Assisted living facilities are of different types. It could be described as a facility that is actually not a nursing home but assisting the members with their routine day-to-day activities. Assisted Living facilities are generally for individuals over 60 years of age.
Assisted Living facility or ‘ALF’ offers a wide variety of services but common services include, providing food, housekeeping, grooming, laundry helping with medications etc. These facilities should be certified, qualified and licensed by the state board.
When choosing a facility, we need to consider the long-term aspect. We cannot just consider the immediate or short-term aspects. Many factors do play a role in selecting a suitable assisted living facility.
The key factors would be:
• Location.
• Accessibility.
• Distance.
• The total monetary costs.
• Good hospitals in the vicinity.
• Recreation areas nearby etc.
So as we’re researching or looking out for a good and suitable assisted living facility either for ourselves or for our loved ones, one of the most important factors to be considered would be the ‘Customer Service attitude’ of the staffers towards the inmates. One of the most primary and crucial deciding factors would be the ‘The Staffers attitudes and interaction with the inmates of the facility.’ Because this would be the key determining factor, and would be the very basis for selecting/finalizing an assisted living facility.
For any facility, whether it is an up and running establishment or a new facility, the caregivers of the organization should base, work and establish their long term goals on this very principle only i.e. providing a loving, caring, and service oriented facility. If this is in place, then the facility can be considered a good and ultimate choice.
So it would be beneficial to have a checklist for this criterion when selecting an assisted living facility for our loved ones:
1. The staffers, caregivers in any assisted living facility should be experienced, trained, qualified, patient and calm and conduct themselves in a good manner.
2. They should have an attitude of loving and giving.
3. They should be graceful, courteous and thoughtful when dealing with the different inmates.
4. The facility houses many inmates from various backgrounds and different age groups, and sometimes the inmates are prone to various temper tantrums, mood swings, lack of interest etc. The staffers need to pay attention and be prepared to encounter these day-to-day factors and not show their irritation or throw a fit in front of the inmates.
5. Giving individualized and personal attention to the inmates.
6. Trying to maintain the privacy and dignity of each individual to the fullest extent.
7. To a staffer, this job should not be a routine everyday kind of job, but one where compassion and patience is of primary importance. If this is present, then it is viable to live in that facility.
8. Take a tour of the facility and watch how the staffers are behaving and mingling with the residents.
9. Try to contact a few residents and ask their views and opinions.
10. Do not be hasty to sign up immediately but enquire and visit the facility more than once and then finalize the same.
Because at the end of the day, our loved ones should be comfortable, content, peaceful and happy in their twilight years.