Specialized Assisted Living Care Services

Activities of all types are needed to keep the mind and body as healthy as possible which is why we provide a very diverse selection of options. Some family members have even said things such as mom or dad will not participate in activities, and to their surprise discover mom or dad is actually a budding artist. It is all about the constant routine of scheduled activities.

When activities are provided routinely, it becomes a second nature to Residents participation. And there is a lot of laughter, sharing, and creativity that comes with these encounters.

I have heard other care providers say they have offered different activities but their Residents just are not interested. It comes down to the proper approach for each individual Resident. If you were to say, would you like to do arts and craft project? The answer would usually be a “no thank you”. The Golden Moments Staff are the best at engaging the participation of a Resident.

Regular bathing is necessary for optimal skin health and general wellness. We assist with showers twice weekly, and sponge baths daily, as well as monitor all skin and lotion daily.

Bathing is one way we are able to monitor our Residents very closely for changes in conditions and reports to their PCP and the family members immediately. We pride ourselves on catching an infection before it becomes severe.

Oftentimes overlooked are the care of a Resident’s mouth, teeth, and gums. Our Residents are reminded and assisted with brushing their teeth regularly. We encourage them to self-brush, and then we also utilize floss picks, proxy brushes, and the toothbrush where we can see areas that were missed. And with some Residents, we do complete oral care, and they are also provided with a mouthwash to rinse with before and after brushing.

Poor oral care can lead to a plethora of issues, from gum disease, loss of teeth to infected teeth, to malnourishment; and results from pain with eating. When untreated oral issues can sometimes create cognitive changes as well.

We also escort Residents to their dental appointments so we are informed first hand of particular areas that need to be concentrated on. Thy dental hygiene professionals love us because they see minimal plaque and tartar on our Residents teeth.

Another thing we do is provide toileting reminders approximately every 2 hours, and provide assistance in the bathroom also for our Residents. We document all output of urine and bowel movements throughout the day. Sometimes it is through our hands on assistance using the restroom when we have discovered an ailment and a new potential medical condition, or a bout of constipation or diarrhea. By documenting color, frequency, consistency, and volume we are able to contact their primary physician urgently for a remedy or advice. At times Residents are unable to explain they are experiencing pain or discomfort so with this additional service we can catch a medical condition much sooner, and are able to seek immediate medical treatment.

During our hands-on assistance in the bathroom, we remind and encourage Residents to wash their hands which is a necessary step to help reduce contamination throughout the Care Home, or one to another.

Because we do so much hands-on care with our Residents we are extremely familiar with anything out of the norm and will monitor blood pressure, pulse, temp, respiration, on a weekly basis. We monitor and document up to 4 times daily when there is a change in heart or blood pressure medications and will contact their primary care physician for immediate advice, and of course, you will be notified also.

Regular communication is necessary both for cognitive wellness and the innate need of socialization. All Residents are in the living areas of the home throughout the day, never left in the bedrooms, and checked on constantly with a Hello, how are you doing? let’s go for a walk? Or, I need your help with a household chore, help with an art project, join me for a game of checkers, tell me about your wife or children, etc. Bedrooms are for sleeping only. It is our goal to keep Residents engaged and active throughout the day, so they sleep comfortably through the night.

All of our Staff speak English as a first language, which we feel is a key for communication with an elderly Resident since with advanced age one’s hearing is not always the best. In addition, if there is a dementia diagnosis, then clear, concise language is imperative to reduce confusion, frustration or isolation which may result from the inability to understand the primary Caregivers and Staff.

Should there be a need for an incidental emergency room visit, we meet the Resident and ambulance at the hospital to escort into the hospital emergency room, so we are there at the moment Staff is doing their intake, to provide accuracy of the events that have occurred with the Resident.

Oftentimes, I have to correct the EMT’s as they have not provided the right information to hospital Staff. We believe it is important for one of us to be there to provide an accurate description of our concerns.

Plus, because we know the best approaches and communication to use with our Residents it alleviates Resident anxiety to have us there for comforting, explanations, and assisting hospital Staff with procedures.

We will also work with you to research and advocate for any necessary procedures that are not initially being offered by the Hospital Staff. We take the health and welfare of our Residents very seriously.