Hello,
Recently we added "personal care" services for my mom at her assisted living facility. Although, now it seems best for her needs that we bring in private personal care and have someone come in for a few hours a day at different times of the day.
It appears the AL staff is extremely reluctant to now end the current care plan and is almost "forcing" us to keep it with them vs. letting us hire a private person to give her the 1:1 attention she needs. Can they do this? Can they "force" a Resident to receive this care from them? This doesn't seem right, much less legal, etc. And as everyone knows, it AL add-on services are extremely expensive, not very cost-effective and very little value added.
As with all AL facilities, this place is understaffed and they can't "deliver" on what they've promised and what we've agreed to. It just isn't working and we don't see it improving. A few staff members are having to "serve" about 40 AL residents. Mom really needs, and would prefer, a private person to give her 1:1 attention versus having the AL staff "dash in/out" and rush because they have other residents to attend to.
Please let us know your thoughts. Thanks!
thought... If your mom is allowed visitors - and this person is truly a private person, I would not think what they do during "private" visits would be of concern, but then I do not know the particulars re her living arrangement - some are like apartments & some more like nursing home/dorm with shared room... -- if this idea is not feasible, it appears you have already talked with them and they may want to consider repercussions if something happens under their watch and they are too busy to provide needed assistance... or you may want to consider moving her
The AL facility that my dad was at, had a problem with it because they didn't want a regular person, who is a mandatory reporter, to see the lack of care provided.
Are you hiring from an agency? If you are, they have insurance, so that is a mute point. If not, you are not obligated to tell them this is a paid provider, get a contract and pay them enough that they can get insurance, make that part of the contract, this will weed out anyone looking to take a fall and get a big pay-off from insurance. Then have this long lost loved one start helping mom.
If you feel that you are paying for services, not provided, talk to the upper management. Tell them you would like to change the contract and if they get ugly, explain you are tired of paying for services not received. You don't want to make a big fuss, you just want what's best for mom, hopefully, it doesn't involve a move that would allow you to do just that. These added services are big money for AL, of course they are going to buck and snort. Oh well, moms care first. What they are really hoping is that you will continue to pay them for added services and bring someone else in to do the actual work.
I hope you can implement the care you and mom desire for her asap.
I think in addition to the insurance/liability considerations , there is a problem with one resident in AL getting individual care. It causes resentment among the other residents and their families. They don't understand (or don't care?) that the family is paying for the care. It looks to them as though one resident is being given more attention. Sometimes AL can be a little like high school so you don't want to antagonize the other residents, for your mother's sake.
We hired a private duty nurse for my mother as she recuperated in the hospital from a major surgery. Her roommate, her roommate's family and the other people on the floor were ready to get out their pitchforks and go after the nurse because they didn't understand why she wasn't attending to them, too. ("Here comes the Princess on her walk" was one snide remark I overheard. )
Now, where your Mom lives, if this is a nationwide corporation facility, there could be rules that no outside help from private Agencies are allowed to come in to help. It could be that the facility hires from an Agency that is on contract with them. It is possible if there is a contract for your Mom's caregiver, it is for a certain amount of time.
When my Dad wanted to move into Independent Living, he wanted to know if his private caregiver could come along. The cargiver was from an Agency that was licensed, bonded, insured, and that had workman's comp. The facility still needed to vet the person to make sure the caregiver was up to date on her flu shot and TB test.
The facility gave the ok to have the caregiver who was there just mornings, it gave my Dad a good routine. The facility said that if the residents sees a new person out in the hallways, the residents get concerned. Since the caregiver wore a standard uniform, beige pants and a polo-shirt with the company name on the front, it made the residents more comfortable. Dad's caregiver was very friendly, and eventually everyone knew her, including all the staff. So this worked out well.
When my mom went to the SNF, they told me she needed a sitter. I’m still not sure she did (at $25 p.h. self pay) but anyway, we had to use an agency recommended by the facility. They probably had a “business deal” with the recommended agency, but it was approved by the facility so all was well. Because of possible lawsuits, every caregiver including Hospice, who enters the premises must be sanctioned by the facility. They have to sign in and out.
You may want to check with the facility and see if there are any healthcare agencies they work with.