facility, or so I've been told.

Hidden facts and figures endanger our Seniors and families. You are the resource, the ways and means and your reading, sending emails to State and Federal House and Senate members and ensuring the web is full of comments, pictures and concerns about Senior Long Term Facility Care is critical.

Like it or not, many of us will spend time in one of these places. 

Let's make it time worth the days of our lives and not time taken away from our lives.

Living In Jello: Life During & After Lewy Visits

Since beginning this blog, I've started many entries, stopped writing one and moved on to another as life happened, as life changed, as my ability to "cope" or "get through' one incident, another challenge, occurred. 

I've talked about feeling like I was living in "jello", as though the world around me was constantly quivering, quaking and although firm, feeling as though it would collapse around me at any moment.

When you have two separate, unrelated, highly demanding and constantly volatile life challenges and an outside influencer tearing you apart piece by piece, it's like any other unpredictable life event -- tornado, tsunami, economic shift or collapse -- out of your control and coming at you from all directions.

Looking backwards, picking up where you left off, returning to the scene, sometimes provides a new perspective. Here's one that's from the Summer of 2013. Husband passed a year and a half before, Mom was days away from her 99th birthday.

Originally started as an entry 8/1/13.  

Unknowingly then and even now, we provide Julia with ways to endanger and make life miserable for Mom and for ourselves.

Undue Influence in the Senior population is generally referred to as having a base in securing a financial advantage over the elderly person who may or may not have reduced mental capacity.

Using a relationship to direct, influence and produce action can be an emotional control mechanism over another individual as powerful a stimulant for Undue Influencers as drugs and alcohol are for others.

Many of us believe a Power of Attorney provides Seniors protection from predators and abusers.

There are irrevocable Power of Attorneys but they are generally written for specific items and not with the scope and content of most Powers of Attorney or Durable Healthcare Powers of Attorney.

To protect our loved ones, we are told to consider the significant step of Guardianship, basically replacing someone's rights and responsibilities in areas of independent action.

Hard to consider even with obvious advancing Lewy Body Dementia. 

The hallucinations and delusions are very frequent and anyone who cannot see this behavior simply doesn't want to see it -- the LTC facility, for example.

But making the decision to "take away" Mom's autonomy even with the mental anguish and monetary losses we've sustained -- just can't do it.

Why aren't there simpler procedures to stop undue influence?


We're all growing older. We all want to maintain our independence. We want to make decisions with our time and our money as independently as possible. After all, that's what we're taught: to be independent, self sufficient and self reliant from childhood on. 

Do it for yourself; don't depend on others; you make your own way in life -- and more admonitions.

HIPPA prevents as it protects and it's often used as a way to prevent.

Walking along the corridors of a Long Term Care, hearing and seeing questionable actions being taken, making the step to contact the Ombudsman office or the DHSS (Department of Health and Senior Services), I know I've become "one of them", someone who interrupts the flow of their daily work presenting new challenges and decisions they'll have to see how serious the report is to decide what action to take.

I am not a most welcome visitor. And, if they could, I'm sure the facility would stop me from coming. Thankfully, there are laws for that.

Keeping an open door and even more having everyone who visits focus on being more than a casual or even a frequent visitor to a loved one, looking, watching, listening and REPORTING TO AUTHORITIES is what's needed in many places.

Someday maybe I'll have the time and the ability to talk more about establishing a resource for families to communicate directly, not through the facility, with one another and with the general population.

Living in Jello as we move through the life of being a care giver needs to change.

Culture Club. Changing Values for Seniors

"SECTION 3 -CMS, CULTURE CHANGE, ARTIFACTS OF CULTURE CHANGE

CMS and Culture Change and Artifacts of Culture Change - The traditional nursing home regulatory approach has created tensions between providers and surveyors. 

Culture change is movement to transform a facility to a home, a resident to a person, and a schedule to a choice.

States and the federal government have worked over the years to examine regulations to evolve them into a more responsive regulatory system. 

Documents below are offered to home nursing homes to work with their regulators to change the environment of their homes while meeting the regulations. Missouri has set a 100% compliance goal for facilities filling out the on-line version of The Artifacts of Culture Change. (www.artifactsofculturechange.org)  

This organization tries to effect change. The wheels of government entitites who are responsible for change is more focused on other areas of our culture and apparently does not see the value in providing for "the later years" of its citizens.

Mom entered a facility in November 2011; she passed in January 2014. As a statistic, her stay was the average length lasting between two and three years.

Mom's actual costs during this time involved numerous trips to Emergency Rooms for falls necessitating sutures, to outside Dr's and ER's to correct neglectful and harmful situations (failure to adequately clean the perianal area resulting in sores, hemhoroids and infections, i.e.) and many trips to outside Dr's for wound care and other care not provided as required to ensure health and well being.

As a fact, Mom had more medical problems brought on by lack of quality medical supervision, the supposed sole purpose of someone entering into Long Term Care/Nursing Home Care.

If you've read previous entries, you'll know this was not my choice and never was her choice. It was a conspiracy of a woman who came into our life. 

Many are forced to make the choice of placing a loved one into Long Term Care. Few make that decision themselves except those with significant medical challenges (life changing conditions like Lupus and advanced age, loss of legs or limbs due to Diabetes, etc).

ALL NEED MORE PROTECTION, MORE SUPERVISION AND MORE INVOLVEMENT BY THE ESTABLISHED FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATORY ENTITIES including the Departments of Health and Senior Services AND the Ombudsman Program (known as VOYCE in my state, Missouri and possibly by other "names" in yours).

I will continue to visit, to watch and to actively report any violations I see. But what is really needed is the reporting of those who regularly visit a loved one because they see so much more than the "infrequent" visitor or guest of a resident who is not immediate family. WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Culture Club.  Boy George is now 54. Prime candidate for AARP. Why not turn this "name" into a real statement and focus on changing the "culture" of our country to recognize and support actions and living conditions that value those who provided the basis for our economy, our lifestyles, our discoveries and inventions, our very lives with their Service.

Watching Lewy Body Dementia Develop

Even when I walked in the "shoes" of daily living with Lewy Body Dementia, I did not see it, hear it or realize it was advancing and affecting Mom.

We lived together for decades on a daily basis. Perhaps that's why I accepted changes as "growing older" and didn't know what Mom was experiencing wasn't regular aging.

Life brings about change. As we age, there are typical but not always similar changes.

For example, I see many women with severe lines on their faces; some have sunken cheeks, hair (uncolored, that is) turns grey or white, muscular structure changes in arms and legs -- let's not mention the abdomen after giving birth esp by C sections.

Men, too, experience changes. Just turn on the TV and see all the "male enhancers" advertised.

Do we grow more cautious;do we react more to warnings, "Watch it. Hold on tight. Be careful. You might fall."

Children, grown now, seem to forget giving negative instruction bears negative reaction. 

Conversations with their parent is often full of admonitions, advice and instruction when observation, listening and conversation through the years as well as during the times of need, are most important.

We removed the carpeting attached to our stairs when we noticed Mom's hesitancy going up and down. This was well before she became more physically challenged. 

A cane came into use and we tore out a step and replaced it with an outdoor wooden walkway leading to our back door raising the level and ensuring there was a banister for balance.

Mom developed cataracts; we were told by her "regular" eye doctor, they just weren't ready to "be removed" and this went on for about three years. 

We should have changed eye Dr's earlier. Consulting with a more "advanced" office we found out Mom could have laser surgery and it was, indeed, possible and best then and not later.

LESSON LEARNED:  
Doctors have agendas; they have opinions; they are not all created equal.
GET AT LEAST A SECOND OPINION AND MAYBE EVEN A THIRD.

SPEECH AND SPEAKING:  Listen carefully and you might hear the brain "interruptions" in some speaking patterns. I heard it today in the voice of a prominent older entertainer commenting on another entertainer's passing.

It's not so much a hesitancy with Lewy Body, but a change in the tempo and cadence.

THE EYES ARE WINDOWS:  Looking back I recall Mom's "focus" when she was talking moved more and more away from the people with whom she was talking and seemed to wander more "inside herself". 

Some would say she was "thinking" but I wonder if this wasn't a reflection of her brain's movement among more memories being "reviewed" and less communication about the time and place we were currently in.

STANDING, WALKING, SITTING:  This was a hard one. Mom had an escar on her foot caused in a Nursing Facility by neglect and fecal material draining into a bandage. We found it "by accident" while she was "recoupertating" from a hip "nailing" in a Long Term Care Facility where she was sent for rehab.

Nine months of daily care by me and my husband and being somewhat "confined" to a chair certainly did not help Mom's return to walking and rehab was twenty some odd days, once a day usually, and then it was "over and done". 

Yes, Mom progressed, but she needed more strengthening and as with most "advanced age individuals", she was not used to exercising, daily work was her exercise, she lost a lot of physical capacity and capability simply due to the long term of her medical challenges.

With younger people, there would have been long term, assigned rehab but because of Mom's age, the "rehab" was limited by the Insurance company, I'm sure, although this is not information they want to share or make known.

IN MANY WAYS, OUR SOCIETY INCAPACITATES THE OLDER POPULATION THROUGH WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE A FORM OF DISCRIMINATION -- they're older, they're less capable, they're less "value" and therefore not provided the same care and concern and recommendations given for younger, more capable individuals.

THINK WE'RE NOT PREJUDICED IN THIS WAY?

Ever had the ability to compare the orders given over a cross population of various age groups with the same or similar medical conditions?

There's no difference in this practice and the hidden agenda by many Insurance Companies, Hospitals and Medical professionals regarding "recommendations" and decisions concerning what "procedures" are "needed" by an individual varying due to age or perceived "condition".

END NOTE:  Keeping this entry shorter, I'll summarize with the advice to read, research and above all network with others in your immediate community and beyond.

GET TO KNOW LEWY. GET TO KNOW ALZY. GET TO KNOW PARK -- these are short "nicknames" for three devastating forms of Dementia:  Lewy Body Dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

NEVER STOP LEARNING. NEVER STOP RESEARCHING.

Multi Generational Living Makes Cents

I smile as only an "Elder"can

We've kicked the can and kicked ourselves

We arrive at this level thru years

Often accompanied by tears.

Or, sometimes by fears.

Recession often appear

Depression

• 2020 recession: 

  Officially February to April 2020, this recession was the shortest on record, triggered by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Great Recession (2007–2009): 

  This was the longest and one of the deepest U.S. recessions of the post-World War II era. It was caused by the collapse of the U.S. housing market, which triggered a global financial crisis. 
Other notable recessions:
1981–1982: This was the worst economic downturn in the U.S. since the Great Depression before the Great Recession. 
1973–1975: This was another significant recession following the 1973 oil crisis. 


1973–1975: This was another significant recession following the 1973 oil crisis. 

The news is full of articles

 on Millennials who were 

"forced" to live "

with their parents" 

during the Economic Recession.

 and the many who are still adding to the statistics of remaining "at home".

What was common practice in the last century and with many cultures, ages and stages of life under one roof, has become "abnormal" in our consumer oriented society that believes debt is a way of life -- multi-generational living.

Daughter and I live together; my mother lived with us. Both times it has been far more reasonable, realistic and advantageous a lifestyle than living apart.

We are separately quite capable of surviving and thriving but together we accomplish and achieve more plus we have the added values minus the huge cost of separation simply for the benefit of others.

When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade is an old saying. Why not enjoy life, share it with those you love and together build a better life than you could possibly have separately?

If I had a "live in significant other" that would be fine with the general society today.

If daugher had a "roommate" of a similar age no one would care.

Just because we happen to be related, enjoy one another's company and provide a mutually beneficial lifestyle to ourselves and one another we should live separately? 

It makes both good common sense to live together as we do and is financially responsible -- who cares what others think!

Society seems to think if you can't "make it" on your own, you aren't capable.

Quite the contrary, merging the lives of highly capable people benefits society far more than the struggles encountered by so many who "for appearances sake" move out, move away and move from job to job, often "take on" someone else with whom they struggle and eventually separate -- all in the name of  doing what is "expected" by people who really don't get involved, certainly don't want to have to support and actually have no vested interest in what lifestyle is practiced.

WE TOLERATE MANY LIFESTYLES IN THIS 21ST CENTURY BUT WE STILL CANNOT, IN THE UNITED STATES, BRING OURSELVES TO VALUE MULTI GENERATIONAL LIVING.

I watch as other cultures, much older and wiser than we, understand the true meaning of family, of caring for and about those who have given us life and love. 

We . . . move them out of their homes, into apartments or "Independent Living" then "Assisted Living" and finally, "Long Term Care".

We . . . see sharing a life together as "imposing" or "giving up privacy" or "becoming a burden".

We ... feel struggling to survive is a "right of passage" no matter your age.

We .... see those who share lives as "not being capable" and/or "failing to prepare for the future".

NONSENSE.  Life happens. 

We chose this lifestyle to accomodate Mom's need at a younger age than we would have because she had an accident that prevented her from continuing in her profession.

She did return to it for a while, when she lived with us, and I was relieved she no longer had "to depend" on what she could produce to make it from day to day. 

She deserved a life that was better than that. And we, through opening our hearts and our home learned the values we practice today.

For our family, we assimilate members into a unit strengthened by love, built on a foundation of trust and understanding and supported by providing each person with dignity, meaning and a feeling of positive contribution.

I moved out of my mother's home into a life with a husband and we followed the path of starting a family. I admit, it wasn't our thought we'd be a multi-generational family. 

Most young people in their twenties wear blinders on so many things in life while they tell themselves how much they believe they see and understand.

Looking back I have no regrets. Yes, there were adjustments. There are adjustments now. But Mom's life was far better than it would have been and so was ours. 

Mom was active, involved and led a life of choice rather than a life of servitude to the almighty dollar and the passing of time. 

She had a home, in a house, with her own room and her own possessions. 

She had freedoms and daily chosen responsibilities. 

Mom felt valued, needed, useful and capable.

Yes, there were adjustments. There were compromises. But we all gained and we all benefited.

Look down on us and any who strengthen their lives with being what some consider an "unconventional family unit" and you practice a form of discrimination. 

Believe any one of our family unit has "taken advantage" or been "taken advantage of" and you have closed your eyes, your ears and your heart to understanding a family unit has many definitions and compositions in the 21st Century.

Protect LTC Residents: Stop, Look, Listen,Take Action

Visiting the other day at Mom's old facility, daughter and I were  walking down the hall and heard someone calling out. We turned toward the voice, saw a woman half hanging off a bed and asked if she needed help. "Yes, please," came the reply. "I'm stuck. I can't move. I'm afraid I'll fall!" 

The resident's "call button" was connected to a chair she sometimes sat in but now she was in her bed. 

Even if it had been "on the bed" she wouldn't have been able to reach it and summon help.

The woman was head first hanging over the bed and she was obviously struggling to maintain control of her upper torso; with both legs amputated, she had little control in that position.

I stood beside the bed and blocked further movement down the bedside. Not knowing what other physical challenges the woman had, we were both reluctant to move her.

Daughter went to get help. She returned saying she couldn't find anyone in the same hall or in the adjoining hall.

Finally, daughter who was standing outside continually looking for someone for assistance, spotted an Aide (not sure if a CNA or simply a Nursing Assistant) coming down the hall. Apparently she'd heard someone was looking for assistance for a resident.

She stopped in front of daughter and told her she should be with the person she'd come to visit and not in another room. Trying to explain the resident's need, the Aide was adamant daughter "did not belong" in another room in the facility instead of moving immediately to assist the resident.

Daughter stood her ground. She'd found a resident in need and in a dangerous situation not able to summon help. Aide should have been grateful someone was passing. A rush to the Emergency Room on a holiday would not be good for the resident, her family or the facility.

WHAT RIGHT DID DAUGHTER HAVE TO "GO INTO ANOTHER ROOM"?

Missouri Law clearly states residents have the right to receive visits from anyone they choose. 

The resident was calling out for help. No one was visible. She asked the woman if she could help. She was invited to help.

Most importantly, the facility knows the medical limitations of the resident, has possibly encountered a similar challenge with the woman possibly reaching for something and finding she's "rolled" past a point in the bed where she can manage/maneuver her body.

MORE IMPORTANTLY:  The Aide, Nurses and other staff have no authority to limit or eliminate residents rights. PERIOD.  

Even if someone isn't "in need", you have the right to speak to, have conversations with and even make a report to the Department of Health and Senior Services if and when you see a system or procedure you feel is causing neglect or possible injury to or for a resident. 

RECOMMENDED:  Write a report using the time of the incident, exact location, name of the resident (if known), specific description of incident and because you are familiar with your State's Laws for Residents of Long Term Care Facilities, cite that specific section by number and content. 

Get the name or if the person does not wear a name tag that is visible (this should be a standard in the LTC industry but is not actively practiced)ask them for their first and last name and spelling. If the person does not cooperate, ensure you document by name/floor number, room number or exact location and time from beginning to end of incident. 

THEN SEND IT TO THE DHSS ASAP and make sure you ask they send a reply to what action has specifically been taken regarding your concerns stating you expect a reply within 5 business days.

NOTE:  I've been writing on the subject of safety and security for residents of Long Term Care facilities in this blog since 2013. During this time I've seen actions beginning to be taken to ensure the general public is aware and informed IF THEY KNOW WHERE TO LOOK on the web.

I've voiced my concerns about the Office of the Ombudsman and still have concerns over the lack of staff both paid and volunteer who work to protect individuals in Long Term Care Facilities and believe there should be a removal of the dictate that the Ombudsman "must be invited in" to a LTC. 

LTC's provide medical care; they provide more than a place to live. 

For someone to go into LTC, the general regulations require the resident to NEED DAILY CARE GIVING IN ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING -- usually a set minimum number of activities of daily living is required to qualify. 

We have numerous laws on the books of States regarding children but few cover the lives of Seniors living in all levels of living: Independent, Assisted and Long Term Care. 

LTC's are businesses. They rely on funds generated from the individual residents to exist. 

Far too many times violations of personal rights provided within the State Laws on Long Term Care Facilities are not known.

In Missouri, click here to see what the law is and for other states, it's as easy as Googling "rights of the individual in Long Term Care Facility in state of .........."

Protect All LTC Residents. If you visit a loved one, keep your eyes, your ears open and remember:

You have the right, you have the responsibility to report actions, systems or procedures that you see as causing immediate harm, have the potential of harming if not corrected and, most importantly, cause our most vulnerable population to live in fear in their daily life from actions they cannot control. 

The ASPCA has heart tugging commercials seeking support and funding for animals, especially domestic animals, dogs and cats. We watch and many of us contribute money or time and we are appalled at the "inhumane" treatment.

Yet each day residential facilities for our most vulnerable population are acting in similar ways that we would, if we saw it and knew about it, say is inhumane or at a level that does not provide a quality of life we would want to personally experience.

Do Not Be Fooled by what you see on "public days" -- times when families are known to visit: holidays, facility events, birthdays of a resident. Facilities have marketing, PR and other people who work to "promote" a public image of care and concern while the actual practices do not reflect this advertising.

You Can Make A Big Difference for Today and For Tomorrow in Long Term Care

Liabilities and Assets: Value Determined

It's interesting how advice or focuses from some who are in positions of comfort and security always seem to be more authoritative and knowledgeable even when they do not make good, common sense.

We have struggled and are still in the process of regaining our lives since the deaths in our immediate family and we are often seen as making "errors" in decisions others choose to point out or to question through general statements which we understand are meant for us to "consider, examine and choose another action".

Had a recent conversation where a "home" was described as a liability and "renting" was far more reasonable and responsible as a decision. 

The explanation was in finance there are two sides to the balance sheet -- assets and liabilities-- and since a home needed constant attention and repair, etc., it was a liability.

The person speaking owned a home, and it wasn't their first home. Interesting how they chose not to follow their own "beliefs" and actually practice what they preach.

If it was such great advice, such sound practice, why begin or continue this practice? 

Why add more money to a "liability" and increase the level in purchasing a home of higher value? 

Ownership of land and property used to be solely in the hands of the upper class and often conferred upon individuals as a reward for service to a monarch or authority.

Do we want to return to this concept or retain our American definition of home ownership as a goal to strive for along with education and employment?

As a "Democracy", we believe in the individual and their abilities and possibilities and have struggled to ensure everyone had the choice of where and how to live as we instituted laws and practices opening private and public places to more accessability.

One could just as easily, and some have in various works of fiction, describe life itself as a liability. 

The body and the needs and wants of the body are certainly constant and require expenditures of energy and cost to maintain -- food, clothing, shelter etc.

We take up space. We use valuable resources.

Children. Certainly a liability there. But if we all chose not to have any -- where would we be as a species?

Those with physical and mental limitations -- accomodating their needs is certainly a monetary and space challenge.

The older population. What? Not productive? What value do they serve?

VALUE. RISK. What measuring methods are we willing to use to make a point, to ensure others "conform" to a specific way of thinking and acting?

Insurance companies evaluate the "risks" every day of providing "coverage" and "procedures" based on evaluations of how this affects their bottom line, which is essentially their "assets" and "liabilities".

Human Nature, humanity itself, is not so callous.

We see value and beauty beyond what can be measured and what appears to be useful.

Have not nations gone to war over "rights" and "responsibilities" they want to have or retain?

Freedoms are assets and they are liabilities. 

We cannot draw a straight line in the sand and divide this basic of our society into separate categories.

Long Term Care Facilities Obsolete

Another "residence" for Seniors is going up on a corner in a very busy section of our town.

Down the highway, within a few miles of one another are three more "residential" or "continum care" communities.

"A Place For Mom" cites 50 Assisted Living, 33 Dementia Care facilities and I'm still researching how many Long Term Care Facilities there are in my area -- check out the DHSS for your state to get your info.

Many advertise as being "Assisted Living" and "Memory Care" -- that last one is the polite way of saying "Dementia Care"

The figures above do not include the many new builds popping up around town or the expansions of existing facilities.

The more we're willing to move out, move on, the more will be built. The less we educate ourselves and others about how to adapt and reconfigure our homes to accomodate aging, the more we'll "need" a "facility".

I find this dynamic growth in building and expanding interesting since Missouri proports to have a practice of helping Seniors and others with limitations and challenges to continue to live in their communities or return to the general population through their program known as "Money Follows The Person".

Even if you plan ahead, even if you "have the money", few faciliites provide the level of quality and service you're sold to exchange your property, your home, your savings, for the "guarantee" you'll always have a place "to live" once you reach the level where you'll need more "personal attention" and "monitoring".

MY ADVICE:  Tour the Long Term Care portion of these facilities first and do more than a walk through.  Attend daily activities, read their State Reports -- none are required from Independent Living, Assisted Living and even some "Dementia Units". The laws regarding even the low level of transparency now practiced only applies to "Nursing Home or Long Term Care Facilities".

CAUTION:  Continuum of care is the next challenge to our economy if we don't ensure residences for those with medical and/or physical challenges, including low functioning individuals are more protected, we will have a crisis on our hands we've not seen since the School Crisis was brought to light.

We are living longer, many are living with better health or monitoring by family and friends. 

Perhaps more should consider multigenerational living. 

We did. It worked because everyone was a part of the family, was appreciated and was respected.

Those are the foundation blocks on which families are built and succeed.