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Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
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Mom has right now an aide that comes four hours a day, I am just worried what happens the day she can no longer see how to get to the dining room etc. What have caregivers done when parent turned blind? Are there special homes for that?
My dad, age 97, is blind in one eye and has both advanced macular degenration and glaucoma in the other one. He can see light and dark, shadows, some muted color. He lives in assisted living and manages to get around ok (only got lost in the building once). I have found that reminding people that he is blind helps because to see him and watch him you'd never suspect. The waitress in the dining room will read him the menu choices instead of expecting him to read, and the front desk receptionist doesn't remind him to sign in/out when he leaves the building she just does it for him. Having an Amazon Echo with Alexa is a big help in reminding him about the scheduled events at his assisted living (since he can't see the posted schedule). I update his Alexa reminders each month based on the monthly schedule.
He has said that he wishes he had moved in while he still had some sight because making friends is harder since he can't see them and recognize them and they think that he is ignoring them. I would definitely suggest that moving sooner rather than later is best.
Also, once qualifying as legally blind look into the Library of Congress BARD books system which will provide free of charge a book reader machine and free books. So much better than audio books from the public library.
At his assisted living apartment I stop in often and will do a bit of spot cleaning in the kitchen as the facility only cleans once per week and he doesn't see when something has left crumbs or spilled. Also I keep track of what he has in the refrigerator, pantry, etc and remind him so he knows what's available. Making a grocery list and a to-do list was the worst until we got the Amazon Alexa and he can just tell it to "put it on the shopping list."
My advice is to be proactive and move into assisted living sooner rather than putting it off, especially for someone who is losing their sight. He put it off, remaining in his familiar home, until it was a nightmare.
Hanson, you will be amazed at how well a person who is starting to lose their eyesight is able to function during the day.
Similar to cwillie's post, my Mom also had macular degeneration and she eventually became legally blind. But my Mom was able to find her way around her kitchen and still cook. No different than if a very young person was losing their eyesight.
Whenever I suggested that my parents move to senior living as both were fall risks and being in their 90's, they shouldn't be doing so many stairs, my Mom would dig in her heels.
It wasn't until much later that I realized why, my Mom knew the floor plan of their house and where everything was. Heaven forbid if someone moved an item to a new location. Moving my Mom would have created a lot of problems for her, like learning where everything was in a new home.
If the Independent Living facility is ok with your Mom remaining in her apartment, then by all means let Mom stay there. The facility has been down this road many times, listen to their expert opinion.
My Mom lost most of her vision in one eye 30 years ago due to shingles on her face. She still worked and drove and eventually functioned pretty well in Independent Living, eventually going to a NH. The careplan specified her vision loss, and aides were instructed to deal with her on her “good eye” side. All was well until she got shingles again on her face and had an optic nerve stroke, leaving her blind in the previously good eye, and just minimal vision in the previously bad eye. She was the only resident on her floor that was blind, they really were not used to dealing with it. It took a lot of reinstruction on my part with every aide she encountered that she now was blind and they had to over-communicate who they were, where she was going, what they were doing, etc. I don’t know if there is any place locally that would have been more adept at dealing with her blindness, but since she also had mild dementia and she was so used to the NH and they with her, I never considered moving her. If your Mom is otherwise pretty healthy, I would suggest looking into Assisted Living places NOW while she still has her vision, so she could get used to the facility and they would get used to her. Then if she unfortunately does eventually get worse, she would be in a familiar place, the aides are familiar with her, and they’d be able to increase her care by bringing her to meals and help her get dressed and to the bathroom, if she needed more help. I would try to make a move in advance of needing it.
Do you mind sharing in what way she is losing her eyesight? Most forms of vision loss do not leave someone completely in the dark and there are many coping strategies available for those with limited vision. My mom lost 80% of the vision in one eye in her 70's and despite slowly losing much of the other eye due to macular degeneration she lived independently until she was in her early 90's.
In my personal and anecdotal experience the accommodation for those with vision loss at the nursing home and assisted living facilities in my area was/is not good; too many people can't seem to grasp the concept of limited vision and assume that those with any vision at all don't need help, I've even heard accusations of people faking it. SMH.
I would contact Guiding Eyes For The Blind, although they train and gift dogs to sightless people they may know about home's for the blind. In Florida, we have Southeastern Guide Dogs, who does the same thing. Good Luck!
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
He has said that he wishes he had moved in while he still had some sight because making friends is harder since he can't see them and recognize them and they think that he is ignoring them. I would definitely suggest that moving sooner rather than later is best.
Also, once qualifying as legally blind look into the Library of Congress BARD books system which will provide free of charge a book reader machine and free books. So much better than audio books from the public library.
At his assisted living apartment I stop in often and will do a bit of spot cleaning in the kitchen as the facility only cleans once per week and he doesn't see when something has left crumbs or spilled. Also I keep track of what he has in the refrigerator, pantry, etc and remind him so he knows what's available. Making a grocery list and a to-do list was the worst until we got the Amazon Alexa and he can just tell it to "put it on the shopping list."
My advice is to be proactive and move into assisted living sooner rather than putting it off, especially for someone who is losing their sight. He put it off, remaining in his familiar home, until it was a nightmare.
Similar to cwillie's post, my Mom also had macular degeneration and she eventually became legally blind. But my Mom was able to find her way around her kitchen and still cook. No different than if a very young person was losing their eyesight.
Whenever I suggested that my parents move to senior living as both were fall risks and being in their 90's, they shouldn't be doing so many stairs, my Mom would dig in her heels.
It wasn't until much later that I realized why, my Mom knew the floor plan of their house and where everything was. Heaven forbid if someone moved an item to a new location. Moving my Mom would have created a lot of problems for her, like learning where everything was in a new home.
If the Independent Living facility is ok with your Mom remaining in her apartment, then by all means let Mom stay there. The facility has been down this road many times, listen to their expert opinion.
In my personal and anecdotal experience the accommodation for those with vision loss at the nursing home and assisted living facilities in my area was/is not good; too many people can't seem to grasp the concept of limited vision and assume that those with any vision at all don't need help, I've even heard accusations of people faking it. SMH.