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1. Sonoma
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   Hello! Anyone familiar with Visiting Angels or other companies who provide in-home visits to elderly people with moderate dementia? ALSO, can you recommend facilities where seniors with dementia can live semi-independently (e.g., their own apartments, not a bed in a depressing room.)? Thank you.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

2. AlkiRagdoll
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   I have not worked with the Visiting Angels (VA) in the Seattle area, but they were truely fantastic on the east coast. My father suffered a stroke and required 24-hour care, which we did for about 6 months at his Pennsylvania home. My father's stroke primarily affected his vision, and he could not live alone in a 2 story home, and could not drive. He was also starting to exhibit dementia.

   They truely were my angels and kept me informed. Something that you should check tho' is if they meet the requirements for insurance reimburesment and can they administer daily pills. In PA, my cousin set up the pills weekly and VA made sure he took them. But under PA law, they were not certified to "give drugs". The francise I dealt with did not have the certification to enable the insurance to reimburse the estate (which cost about $100,000 for six months - 3 shifts 7 days a week). But I would have used them anyway. Because of cost, I switched over to try another company for 2 months, and then switched back to Visiting Angels because their service was just so much better. They are not cheap, but so well worth it in how they treated my father.
   The night shift was a bit more difficult to ensure provided good treatment -- and my father did not want someone in the house at night -- but I insisted to ensure his safety. The night person was required to stay awake but since no one was there to monitor them, my father would tell me that they were sleeping when he got up at night. After 6 months, he agreed to go to Assisted Living, and we continued with VA to keep him company and take him places for 6 months (3 hours a day) until he passed away.
   Interview them and make sure that you get the quality of people that you are comfortable - I made trips regularly to check out the people. NOTHING was ever stolen from his home and I so attribute it to the quality of people that they hired.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

3. Sonoma
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   Thanks for your thorough and helpful response, AlkiRagdoll. And a reminder that we should all do our best to put aside some funds for this kind of care - it's so expensive! My mom does have long-term care insurance, but I think it only covers a limited time period. And I will have to find out if it covers programs like Visiting Angels.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

4. Vanessa
   Member Profile

   Dear Sonoma, I might be able to help with information for some Eldercare Services. I live and work in W.Seattle, and do management and consulting work with Seniors and Home Care Services. There are 2 agencies I work with here in W. Seattle. http://www.CareAtHomeSeattle.com and http://www.HelpUnlimited.com Follow the links, call me write me, I'd be very happy to help find what you're looking for, either private hire or agency care.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

5. oddreality
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   We have an agency caregiver for my mom in north Seattle. I would love to find a trustworthy private hire for mom but not sure how to go about it.I am so tired all the time my decision making is not as good as it was.:) The agency is SO expensive and medicare does not cover any of it.Mom has no long term care insurance. We have a woman come in three 24 hour shifts a week.I do the rest.I am determined to keep her in her home as long as possible.
   Hope you find someone/place Sonoma. It is a hard time of life for us and them.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

6. AlkiRagdoll
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   Sonoma -- I re-read my post and some if it was not so clear.
   My father had a long-term care policy and excellent medical in addition to medicare. Unfortunately, his policy holder would not talk to me without my father's authorization after he suffered the stroke and Dad was not in a mental position for me to push it... so I did not know to ask his policy holders what certifications were needed. However, I spend lots of time on the web searching for capabilities in Northeast PA, talking to people, and learned alot. My cousins back there also helped (one being a nurse), as we didnt want to move Dad to a city that he was not familiar (Seattle). I interviewed four companies and visited every care facility in his town. Visiting Angels was clearly a winner if he was to stay in the house. My brother insisted that we not move him to Assisted Living if being at home was a possibility... After 8 months, 6 of which were under Visiting Angels (and 2 trying a slightly cheaper company that just was not as good), I went back to Visting Angels. They never missed a shift (even with snow days/nights). Their owners called me weekly and the primary daytime caregiver and I spoke at least once a day sometimes more if something was needed. I set up a small account ($100) of petty cash, so that they could take hime shopping for food or other needs. They kept meticulous notes about his activities, their observations, and their use of his resources. I really cant say enough. My extended family referred to his caregives as "angels" both because of the name and because of how good they were. Because of the expense, and that his LTC policy would pay for assisted living, after this period he agreed that his estate would be depeleted if he did not agree to go to Assisted Living -- but he was absolutely miserable for the first 45 days. That was the hardest time on me as the primary family member dealing with his situation. He picked the facility after visiting them with me and he picked one where he knew someone else that was there. However, it was really hard for him as he viewed the facility as a place he was going to die. They had 3 levels of care: independent living, closer independent living, and nursing care. He was inbetween idependent and closer -- so he had an apartment, ate meals in their dinning facility, and was checked on a couple of times a day.
   Hope those additional throughs help.... the one that really rubs me is that his LTC insurance did not pay for the Visiting Angels help ... I am absolutely convinced that no one could have better served him then the services they provided... but they didnt meet the LTC policy criteria.... I have also heard many say that the help that they hired (not visiting angels, but other companies) stole from the family or the patient... I was encouraged to remove anyting of value from the home, which being the distance, I was not in a position to do immediately. Ultimately, we lost absolutely nothing... and given the distance away that I am from NE Penn, I was astounded that something didnt get stolen or "broken". Good luck.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

7. Sonoma
   Member Profile

   Thanks so much AlkiRagdoll - quite an experience. I am meeting with a consultant tomorrow.

   Oddreality, if your family member has Alzeimers or dementia, I strongly recommend you contact the local Alzeimers Association. They are very helpful and might be able to guide you. They're in the Queen Anne area.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

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