How do I get my 93 year old mother into an assisted living facility. 
Currently she is mostly independent (a small apartment in a retirment
home). Some medicaid assistance (cleaning - twice a week.  It's
getting more dangerous.eg, getting confused (lost in her appartment
bldg, leaving the stove on etc). She absolutly does not want to leave
the retirement home.

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Request for Question Clarification by wlk115-ga on 02 Aug 2002 13:16 PDT

Where is your mother located? In most US states she would have to be
declared incompetent or a risk to herself or others by a medical
professional to be put in a facility against her will.

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Request for Question Clarification by mother-ga on 02 Aug 2002 13:29 PDT

Zam,

Moving your mother is not the only option. When we were placing my
great-grandmother-in-law (whew!) we were considering more independent
apartment living, but with additional supervised care (daily or more)
provided through an agency. Depending on the package or contract, an
agency could come in for brief visits to supervise in different ways.
Some will even sit by your mother while she sleeps, to intervene if
she needs help to the restroom.

Assisted living facilities can range widely in the levels of
assistance offered, and the combinations of packages and payment
options can get quite confusing.  Because there are so many kinds,
knowing how much help your mother needs can narrow down your choices,
and involving your mother in these choices could make a big difference
in her agreement to make the move.

Would you like information on different kinds of assisted living
facilities, or outside agencies to allow your mother to stay in her
apartment?

-- mother-ga

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Clarification of Question by zam-ga on 05 Aug 2002 08:58 PDT

Additional info:
My mother lives in Utica, NY
Yes I would like more info regarding facilities that will help keep my
ma at home.

Thank you

The excellent CarePathways.com site has some articles that might be
helpful to you:

List of Articles by Care Manager
http://www.carepathways.com/cto3.cfm

Needs Assessment
http://www.carepathways.com/needs.cfm

My family is currently dealing with a situation similar to yours,
involving my 97-year-old grandmother. I recommend "The Aging Parent
Handbook: The Baby Boomer Dilemma," a book by Virginia Schompan that
offers much information and support for those who are assisting aging
loved ones.

Amazon.com: The Aging Parent Handbook
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061010324/qid=1028337691/sr=8-17/ref=sr_8_17/103-2217363-6389430

You can get some very valuable help from other people who are coping
with similar problems by joining an elder care or Alzheimer's support
group; even if Alzheimer's is not present, there is much to be gained
by talking to others who have faced similar dilemmas regarding
assisted living facilities.

There are geriatric specialists in both the medical and the legal
fields who may be able to offer assistance, for a fee. If your mother
is unwilling to be moved, even though she plainly needs a greater
level of supervision, you may want to consider seeing an "elder law"
attorney.

Hello Zam,

You mentioned that your mother is already receiving some home
supportive services. You may want to consider contacting the agency
which is providing those services to ask about a more intensive level
of service. As Mother-ga indicated, there are probably a wide variety
of agency services available. Medicaid does not always cover those
basic home supportive services however. In my area there is a special
program offering intensive home supports for Medicaid-eligible people
to help them stay in their home. The agency presently providing
services may be able to tell you if such a program exists in your
area. If not, your local hospital can probably tell you.

You can call your local hospital and ask to speak with a social worker
or discharge planner about services available in your area. The
hospital social worker should be able to put you in touch with a host
of local agencies, resources and services. In addition, the hospital
will be able to advise you on how to contact your local adult
protective agency, which is responsible for evaluating safety issues
in the elderly and intervening when necessary. The hospital discharge
planning staff should also know if any assisted living facilities in
your area accept Medicaid (most in my area do not.)

Another option may be to enroll your mother in some daytime activities
(Senior Day Care). Senior Day Care providers usually accept Medicaid
reimbursement. This would provide your mother with some daytime
supervision, monitoring of her mental status, and some healthy social
stimulation and activity with peers. In addition many Senior Day Care
programs are very proactive in linking their enrollees with home
supportive services to enhance overall level of functioning.

Pinkfreud-ga's suggestion to contact a local support group is a good
one. Your local Alzheimers Association should have knowledge of family
support groups in your community. You can find your local Alzheimers
Association by following the link below.

Alsheimers Association
http://www.alz.org/findchapter.asp

Here's one more resource for you.

Eldercare Locator
http://www.eldercare.gov/

Best wishes to you and your mother,
fsw