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Hi there....my 79 year old mom is ok now , but thinking at some point she might need an assisted living facility.
Oddly,when I do a generic search I am having problems getting independent reviews from residents or their family members. Also, when I try to get pricing I always get routed to "a place for mom" site where they ask for info. I'm dubious.
I'm looking to get info on Ridgefield Crossing in Ridgefield , CT. Looks like they are under the umbrella of Benchmark Senior Living.
Anyone have any info on Ridgefield or any of Benchmarks properties?
Also would really like to get to a site where there are numerous reviews.
Thanks!
When I was looking for assisted living for my folks, none of the places I was interested in had pricing info online. However, to their credit, when I called them, each one had pricing and other info they offered to email me, and all promptly did so. Our initial conversations were short, and naturally there was a plug for their facility, but not an extensive hard sell. Not much available by way of reviews either, but the one that was most practical for our family is in a small town, and we were able to easily find several people who had family members there and told us their experiences. So not much help to you except to let you know it was hard to find online for me too, and that the pricing info can be obtained with a phone call.
Hi there....my 79 year old mom is ok now , but thinking at some point she might need an assisted living facility.
Oddly,when I do a generic search I am having problems getting independent reviews from residents or their family members. Also, when I try to get pricing I always get routed to "a place for mom" site where they ask for info. I'm dubious.
I'm looking to get info on Ridgefield Crossing in Ridgefield , CT. Looks like they are under the umbrella of Benchmark Senior Living.
Anyone have any info on Ridgefield or any of Benchmarks properties?
Also would really like to get to a site where there are numerous reviews.
Thanks!
Pricing may be hard to pin down because most ALFs charge different rates for different clients based on how much daily assistance they need, what meal plan they select, often which unit they choose (different sizes, floorplans, kitchens, views, distance to elevators, etc.). You might get more information on that specific place by calling the state/county senior services agency there. They might be able to steer you to reviews.
I called the place directly and we have a "tour" set up for June 2nd......I'm sure pricing , etc will all be covered then...would have just been nice to get reviews that are NOT from their website, which are obviously all glowing!
I called the place directly and we have a "tour" set up for June 2nd......I'm sure pricing , etc will all be covered then...would have just been nice to get reviews that are NOT from their website, which are obviously all glowing!
Any suggestions on what to ask about?
thank you
I would recommend calling and asking them to email their literature/pricing structure ahead of time. It can be an eye opener, and allows you to think a little bit ahead of time as to what you might need. It also helps you formulate some questions.
Let me tell you, they like to handwave over the pricing details, because the more you ask often the more shocking the numbers become.... Nevermind details like move in fees (can cost thousands for some), add on fees, non-covered expenses, stability of the pricing structure (can they raise the rent a few months after you move in? How has the price increased over the past 5 years?) and more.
I toured a ton of places before I found a home for my mom. They were all very different. At the time, when she was in her early 80s, I thought she would need a place with a "kitchen" even though she no longer remembered how to cook. I thought it would help her view the facility as an "apartment" instead of a "old peoples' home".
The place where I ended up placing my mom was brand new. She didn't see any old people around when she visited, so she felt more comfortable. It didn't have a kitchen and she never missed it, but it was a big space, so we could put in a bed and a sofa so it was more "apartmenty".
Her facility was sold after the first year. It turned out that the original owners were AWFUL but I didin't realize that. The new owners upped the spending per meal 2X and she stopped losing weight. So ask what the average cost/meal is.
Ask what the caregiver/resident ratio is, and what the caregivers' job descriptions include. The first owners had the caregivers doing the cleaning/maintenance as well as resident care. The place was filthy. The new owners hired separate housekeeping staff. The caregivers have more time to attend to the residents and everything is really clean.
Ask if they have a resident doctor on staff or if you need to call your own physician if your mom gets sick. You might prefer it one way or the other. The original owners had a guy who seemed to specialize in Medicare fraud and I'd see bills for all sorts of crazy things and services that she wasn't getting. The new owners fired him and brought in a different doctor.
Some of the places had a set price/month. Some of the places charged extra depending on the care level. If they charge based on care level, you can expect the price to rise dramatically every couple of years, so find out what the different levels are. Some places also make you purchase and bring your own adult diapers. That is a royal pain, so it's better if they will provide them. Some places will purchase pharmaceuticals for you, but others will call you to bring a bottle of aspirin when needed. At my mom's place everyone pays the going monthly rate when they moved it - so it varies based on how long they've been there but not by unit. It's expensive, but it is locked in so it won't increase as the years go by.
Food - find out if they will have only a set menu at every meal or will offer sandwiches or something else if your mom doesn't like the meal that day. Eat a meal there.
Do they go out on "field trips"? Where and how often. How many staff go along with the group? Do they ever go out to a restaurant as a group? Does this cost extra?
If your mom might run out of money some day, do they take Medicaid? Several people have had to move out of my mom's facility as they couldn't afford it any more and they don't take Medicaid. You don't want to have to move her when she is 90.
Do you have to pay for meals if you eat there? The original owners charged $10 for a guest meal but with the new owners you are welcome to eat there whenever you like for free.
Spend as much time as you can and watch the staff interact with the residents. Are they all sitting in the day room in front of the TV? Is the day structured? Are there lots of activities? Do they have holiday parties for the residents' families? Do they have music therapy? Do they bring in entertainers?
How long has the average staff member been working there? At my mom's place the management changes fairly often, but the day-to-day staff has been there many years. Under the original management, there were staff with horrid attitudes. They are gone now.
Do they allow pets? My mom's facility is very big on animal therapy. They have birds, fish, a turtle, a couple of dogs and have had bunnies and cats. If your mom is allergic or doesn't like animals this is good to know.
Is the facility locked? Do residents have access to the outdoors without having to wait for someone to let them out? Is there a comfortable area to enjoy the outdoors?
Do they have religious services if your mom wants them? Which ones? If your mom is not religious will they make her go to services anyway?
Does your mom have memory issues? If yes, you will want to know how they deal with residents who refuse to bathe, sundowning, etc. I visited one place that I loved because their attitude was to "go where the patient was" and tried to set up scenarios that matched where their head was at. (For a woman who worked in a retail store, they set up a "store" for her to fold clothes). I loved it there, but my brother thought the rooms were too small.
Also, don't be afraid to call "A Place for Mom". There are great people there who know the different facilities and can turn you towards something that meets your mom's needs. They get paid a finder's fee by the facility so it doesn't cost you anything.
Sorry this is so long, but I know this is really hard. The most important thing is how does it "feel". Are the residents treated with care and respect? If someone tries to go out the front door how do they stop them?
I called the place directly and we have a "tour" set up for June 2nd......I'm sure pricing , etc will all be covered then...would have just been nice to get reviews that are NOT from their website, which are obviously all glowing!
Any suggestions on what to ask about?
thank you
I've just placed my cousin in a Benchmark facility. Things happened so fast that I didn't have time to check around or do any research. Benchmark was recommended by her geriatric case manager. I did have time to visit their memory care unit in Agawam MA and that's where I ended up sending her.
It's only been maybe a week or two but so far they have been very helpful. They arranged for, and sent movers to her house yesterday, they sent me a list of things to pack for her, they have come to my home to sign the paperwork. When I toured the facility, all the employees seemed really friendly and caring. They seem to be proud of the work they do for the resident.
Due to all the time constraints and pressures, I haven't yet had time to go and visit my cousin to see for myself. I have called and spoken with nurses though.
The cost is $6000 a month but you pay more if you need certain extras. One thing to make certain of is that the place will transition her to Medicaid when her Medicare runs out. Almost everyone ends up on Medicaid after a few years.
I wish I could help you more but this is new to me too. Benchmark seems to be headquartered in Eastern MA but they have facilities in WMass and CT too. So far, so good. Ask about what they have in place for when her Medicare runs out and get to see what the rooms look like. What is the food like? (I had older relatives who moved into assisted living and moved back out because the food was "heath food." I don't know what they wanted, maybe meat and potatoes, but it turned out that no one checked out the food for them in advance.) Maybe you should ask how soon in advance they want payment--I had to get a bridge loan until my cousin's house sells because they wouldn't take her without two month's payment in advance.
I would recommend calling and asking them to email their literature/pricing structure ahead of time. It can be an eye opener, and allows you to think a little bit ahead of time as to what you might need. It also helps you formulate some questions.
Let me tell you, they like to handwave over the pricing details, because the more you ask often the more shocking the numbers become.... Nevermind details like move in fees (can cost thousands for some), add on fees, non-covered expenses, stability of the pricing structure (can they raise the rent a few months after you move in? How has the price increased over the past 5 years?) and more.
Good points.
Some states have government run websites that have ratings for nursing homes, plus lists any complaints/fines/etc. that the government licensing board has on file for them.
My state has a "mini" website that ranks five key areas on a one to five star rating (about two pages per facility), plus a nifty way of comparing three facilities at the same time, and the complete website that has 15 to 20 pages (or more) per facility. The complete website lists in detail every single complaint that was filed against the facility (which can tell you a lot about the place). They don't list prices but everything else about the facility.
I had no problem going through A Place for Mom. I toured multiple facilities for both my mom and my MIL. Asked tons of questions.
One thing to consider is that the elderly don't tend to do well with change, so look to the future and future needs and try to minimize the number of moves. Try to choose a facility that can accommodate less and less mobility, dementia, etc. as her needs increase.
The monthly rental can also be considerably lower if there is an entrance fee or refundable deposit.
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