Our Approach
Regional Focus
Nancy possesses extensive knowledge of elder care choices and adult family homes across the Eastside of King County, Washington. Cities served include: Kennydale, Mercer Island, North Bend, Bellevue, Newcastle, Newport Hills, Factoria, Issaquah, Redmond, Sammamish, Renton, Kent, Maple Valley, East Renton Highlands, Bothell, Carnation, Fairwood, Fall City, and Kirkland.
Step-by-Step Process
1.
Initial
Client Consultation
Calm Harbor Placements initiates the client consultation through phone or in-person discussions with the family, receiving and reviewing all chart material if provided by the current care setting. An in-person visit by the RN to meet the client is also included.
The client and family will be interviewed to learn about their values and desires, discovering what is important. Key questions include:
Do they want a more active living situation?
Are they on Hospice care and perhaps want a quieter setting?
Are they alert and oriented and would have trouble living in a setting where everyone else has dementia?
2.
Assessment Facilitation
Before a client moves into an adult family home, a long-term care nursing assessment is essential, which the prospective home will review to determine care suitability and cost. Calm Harbor Placements will find the RN to conduct this assessment who will charge $400-$600 separately for a typical assessment. Calm Harbor Placements will facilitate the assessment process, providing the chart material and all relevant information needed for its completion.
This assessment includes demographics, contacts, health history, current medical issues and medications, personal choices and preferences in daily life, a review of all body systems and related health issues. A preliminary plan of care is also included to guide the adult family home in providing appropriate care.
3.
Placement recommendations
Placement recommendations are based first on the location desired. Once we establish a location radius, we will zero in on the important things in the care setting.
After location, we need to consider the budget and the future: will the client need to transition to Medicaid?
We will want to ensure that the adult family home is capable of taking care of the client. For example, a person with a tube feeding, insulin- dependent diabetes or a trach, needs a home willing and capable of managing these items.
We will review the DSHS reports and ensure that any deficiencies have been corrected.
4.
PLACEMENT TOURS
Calm Harbor Placements will connect the client’s family with homes which meet the desired criteria in the established ideal location. During the visit, the client/family will meet the adult family home providers and staff, noting how it feels in the home: Is it comfortable? Is it welcoming? Is there assurance that the needed care will be provided?
Calm Harbor Placements can accompany the client on tours of each home and can identify key needs for the client to ensure the home can accommodate the client. For example:
If a client wanders at night, confirm the home has awake staff at night
If a client has insulin-dependent diabetes, confirm the staff is trained to administer insulin
Help identify who the Nurse Delegator is and determine if nurse delegation is covered in the monthly cost or billed separately.
Determine any additional costs beyond the monthly fee. Some homes charge for gloves, diapers, bed pads, etc. while others include these items in the monthly fee.
Inquire if a podiatrist, hair stylist, dental hygienist, home doctor comes to the home, and if so, how often.
Ask about visiting hours
Inquire about the meals and the variety of food options
5.
Family & client education
Calm Harbor Placements will educate the client's family on the regulations that the adult family home must work within, and provide support throughout the process. For example:
All medications must be approved through the doctor; even simple items such as Vicks Vapor Rub, Ben Gay or other topicals, medicated cough drops, and artificial tears eye drops must be documented and approved by an MD.
Any items such as walkers, wheelchairs or specialty mattresses must also be approved for use by the doctor.
If staff are not licensed nurses and a client needs medications administered, they will need nurse delegation. For example, if a client needs eye drops, ear drops, oral meds spooned into the mouth, rectal suppositories or glucose checks and/or insulin, delegation must be in place. Delegation is performed by RNs and there are no standard fees, so it is important to inquire about the nurse delegator’s fee. Delegation is required under state law every 60-90 days to ensure staff are following the correct directions.
The nursing assessment performed prior to the move to the adult family home must be updated annually or sooner if the client has a major change in condition (this is usually done by the nurse delegator).
Calm Harbor Placements will also provide coaching and support regarding the importance of quality of life for the aging senior, seeking to help all involved come to a place of acceptance about medical options.
6.
placement follow-up
Calm Harbor will follow the client after he/she is placed to ensure things are going well or help sort out any challenges. If for any reason the placement does not work out as hoped, Calm Harbor Placements will work very hard to find a different placement, although the goal is to move only once and make it a successful and pleasant situation for all.
About Pricing
Calm Harbor Placements’ services are provided at no charge to the client and client family. Typically, the only expense associated with elder placement services with Calm Harbor Placements is a separate fee for a long term care nursing assessment charged by an independent RN who performs the assessment (this fee averages between $400 - $600). Once a placement is secured, the adult family home will pay Calm Harbor Placements a referral fee.
“Since 2011, I've been a Nurse Delegator and Assessor providing long-term care nursing assessments and delegation in adult family homes in the East King County region. This experience - and my passion for the elderly - uniquely qualifies me to offer expert guidance in senior care placement.”
— Nancy
