“PRINCIPLE: the higher the ratio of care the better care your loved will probably get”
Ratio of Care
Lakeside Gardens has a ratio of care that is at least one caregiver for every six residents. To evaluate what this means for the quality of care, please allow us to explain. First, you need to ask the question what is a good ratio of care in a long-term care setting?
Academic studies show that, on average, you need a ratio of care of 6:1 or better (5:1, 4:1, etc)) for proper care. While six residents to every caregiver may be the standard of care in theory, it is not commonly the standard of care in long-term settings. There are no laws stating a ratio that a facility must meet. The reason for this is that amount of caregivers needed is totally dependent on the needs of the residents at the time. So it has been left for each facility to decide how much care they need to hire.
The 6:1 ratio is a good general guide for you to know. But it is up to you to determine if the caregiver ratio is adequate for the care you want for your loved one. Many facilities have a client to caregiver ratio of 12:1 up to 20:1 in many assisted living settings. However, they often add on the housekeeping staff, the kitchen staff, etc to bring up the care ratio numbers. So when making your evaluation, keep this in mind and ask questions.
To facilitate enhanced life care as stated throughout this website, Lakeside Gardens has one of the best ratio of care in the industry.