Understanding What Are Levels of Care
Understanding levels of care and what that means for your loved one in assisted living can be quite confusing, and a complicated decision to make. It is very important that you do your research and compare not only costs but what you are specifically getting for the cost, what is included in the base price and what will need to be added as care needs increase. A good community should be upfront in explaining these answers to you by being honest and transparent. You should have a firm understanding of what care is provided and at what cost, is the care level appropriate for your situation and be able to understand what to expect. Levels of care are not standard from community to community. It can look different at each community. Our mission is to provide you with the resources you need to decide which assisted living services and levels of care are right for you, regardless of where you may decide to go. The right level of care ensures appropriate staffing and supervision, as well as appropriate training for residents’ specific care needs.
We Are All-Inclusive
At The Arbors/Ivy, we are all-inclusive, which means we always include care in our base pricing. Traditional assisted living includes one hour of personal care, this hour is used for the resident’s Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), which is determined by the nurse completing the assessment and creating an individualized service care plan specifically designed for each resident. Some residents as they age in place may require more care down the road and more assistance throughout the day or evening. If that is the case, we have available care packages you can add on for additional time to be spent on those ADLs. Activities of Daily Living include bathing, dressing, toileting, ambulation, escorts to meals or activities and much more. If you are unsure as to how many hours of care your loved one may need, please reach out to us and ask about an assessment. We also offer a variety of medication packages as well that can assist your loved one in a variety of ways. We offer:
- Self-Administered Medication Management (SAMM), is when we remind and assist the residents in taking their medications at the designated times they need their medication.
- Limited Medication Administration (LMA) is more comprehensive and is administered by a nurse.
Under LMA we can help with eye drops, pain patches, inhalers, ointments, crushing medications and more. These are services that are not provided under SAMM. The assisted living community must be approved to provide these services by the state. *(Please note LMA may not be available at all locations, inquire for more information).
Our Memory Care Program
Our Memory Care program is also all-inclusive which means it comes with two hours of personal care included as well as the highest level of medication management available. We feel that finding a top memory care program to meet all your needs can be hard enough without having to factor in all of the possible add ons for care and medication management. We wanted to make finding the right memory care program for your loved one as easy and seamless as possible without any hidden strings attached.
The Arbors Welcomes You and Your Family
Once you understand the care levels and options available, you can begin asking the right questions to determine your next steps.
- How active are my parents?
- Have I noticed any concerning changes in my parents?
- Are my parents looking to still be independent or are they looking for more help?
- Do my parents have any medical concerns?
No matter what level of care you or your loved one requires, The Arbors is here to welcome you and your family home.