With the COVID-19 outbreak, life is different.  At Vesta Senior Network, just like many businesses, we are unable to meet directly with the families we serve. However, we are finding that the knowledge and experience we can provide families is even more important during this time. In order to help, we are instead meeting via conference calls. Additionally, we are coordinating virtual tours of assisted living communities and helping families deal with admission guidelines for move-in day. Despite these huge changes, we at Vesta are still treating your families like our own.

The new rules per the COVID-19 outbreak are making the move to assisted living communities less comfortable. Furthermore, these new guidelines make the transition less than ideal.  However, since we are still able to give families the special attention they deserve, we can help them find and select the care their loved ones need.

As always, we stand by our promise to understand each individual’s circumstances and needs. Additionally, we promise to help the family come to the most sustainable decisions that are right for them. This takes time and attention to detail as well as kindness and caring to best explain how options differ and ultimately provide peace of mind.

Meeting the Needs of Individuals 

To help you understand our process, take a look at how we were able to help Melinda find the best care for her dad during this COVID crisis. (We changed the names for privacy reasons)

Melinda’s dad has some mild confusion or dementia stemming from his Parkinson’s disease. He also recently fell and now requires physical assistance in and out of his wheelchair for bathing and toileting.  Melinda is a single working mother. She wanted to find a good assisted living community where he will get the care he needs because soon she will be back to working a lot of hours, as well as continuing to care for her three kids.  

As always, we spent the time with Melinda to learn everything we could about Jerry’s individual circumstances. We also taught Melinda what she needed to know about assisted living in Wisconsin. We took into consideration what Jerry’s care needs are today, what they might be in the future, and how his financial situation will impact his choices. Our team explained to Melinda the importance of making sustainable decisions.

We also talked about the current climate w COVID-19 and how things are different today than usual. How would this affect our search? How would we learn about and consider different communities?

  • Having to do our tours via video conference and facetime
  • There are no visitors during COVID-19. So, when Dad moves in, we would have to drop him off and only communicate by phone and Facetime after that. 
  • Another COVID-19 policy in some communities is 14 days of isolation for a new resident once he moves in. Dad would have to stay in his apartment. But, caregivers would still come in (gowned) to help him and deliver his meals via tray service

Which Assisted Living Solution Was the Best for Jerry?

We identified three assisted living options that would work for Jerry, based on what we learned from Melinda. Our Vesta Elder Care Consultant got on a conference call with Melinda and her sister Allison, who lives in Ohio, to discuss the options and address their concerns. 

  • “What would happen if at some point Dad needed more than one person’s help getting in and out of his wheelchair?” Melinda had been told previously that if he would ever start to need more than one person to help him get in and out of his wheelchair, he would then have to move to a nursing home. This saddened and scared Melinda. Our Vesta Elder Care Consultant reassured Melinda that this was why we asked so many questions about Jerry. Understanding that he does have Parkinson’s and is not a small man, our consultant was showing Melinda and her sister only the options where Jerry could ultimately get a great deal of assistance and stay in his new home. 
  • “Could Dad have a mini-fridge in his apartment so he could keep a few of his favorite beverages (Diet Pepsi) in his room?” 
  • “Could his little dog, Brownie (now becoming Melinda’s dog), come for a visit?” 

These were important questions that again, our consultant took into consideration when finding options that would work for Jerry. They talked through these so the sisters could feel comfortable with how things could be for their dad.  One of the community options had a built in mini-fridge and kitchenette there in the studio, and the other two places were open to the family moving a mini-fridge in.  Jerry’s little dog, Brownie, would be welcome to visit at any of the three options, at least of course, once the family is able to visit again after the COVID restrictions are lifted. 

How Did Vesta Senior Network Help? 

We arranged to take tours via Facetime with the marketing person at each community. This was difficult for the sisters, as they were concerned that they could not get the “feel” of the places or be able to do the “smell test”. They shared that they felt especially grateful for our insight into these places. And they were happy our consultant shared more details and experiences with them. 

After the tours, there were several phone calls discussing the top two options. Eventually Melinda and her sister chose the one they liked the best for their dad. Melinda put a deposit on the room and began getting the paperwork and information to the assisted living.

Making a Plan for Move-in Day to a New Assisted Living Community

As advocates, Vesta was able to work with the family members and the staff at the assisted living community to create a plan for move-in day. For Jerry’s move, it was important that Jerry and the family both understand: the plan was: 

  • Melinda was not going to be able to enter her dad’s new home with him. Hugs goodbye were only at the entrance.
  • The team unloaded Jerry’s furniture at the front door for the maintenance people to move to his room. Melinda got a floor plan from the community and was able to identify exactly how Jerry’s room should look.
  • A caregiver met Jerry at the door, took him to his room, and helped him get comfortable. The caregiver helped make phone calls to his daughters, letting them know he was okay. Jerry was thrilled to find a 6-pack of Diet Pepsi chilling in his new fridge.
  • After he unpacked and settled in, both Jerry’s daughters were able to see his new home via FaceTime.

Melinda has since shared with her Vesta Elder Care Consultant how happy she is that dad is now moved-in, safe, and well-cared for. Melinda commented that she was very pleased hearing how Jerry enjoyed his meals, and was given lots of time and attention during his first day at his new assisted living community. She also told her that she couldn’t have done this without her help. Melinda can’t wait for the day when COVID is behind us and she can take Brownie for a visit to make her dad smile.

How Can I Find out More about Assisted Living Placement?

If you’re looking for assisted living placement services, the advocates at Vesta Senior Network can help. We provide services to your family the way we would provide service to our own. There are many factors to consider when thinking about the best elder care solution for your family. If you need help thinking about potential solutions and pricing, contact our friendly staff today for more information. Together, we can place your loved one into an appropriate senior community to ensure they receive the care they deserve.