Archive for May, 2008

Recently, I read an article, entitled “10 Things Your Assisted Living Facility Won’t Tell you” listed on the Fox Business website that discusses the disadvantages of assisted living. For some of you that may be currently looking into assisted living facilities, I thought I would post this article.

Here is the URL:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/family-estates/
article/10-things-assistedliving-facility-wont-tell_167068_30.html

Although I think the article has a lot of relevant information, and could be useful to many people, it is key to remember that the article completely focuses on pointing out all the negative aspects of assisted living. I also want to say that I don’t necessarily agree with all the information.

For example, one of the “10 things to remember” is that assisted living facilities stop spending when the beds are full. While, I cannot speak for all facilities, this statement is largely overstated. I do know of several places where this is the case, but I know of more facilities where this is completely untrue.

Largely, I think several other factors should be considered such as:

- Does it provide a high level of quality of care to the residents?
- What type of reputation does the facility have in the community?
- How well did the facility do in recent inspections?

These are all things to think about…

Overall, I thought the article was worth reading and good “food for thought”. Just remember, the article was written in the negative (to point out problems). While it does give you 10 things to remember, what it doesn’t remind you of is the thousands of things that assisted living facilities do right everyday.

For my first “real” entry, I wanted to start off by saying that I am excited to begin this blog. Since I am a newly licensed nursing home administrator (April 2008), I am relatively new to the field of long-term care. I don’t claim to know everything pertaining to this field, but I’m passionate about making a difference. As I gain knowledge, I hope to be fortunate enough to share it with you.

Today I listened to an interesting speaker at our local “Toast and Topics” meeting in Ocala, Florida. One part of his lecture pertained to the importance of having a vision in business. As he pointed out, without a strong vision (specific objectives) of where you are going, it’s hard to meet one’s goals. How could a business meet distinct objectives without planning a way to get there?

For example, if a nursing home administrator wanted to change a hospital-like nursing home to more of a home-like atmosphere, it would take a strong vision to make these changes. Imagine how many people would have to get on board, not only to invest the money, but also to share the same goal. Many of the staff may even disagree with your vision–believing the old way is the “better” way. However, once people begin to share your vision and are willing to make changes, real positive results can be made. Leaving the meeting, I felt energized to begin focusing on my vision. Like he pointed out, without a vision, how do you expect to get where you’re going in life?

To All Nursing Home Residents and Staff: Happy Nursing Home Week!

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