When Barry’s mother needed memory care, we asked friends whose mother was in a place they were happy with what they had looked for. The following questions were inspired by that conversation.
1. What do you do to normalize people’s lives?
2. What kind of training does your staff get for memory care? Who gets that training?
3. Are staff contractors or full-time employees? What benefits do your staff get? What is the overall corporate employee turn-over rate?
4. How do you handle disruptive residents?
5. How do you handle incontinence?
6. How is laundry handled?
7. How do you address meals, special dietary needs, snacks, family visits during mealtimes?
8. How do you separate residents who are more capable from those who aren’t?
9. How do you help with the transition into becoming a resident?
10. What care is provided on site?
11. What activities are offered, and how are residents encouraged to participate? Are there activities for family of residents?
12. What recommendations would you have for us as we consider alternatives, and what recommendations would you have for us to help prepare my mother for the transition?
Note: Make sure all clothing is machine washable and machine dryable. Also strive for clothing that is easy to get into and out of with not too many choices to make. Daily decisions become harder and frustrating as the disease progresses.