A Place for Mom's Family

I have for some time had some serious concerns about my elderly dad's lack of hygiene. He is 91 and suffers from short-term dementia, meaning he doesn't remember that the close he laid on his chair next to his bed he has had on for the last 5 days. He also has trouble shaving. The facility where he lives is several states away from me. For the most part I like this facility. However, I have repeatedly asked that they see that he has clean clothes on every day and that he indeed gets his shower once a week. Despite this, every time I visit I can tell this isn't happening. They always have the same response--"we want them to be as independent as possible." But when someone can't remember, that is useless. Has anyone else faced this issue and what have you done about it?

There are some assisted living facilities that do this. They don't provide quality care for their patients thinking that they can get away with it. This shouldn't be the way to deal with elderly people especially those with conditions like Dementia. If you're not happy with the facility of your father, it's best to look for another one. You can use a nurse navigator, to help you find the perfect facility for your father.

Hello,
   I want to say before selecting any kind of care facility you need to think well with these points:- location, money, staff, approach to the place. In your case you are facing problem, so you have to consult with the lawyer about this and try to talk with the older residents of that place.

The facility's staff should be the one responsible for that. You already gave them instructions, it's their task to do it. One of the reasons you are paying for the facility is for them to ensure that they provide your dad the type of care he requires.

Before my grandfather passed away, we moved him to a facility for his diabetes and Alzheimer. He always complained about the treatments he was receiving was unorthodox, as they neglected to take care of him the way, he should have been. I walked in unannounced and found that he was not receiving his medicine on time, and he had bad burns from staying in bed all the time.