Roger Weetch, RN, DipHS, is staff nurse, Bradford Royal Infirmary
A nutritionally sound diet has been shown to be an important factor in healthy ageing (Evans, 1994). Up to 40% of acute hospital patients are malnourished (McWhirter and Pennington, 1994). Some of them may be admitted in this condition, others become malnourished while in hospital (Association of Community Health Councils England and Wales, 1997).
A nutritionally sound diet has been shown to be an important factor in healthy ageing (Evans, 1994). Up to 40% of acute hospital patients are malnourished (McWhirter and Pennington, 1994). Some of them may be admitted in this condition, others become malnourished while in...Read More Here
A loophole in California’s law means senior citizen housing facilities don’t have to give notice to residents when owners are facing foreclosure, according to a New York Times article. This can cause an undue burden on patients and loved ones, especially those who require the most amount of care.
The article reports about an appalling scene where the Sheriff’s office showed up to execute an eviction notice at a board-and-care home for the elderly and found several bedridden patients and their distressed loved ones still trying to make last-minute transfer arrangements to other facilities. It appeared no one had given them notice.
“We got a call from Adult Protective Services letting us know that the house we were evicting had four or five bedridden residents, and the guy was ignoring the eviction notice,” the Sheriff’s Sergeant recalled. “I couldn’t believe it had gone this far.”
While there’s no way of knowing how many times this scene has played out, the newspaper’s research revealed that over 100 elder-care homes went through foreclosure in the San Francisco Bay Area during the six-month period from October 2009 to April 2010, which may have resulted in the eviction of some 700 residents, many of whom require help with basic daily living activities, and some of whom received no notification.
Transfer trauma refers to the stress experienced, both physically and mentally, by patients who have to be relocated. Research has shown that the severity of transfer trauma varies with the type of transfer, the mental and physical frailty of the patient, and their readiness for relocation.
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), a non-profit organization advocating for quality of life issues of California’s long-term care population, cosponsored legislation that would have required residents be given notice long before evictions could be carried out on unwitting patients and their loved ones. Among other things, the bill called for:
I have found some realtors that specialize in Adult Family Care Homes in Washington state. They list homes that are currently filled, licensed and empty as well as homes that are potential AFH's. I will put their link at the end of this post. If you are looking to purchase, these realtors might be your best net as this is what they specialize in. I have never met them, only found their site online and looked through it. It looks like a very well laid out and organized web site, easy to find what you are looking for. I saw that they have homes listed south and north of Seattle.
If you have any questions about buying or leasing an AFH, email me at afhwa@yahoo.com and i will do my best to help answer you, as I have been licensed in Real Estate in both Oregon and Washington and have been through AFH rehabs and retrofits.
Again, here is the link to the Real Estate web site
A whole lot of active adults don’t like the idea of going to live in places just like Assisted Living Decatur. To them, this assisted living Decatur arrangement is not the ideal method to live, simply because they have a belief that it is a very lonely and also isolated method to exist. Well, we think otherwise. We say that loneliness is a state of mind. You don’t have to be lonely if you don’t want to, yet it’s up to you to take those necessary measures and reach out to others. In a place just like Assisted Living Decatur home, we’ll show you what to do to throw loneliness out the window!
1. Make an effort to talk to your fellow residents – There’s a saying that goes, share a seat and win a friend. Well, this ought to be your mantra. You’re a lot more than sharing a seat, you’re also sharing a whole new home, hence there isn’t any reason on earth why you can’t be...READ MORE HERE
Each week starting this next week, I will be uploading blank FORMS that you may find useful in your Adult Family Care Home Business. I will upload at least one a week. You may download these forms to use as you wish in your business. They may be forms for admission, charting, Policies, etc. These are all forms that I created for my business and have been used by many others that I have networked and shared with.
Stay Tuned :)
I look forward to sharing useful tools and info with all of you business owners ♥
If you want to make sure to get in on receiving these "Forms", you can send me an email at afhwa@yahoo.com and put 'Forms" in the subject line :) I will send you each form as I publish it :)
Be sure to tell your AFH friends and associates about the FREE forms and other Helpful tools and info I will be posting weekly.
The club room in a suburban nursing home gradually filled up with elderly women and one old gent. Some came laboriously into the room on walkers,others used canes, but most entered slowly on their own steam. They didn't talk much to each other and one gray haired woman promptly fell asleep. Despite the best efforts of the group leader to interest them in a forthcoming outing or a visitor who had dropped in, most of the people were obviously bored. One more day in the nursing home; one more hour of their lives running out of the hourglass.
And then Vivian arrived with the animals. She brought two cute puppies, four furry rabbits and a cage of baby rats. The dogs ran into the room and instantly the atmosphere changed. There were loud welcomes and huge smiles. Several women held out their arms to the animals, waiting to receive one on their laps. The puppies walked around the room, sniffing someone's shoe, playing with a rubber ball and finally found two women who wanted to stroke their heads. Vivian distributed the rabbits to several waiting members. Two women who were approached rejected the animals and seemed even afraid of them, but giggled nervously at their own reaction. Even those who didn't hold a rabbit, dog or baby rat on their finger, however, were fascinated by the antics of the animals and followed every move.
The room had suddenly come alive. Everyone had some advice to give or a story to relate from their own past experience with animals. They made jokes and pointed out where "those critters" had gone. The participants observed excitedly as the animals jumped off the elderly people's laps, lapped up water, or ate a yogurt. The lone gentleman was gently feeding a rat some ....Read More Here
Heres a great idea for an activity in your Adult Family Care Home, especially with the spring and summer months coming.
The Olympics…
It’s time for the grandest event in the history of your care home — The Olympics. Many events can be completed indoors but you may want to include some outdoor games
Equipment needed:
Flip-chart with pad and marker pens to keep score
Bean bags
Target boards and floor mats Tape measure
Other games you can come up with
Instructions
1. Divide into teams of two’s
2. Each team should choose a country or team name
3. Then start the fun, remembering to keep score
For all events ensure it’s fair — everyone should sit if there is anyone in a wheelchair
Count up scores and give awards (its best that everyone receive an award)
Games you can play:
Bean Bag Toss
Pushing a ball to a finish line with a broom
Folding Towels-socks
Keeping Balloon in air
Bowling
Come up with games that fit your group of residents
Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s)
Have you heard people talk about the “activities of daily living” or ADL’s? About one fourth of elderly Americans need help with these personal care activities. A big part of your job is probably to assist your clients as they perform their ADL’s. The activities of daily living include seven personal care activities:
1. Eating
2. Toileting
3. Dressing
4. Bathing
5. Walking
6. Getting in and out of a bed or a chair
7. Getting outside
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL’s)
You may also have heard about “instrumental activities of daily living”. IADL’s are important activities— especially for people who live on their own. These “instrumental” activities include six home management activities:
1. Preparing meals
2. Shopping for personal items
3. Managing money
4. Using the telephone
5. Doing heavy housework
6. Doing light housework
As an owner and operator of a successful Adult Family Home in the state of Washington I would like to welcome you to the greatest type of assisted living that you can find for your loved one. Adult Family Homes are a perfect alternative the to most common living situation for the senior client. We offer more home like settings with personal attention to care and assistance with the activities of daily living.
Adult Family Homes are private homes that are situated in residential areas with a maximum of six patients living in the home. We are staffed 24 hours a day and offer personal care and attention to the patient (client).
Adult Family Homes vary in care and staffing options allowing you to find the one that best suits your loved ones needs. Some homes offer state licensed specialty care in particular areas such as Mental Health, Dementia, and Developmental Disabilities, Brain Trauma, and Stroke.
Adult Family Homes are as varied as the people that own and operate them. Some homes are owned and operated by the same person. Some are owned by one person and operated by another. Some homes have caregivers that speak secondary languages to English, such as Korean, Chinese and more, making them cater specifically to particular clients.
Adult Family Homes are licensed by the state and local municipalities and must comply by strict laws and regulations to ensure the best care for your loved one. It is extremely important to verify any home you may be touring and considering to place your loved one in, that they have active, up to date licenses.
I look forward to providing useful information for both the family of clients as well as the owners and operators of Adult Family Homes in the State of Washington.
Next post: What to consider when touring homes to place your loved one in, licensing, staffing, amenities etc.
