FAQ
Specialty care designations – what do they mean?
Washington state requires Adult Family Home providers to have specialty training and certifications to work with certain populations. These specialties are for residents with dementia, mental health and developmental disabilities. Lakeside Gardens is a certified provider for dementia and mental health. This enables us to skillfully serve the population of clients who have dementia as well as depression or anxiety, which are classified as mental health issues. Lakeside Gardens has an excellent reputation as being skilled in these specialty designations.
DOES LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE COVER THE COSTS OF AN Adult Family Home?
All Long Term Care policies are individual, however, in our experience many do. Because we are licensed by the state, require nursing assessments, and have 24/7 awake staffing, most long term care insurance covers the cost of our care. We have had many residents with LTC insurance and currently still do.
Aging in place
This is a widely used term to describe the ability to remain living where you are without having to move as your needs increase. The Journal of Housing for the Elderly states that aging in place is not having to move from one's present residence in order to secure necessary support services in response to changing needs. Lakeside Gardens is dedicated to providing the ability to age in place for our residents.
Hospice care
Lakeside Gardens has been providing hospice care for our residents who choose to live comfortably until the end. We work closely with Peace Health Hospice to provide the best end of life care available. Nurses, Chaplains, Social Workers, Volunteers and others are all a part of the Hospice care team who we coordinate with. For more information about Hospice care, please click on this link.
What does it cost?
Lakeside Gardens bases its rates on the level of care a resident needs and size of room. Our rates are always less than the cost of a nursing home. However, because the residents have so much more personalized care, it is a greater value in care costs.
When should we consider moving our family member in?
Because moving a loved one is such a difficult decision to make, most people defer the decision until a crisis occurs. However, most experts in the field of gerontology advise to make the move sooner, rather than later. For those with failing memory this advise is especially true. A move is stressful and can place many demands on the individual to adapt. Adaptation skills are lost as the memory fades. The founder and former president of the Alzheimer's Society of Washington, Josselyn Winslow, advises to make the move early, before memory loss causes the individual to lose coping skills like learning new faces, routines and places.
Alice's Example: When Alice's family first called, they were worried about their mother living alone and falling. She had several tumbles already, and they knew that the "big one' was just around the corner. They had wanted to move her a long time before this, but their mother insisted she was fine and wanted to stay in her own home. But now, safety was a serious concern. They were also concerned because they had noticed she wasn't eating properly. This was causing her to become more weak and at a higher risk of falling. They knew it was past time to make the move. But they dreaded having her leave her home for over 50 years and wondered if she would make the adjustment. They were filled with guilt but felt they had no other choice.
Alice moved to Lakeside Gardens. In less than a week she was feeding and talking to the birds, smiling widely and interacting within her new found environment as if she owned the place. She loved the flowers, the animals, the other residents and the caregivers. Astonished, her son exclaimed, "If I knew it was going to be this easy, I would have moved her in years ago!"
Special diets
Lakeside Gardens is able to accommodate many special diet requests. Diabetic, gluten free, low carbohydrate, dairy free, heart healthy meals are all available upon request. We've seen many client's improve significantly - especially with diabetic and cardiovascular diets. As a health consultant for many years and member of Lakeside's team, Douglas can sit down with you and discuss the pros and cons of implementing a special diet. However, it is important to note that all of our residents are provided with fresh homemade food, including fresh baked goods free of trans fats. Fresh fruit and vegetables are provided year round on a daily basis. Feel free to request a look at our menu.
Fall risk and wander issues
For those residents who have special needs relating to fall risk or wander issues, Lakeside Gardens has several monitors/devices available that will be used depending on the need of the individual. The door has an automatic alarm when opened and if an individual has exit seeking behaviors then a bracelet will be used to identify when that particular resident is by the door. However, we do not lock our residents in.
Do you provide transportation
We provide transportation to outings that we arrange. We will also work with Specialized Transportation to provide residents with their free service. Residents can also contract with us to provide transportation to doctor's appointments on a per ride basis.
The importance of activities
Like any family, some things you do together, and some things you do on your own. It is the same way at Lakeside Gardens. We make monthly activity schedule that is developed with our residents own personal interests, needs and capabilities in mind. In this way we believe we are somewhat unique. Since we specialize in supporting a limited number of clients, we are more able to tailor life to their own personal interests. We don't force everybody into the same cookie cutter list of activities.
But no one is an 'island unto themselves'. We always encourage our client's to interact together and will often invite them to socialize together in games, coffee time, outings, programs, and special events. Even people who don't usually participate in gatherings surprise their families when they come and see their loved one participating.
In summary, our goal is to provide an environment which can nurture a healthy balanced life - providing both social opportunities as well as supporting personal interests and lifestyle.
Visitor policy
Visiting hours are unrestricted. For the joy of our residents, we encourage the visitation of friends and family as much as possible. We do encourage you to be considerate of the earlier bedtimes that seniors often keep.
Family participation
Lakeside Gardens recognizes the value family has in the lives of our residents. We have observed how much we need family to provide the connection only families can provide and let us do the care giving. Together, we can provide the best that can be offered!
We encourage family members to join us in our group activities and outings. Our philosophy is the more the merrier. However, we urge families to leave the care giving to us.
Residents whose families are available to them emotionally have a better quality and longer life. No one else can provide the connection that families can provide.
WHEN YOUR PARENT ASKS TO GO HOME
Many seniors with dementia plead to be taken home. Often, they are actually in their own homes when they make this request. So what are they really asking? Many times they are longing for who they were when they were well and functional. Or home is where they would retreat to feel safe. Many times they are thinking of their home when they were raising a family many years before, and may not have owned that home for decades. Saying they long for home is expressing their longing for their identity and their sense of belonging. Sometimes other issues are at play. Maybe they are wishing for control over their destiny. When you get sick don't you want to go home? Perhaps they have undiagnosed pain or illness such as a bladder infection. When your loved one wants to go home, it may be a more complex request than simply wanting a place to be.