My wife has Parkinsons and may need to go into an assisted living center eventually. I hope this is still far in the future because I just bought her one of those walk-in bath tubs you see advertised on TV. I will do anything for her, but am concerned about my future. She expects me to move with her into an assisted living center some day even though I am in excellent health. But if she does pass on, then I have nothing, right? I will have sold our home and our possessions to live in an… read more
Do not move into assisted living facility. Care givers will only allow you to care for her. I lived in one for 13 months, hire an agency with care givers, better care and they do not cost anymore out of pocket than a facility. I am living it, I am getting better care and am much happier. DO NOT MOVE INTO AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY You aren't allowed to be yourself. I was very unhappy there and it almost killed me.
Obviously, I have thought of that, but it is a matter of economics. In most Western nations, all this would be free as part of our taxes, but in the great USA everyone is so brainwashed to react with horror at anything labeled by the GOP as "socialist" that we have to just fend for ourselves with all health issues. There is no gain in down sizing. The house is paid for and we bought it long ago.
My care giver group also discussed the guilt of putting someone you love in assisted living. His advice was that you will not find a perfect living situation in our for-profit medical system. Such places can't save money on facilities, beds, etc. so they pay very poorly to maximize profit. But all you can do as a care giver in this situation is to do your best to find out about each place and find a place that is "good enough" for the time being. He emphasized that "our system is broken" and you have to harden up to work within it with your loved one. This can be summed up as "Making the best of a bad (corporate) situation" where we have allowed our health care to be a for-profit revenue center for large corporations. I remember when Ronald Reagan was promoting "for profit" health care, claiming it would cause competition and LOW prices. Along with "trickle down" economics, history has shown that nothing he said in this area was true. But he made a lot of corporate entities rich.
Some people need to be arrested
I do not pay as much with caregivers and an apartment as I did at Assisted living and I get much better care and attention. If you served in military you can get help if is total care that is needed. I know how little attention you get in assisted living, according to computer and button I was wearing I had a seizure caused by affects from PD and I lay on floor for 90 minutes Director told my daughter. When I was released they had refused to give me meds. perscribed to me and I had over 600 controlled pills on med cart. When I left they just dropped them in my lap. Those places are not good. I was in a five star rated facility. They don't care. I am yet to find a good one. Please get home help.