Finding Hope During COVID-19 in June 2020, Part 4 with Daphne Davis

*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

The following podcast is provided by pinnacles senior placements LLC and answers for elders radio. So welcome back to answers for elders radio and we are in our last segment with our has flown by with our wonderful Daphne Davis from phinnical senior placement. And Daphne, you’ve kind of been sharing with us a little bit about this hour, about different scenarios and also, I think we haven’t done a lot of talking ever, really a lot about the whole piece of adult family homes and they really play a big part. Right now, don’t say in this whole process. They absolutely do, and and I you know, to just disclose a big secret, adult family homes are my favorite form of care. They are by far my favorite and each scenario, each story, each situation, we have to discover what form of care and housing works best for you. But adult family homes really give an option in terms of having a lot of flexibility, not just flexibility and care, that also flexibility and financing. Right they adult family homes will be the easiest to work with in terms of converting to Medicaid. Many assisted living buildings and most memory care to be in a these do not convert to Medicaid. And now you know, finances are on all of our minds, and so we have to be prudent with someone the state and, as I like to say, we need to maximize the buying power of each person’s of state. So on that level, adult family homes have the most flexibility. But I’m also hmly aware after doing this job for twenty years, adult family homes can have a stigma to them and by all means there are bad apples in every apple cart every Le One. And there are definitely homes, just as there are communities that I would not recommend to some families. But but there are wonderful homes and it’s also what do you need? Heavy care? If you think, oh my my bloved one can only go to a nursing home, they also have the option of an adult family home. Everything that a nursing home does, an adult family home does. Not Every way home does everything, because they have the flexibility of choosing what kind of community they want to have. And that’s a maximum of six people that live in an adult family home. Right now we have evolved into now being able to have eight residents live in an adult family home, so that’s coming as an option very soon. But what you have is Dr Oversight. Are In oversight, twenty four hour care, living in a community that feels just like a home, having the flexibility of your own bedroom. Probably fifty percent of the time you have your own bathroom. The other fifty percent you’re sharing it. But you have the deck and the flowers and the backyard, maybe the horseshoe pit or go pick the apples. You know when they’re ready to go up the apple tree. You have the living room, the family room, dining room, kitchen, everything just like a regular house, and so it doesn’t feel institutional. There are some people that choose to go to adult family homes. Are still driving, there’s a place to park your car. It is such a viable option. But the key is finding the right fit, and I personally would be very bold to say it is almost impossible for a consumer to find the right fit. It’s miraculous if you do, because there’s about thirty five hundred adult family homes in the state of Washington and that means there’s thirty five hundred personalities of homes in the state of washing right and someone like me, our job is to help match up your wish list. You’re absolutely have to have list with the community in the adult family home. So I I really implore you to open up your mind a little bit to consider adult family homes. They’re highly regulated. They need all of the background checks, education that that every community, large community, needs. But what you have is, if you’re the son or daughter, you have the gift of truly being the son or daughter. You do not have to be the care manager. That is where you have a partnership with the provider or owner of the adult family home and with the caregivers that they truly are the ones that come to you and say, you know, I’m a worried about mom having a uti. She hasn’t been drinking enough fluents lately. We’ve been really encouraging her. We’ve been giving her popsicles instead of water, you know, anything to get con fluid in her, but we’d like to have her checked for having a urinary tracks and infection and you, the daughter or son, says, I trust you. Let’s get it done. So the media is you don’t have to take them anywhere. The doctor, the lab work comes to the adult family home. Yeah, since is available in some large communities as well, but it is predominant in adult family homes and the connomyers health care is available there. I also want to talk about the adult family home in terms of the value for dementia care, and my experience tells me that very often the smaller the environment and then will consistent, since the caregivers are in knowing your loved one, the easier the care is for them. There’s less surprises, less change routine is there have the flexibility of having one caregiver to three people or one caregiver to six people at night. Now, think about that. One caregiver for three people does not happen in any large community. No, not one of them. Never. It’s usually about, on a good day, ten to fifteen people for one caregiver, and that’s even was a very high level of care. So this is where the flexibility comes in and I during this time of Covid in the last, you know, four months now, we have looked to adult family homes very consistently because we can have the flexibility of figuring out what works best for a care plan. Think of it this way. The larger the institution, the more rules there has to be to maintain some order. The smaller the institution, the last rules we have to have that are rigid. So it’s just the right in your own family versus your kids going to school. Your kids have more rules at school because there’s more kids. You know, I kind of Love Right’s rules. There’s more flexibility and so if someone does have behaviors in a demential state, this is really a viable option to look at it is. The one time that it’s not a good option is that someone is very anxious and we haven’t been able to figure out any medications and they’re high exit seeking, you know, just had too much energy in their body to know what to do with. That’s one. It’s probably better to have a larger community because there’s more to to occupy their brain or to direct them with. Bath life can be effective. So not a hardened fast rule, but it certainly is a viable option well. And I think that the other thing that I’ve noticed to with a lot of times with dementias, especially if somebody has been in their homes and used to a quieter lifestyle. You know, going through an adult family home is not as a dramatic shift is is being in a large community. Not that they don’t do great jobs, and I’m not saying that, but a lot of times it’s a better fit for your loved one to do to go that route. So certainly that’s right. That’s right. I consideration, and this is going to be kind of gender specific and it and I apologize for that, but many times men do better in an adult family home because there’s still the ability to putter. I still can hutter around up on room too, and that’s what a lot of men do is puddle around and let me just spinker with something and I could go out to the living room and watch TV and they can go, you know, on to the backyard or whatever where they don’t have a tiny apartment, and I think that’s the thing that I is is in interesting dynamic, especially for men, like you said, that if they’ve had their shop or they’ve had, you know, a garage or different things like that, those are things that are important to them and I think sometimes get overlooked in those situations. So again, these are great opportunities to, you know, to look at and I don’t think we’ve talked enough about it with you. So I am so glad that you’ve taken the time and certainly adult family homes, like you said, especially in a financial situation considerations. There are many options in that realm. Yes, yes, there are. I mean the full spectrum is of CARE is very expensive. We all know this care is expensive. But there are scenarios that you know. I just had a woman that was with her son for ten years and finally, you know, things weren’t going to work anymore. She has very easy profession of dementia, but her finances only dictated that. I shall never convert to Medicaid, but they pay that. She can only spend thirty eight hundred dollars a month on our care and housing. And when we’re able to find that, you know she’s never qualify for Medicaid. But this home said, yes, we want her to live with us and we can accommodate that. So no can ask questions. And you know I am I have met not a lot of adult family home owners, but I have met enough to know that they’re in this work because of their passion, in their love to serve our our you know, our most vulnerable and they as job and I their hearts are there five hundred percent. It’s not just a job, it’s a mission. The Passion. It is, it is it’s really something to bring about, for sure. Yes, thank you for saying that, because this is their passion, it is their calling and this is their business. The owners of the home, it’s their business, it’s their reputation. It’s there that their residents become their family and that passage caregivers. There’s an investment with the caregivers. Not taking anything away from larger communities, please hear me, but there is a difference and you will feel the difference if you explore it, and I’d love to love to help you explore and Daffite, how do we reach you? You reach me at eight hundred and fifty five, seven, thirty four, one six hundred or at Pinnacle Senior Placementscom and we are so glad that you are part of the answers for elder’s team because you know, right now, more than ever, our families need support and you got you are here for them and I encourage our listeners please pick up the phone. Called Dapty. She will help you. I don’t care where you guys are in the journey. If you’re just starting this, thinking about mom or dad or what do you want to do? This is a time to call her find out what your options are going to be in the future. And Daffy, thank you so much again for being a part of of our program we’re so glad your honor. Yeah, it’s n I’m very happy to be able to be a part of your listenership and you all have them calling me. We are very busy, so don’t get frustrated with you know reaching out to us. We will get to you. Like I am so committed, and Daphne and I want to wish each and every one of our dad’s a very happy father’s Day weekend and happy father’s Day. We care about our dad so and till next clutely, everyone be good to each other. The preceding podcast was provided by pinnacles senior placements LLC and answers for elders radio. To contact pinnacles senior placements, go to Pinnacle Senior Placementscom.