Complaint Review: New Hope Assisted Living - Mt Pleasant Michigan

This rebuttal is in direct response to the single report filed against New Hope Assisted Living, the home for the elderly that my husband and I have operated for 8 years. We provide a home for 12 residents along with 10 staff members including a part time BSN nurse(Bachelor's of Science in Nursing) with geriatric psychiatric experience, several CENA's (Certificate Educated Nurses' Aide), and several DCW (Direct Care Workers) who we supply training to under the direction of a program established by the nurse. We do not discriminate on gender in our hiring practices, so we have both male and female caregivers in our facility. This report was filed in 2003 and I was only recently made aware of it by a new resident's family. Thankfully, they are not experiencing the same dissatisfaction that this son did. All of our literature that promotes our home, including our resident agreement, specifically states that we are an assisted living home and that our residents are expected to be ambulatory and semi-independent participating highly in their activities of daily living and needing primarily supervision. Today, we screen our residents in their present living situations prior to admitting them to save the family an inappropriate placement and to be assured they meet our criteria. It is possible that this resident's family was not completely forthcoming in their mother's abilities prior to her admission. The client's inability to get out of her recliner suggests that she was not semi-independent. We often encourage residents to elevate their legs to promote diminishing swelling in the legs and increased circulation. If a resident requires Ensure by doctor's orders, it is provided. If the resident and family choose to use supportive nutrition, they may purchase it and it stays in the resident's room for their personal consumption. We supply all meals, materials for activities, housekeeping services, and some personal care/bathing assistance. The resident supplies their own personal hygiene toiletries and disposable goods like facial tissue and incontinence supplies. This arrangement is not unlike most assisted living homes in central Michigan. Laundry at our facility is done 2 times a week and more often if soiled by incontinence. Our residents participate in and enjoy being allowed to put away their own laundry once washed, dried and folded. The laundry is picked up from their room and returned to their walk-in closet. By state law, medications are dispensed by the nurse and only with physician's orders that are kept on file. Our home does not administer medications including over-the-counter drugs unless directed to do so by a physician. Creating incontinence of bowel only creates more discomfort/embarrassment for the resident and workload for the staff. It would be counterproductive to actively engage in medicating a resident to create loose stools. When a resident has been semi-independent and begins to decline, it is our responsibility to offer options to the family. It would be remiss of us to provide care outside of the scope of our services. Those options include, but are not limited to,: a transfer to a nursing home for full care, a private nurse to give one-on-one care to the resident at the resident's expense, the family may volunteer to provide the additional care themselves, Hospice services can be arranged if the resident meets their criteria allowing them to live out their days at New Hope or there are Adult Foster Care homes in our area that provided non-ambulatory care. If you are considering placing your loved one, mother or father, in our home, I expect you to call, stop in unexpectedly, contact hospitals, the Commission on Aging, Hospice, physicians, and the Better Business Bureau on our behalf. We are long time members of the Michigan Assisted Living Association and have provided excellent care to tens of families in our area. (We are a small home you know). I have one of my first residents still living with us from 7 years ago. Her son is like a brother to my husband and me. I would be happy to ask him to speak to you as well as all of our other families.