Medical & Personal Care

Before you commit to a move into a Care Haven home, one of our nurses will visit your loved one at his or her current residence. There she’ll conduct a thorough clinical assessment. Scheduling an assessment doesn’t commit you to a move; should you or we decide that Care Haven isn’t the right fit for your loved one, you won’t be charged for the assessment.

Why is a clinical assessment so important? It’s the first step toward planning for the long-term care of your loved one.

• We attempt to identify all of prospective residents’ health issues, both those associated with dementia and those related to other medical conditions.
• We want to be certain we’re prepared to meet the needs of any new resident and the expectations of his or her family.
• We also begin to form a care team, including any physicians, pharmacies or outside health care agencies with which you choose to continue a relationship.

Our staff uses the assessment to develop an individualized health care plan. Among other things, the plan addresses recommendations for

• Diet and medication management
• Continence management
• Physical accommodations to encourage independence, mobility and safety
• Recreational activities to improve physical and mental well-being
• Behavioral modifications to reduce confusion, anxiety and agitation

Once the health care plan is in place, our Nursing Supervisor will act as liaison to all health care professionals involved in your loved one’s care. She’s your primary contact, when you want to discuss health or medication concerns or be updated on any change in health status.

One of our nurses sees residents almost daily and is available for emergency care 24 hours per day. Residents’ families find our nurses to be invaluable resources as they

• Monitor daily changes in each resident’s health
• Manage medications and coordinate treatments
• Clearly explain health care options and outcomes along the way

Most of our residents’ families decide to transfer the medical care of their loved ones to one of the geriatricians who regularly visit each of our homes. These doctors address routine medical needs, examining residents in the comfort of their own rooms – not during stressful trips to an office or the hospital. Between “house calls,” our Nursing Supervisor regularly updates these doctors on the condition of each resident in his care.

You may choose to have your family doctor direct your loved one’s medical care. We can assist with transportation to office visits. Our Nursing Supervisor is happy to notify your doctor of changes in your loved one’s medical status as well as to discuss and coordinate any necessary changes to his or her health care plan.

As every family caregiver knows, managing a senior’s medications can be a complicated job. It’s one of the first tasks our nurses address when our staff develops a resident’s individualized health care plan. Our caregivers dispense prescribed medications according to procedures carefully developed by our nurses. Each of our Care Haven homes is staffed at all times by at least one Certified Medical Aide (CMA), licensed by the State of Kansas to dispense medication as prescribed by a physician. One of our nurses is available round-the-clock should medication concerns arise.

We do more than make sure residents take the right pill at the right time. We see that a licensed pharmacist performs a quarterly review of each resident’s drug regimen. This comprehensive review helps the care team determine whether a resident’s medications are providing the expected benefits or need to be adjusted to prevent potential harmful effects.

Many of our residents require ongoing physical, occupational or speech and language therapy. Others occasionally need lab work, x-rays or other diagnostic testing. Traveling to a strange clinic or hospital can be stressful and confusing for anyone, much less than for someone living with dementia. Whenever possible, we recommend that a resident undergo therapy or testing in the familiar surroundings of his or her Care Haven home. Nearly all residents are able to avoid the move to a skilled nursing facility by supplementing our expert, personal care with the specialized services of various outside health agencies.

Our Nursing Supervisor acts as liaison with the physicians who order these services and with the home health care agencies that perform them. We work with many different outside health agencies and are happy to coordinate services with the provider of your choice.

Problems with the feet may signal the onset of serious medical conditions as we age: arthritis, diabetes, nerve issues and circulatory disorders, among others. Most of our residents benefit from the care of a podiatrist who regularly conducts clinics in our homes. He also makes additional, individual visits as needed. Residents receive treatment in the privacy of their own rooms.

Hospice care provides special services to people who are nearing the end of their lives. The goal of hospice care is to alleviate pain and provide comfort – to ensure a peaceful environment and a dignified death.

Whenever able, we encourage residents to continue to live in familiar surroundings, with the assistance of a local hospice care provider, rather than to move to a hospital or skilled nursing facility at the end of life. Our nurses and caregivers are knowledgeable about the common symptoms and difficulties of advanced Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

• They can help families make the most of their remaining time with a loved one while continuing to provide residents the warmth, kindness and comfort to which they’ve grown accustomed.
• On occasion, our caregivers’ close monitoring may prevent an upsetting crisis and help extend a resident’s days – i.e., by discovering and addressing infections or other serious problems before they become life-threatening.

To receive hospice services, a physician must certify that a resident has a life expectancy of six months or less. We work with many different hospice care providers and are happy to coordinate services with the provider of your choice.

Our Nursing Supervisor liaisons with the physician and an interdisciplinary team of specially trained hospice care providers – which usually includes doctors, outside nurses and aides, social workers, counselors, clergy and/or volunteers. This expanded care team works collaboratively to make each day safer and more comfortable for the resident, who continues to receive the close attention of familiar people in familiar surroundings.