assistedlivingconcerns

Hi everyone. Living in an assisted living facility puts your idea of life to the test. It’s like moving into a new neighborhood. Back east, when we were raising the kids in Brooklyn, just about everyone knew everyone. When we first moved into the neighborhood, people came over to say hello and many brought pies or cakes personally baked Then the welcome wagon people showed up. There was an honest effort to make us part of the community. Our children soon gained real friends. We were invited to house parties and we responded in kind. Then I got transferred to San Francisco by my employer, we settled in the Sunset district where no one in all the years we lived there welcomed us. Thirty eight years is a long time to wait to be accepted as part of your neighbor’s lives. The point being, each neighborhood is distinct in its customs. Is it different in every assisted living facility? Probably the same formula exists when moving into a care facility. Here, at our facility, they have a welcome committee, which sets up lunch and dinner meetings for the new residents with on-board residents.. Unfortunately, the intent of the welcoming is diminished when the new residents attempt to find seating at mealtime on their own, only to learn that the older residents have claimed most of the seats, which presents a very unwelcome impression on the newcomers who have been told by the management that the policy at eating time is “open seating.” If you are thick skinned enough, you adjust and find your own “claimed” seat. It’s a rare day that any table ever welcomes anyone. When I went to the Sorbonne in Paris, at lunch time, no matter where you chose to seat, everyone at the table got up and shook your hand and made you feel really welcome. After all, the US of A is a new nation, so give us time to improve our manners. In case you didn’t know, today is National Lollipop Day and it’s St. Elijah’s Day as well. Elijah lived in the 9^th Century B.C. He raised the dead, brought fire from the sky and went to heaven in a chariot. Try

My wife and I live in an upscale assisted living facility, which is nice but could be better. To enroll as a resident, you virtually waive all your rights, except the right to leave. The rents are high and each year they get higher. There are tons of them in our San Francisco Bay Area and they all charge similar rates that the owners set at their fancy and raise them whenever they feel it’s time to do so. Resident protests are ignored or they are referred to the contract signed at entry. Politicians have given up trying to reign in the power of the owners to set and raise rents. It’s obvious that the pre-entry screening ensures that the applicant for residency has the financial ability to cope with the costs or they don’t get in. If you’re on SSI, forget it. These places are pure and simple businesses for profit facilities. It remains to be seen whether the administration addresses the costs of this kind of housing for those needing care and services. There are ways for the indigent to receive access to assisted living facilities. It’ a labryrinth that needs professional assistance to navigate successfully. Good luck.