Transcription:

Melanie Cole (Host): Making the decision to help an aging adult move into assisted living can be difficult. People give so much of their time and energy to caring for a loved one with dementia or other age-related issues, that when the time comes for someone else to care for your loved one, it can be painful and emotional. My guest today is Bobbi Skurdrna. She's the Executive Director of Alden Gardens of Waterford Assisted Living Community in the Aurora Naperville area. Bobbi, welcome to the show, I'm so glad you could join us today. Tell the listeners what is assisted living. What does that even mean?

Bobbi Skurdrna (Guest): Assisted living is a place where it's very home-like with all of the amenities of a fine hotel. We're able to provide for seniors who are no longer able to live independently at home and have the safety and security to live their life independently.

Melanie: So people want to stay and live their lives independently, but sometimes that time comes. What are some signs, some red flags that your loved one needs to move into an assisted living community?

Bobbi: Something to watch out for is maybe the mail is piling up. Maybe you're receiving more phone calls because they're becoming lonely and isolated in the home. When you go visit, you see that they are having troubles keeping up with their finances, maybe they're not paying their bills, or maybe they're paying them multiple times because they forgot that they already had.

Melanie: Wow, so we watch out for those signs. When we started thinking about this decision, who is it we bring this up with? Do we talk to our siblings, or do you speak to the loved one that you are considering looking for a place for?

Bobbi: Absolutely, all of the above. It definitely should be a family discussion. So if you see that your parents are starting to fail, or you have some concerns, discuss it with them, discuss it with your siblings. Go on a doctor's appointment with them, discuss it with the physician. Oftentimes it's very hard for family members to address it, but bringing the professional in really can help that transition.

A lot of our residents that we see have great respect for their physicians that they've been going to for years, and so they really value their input.

Melanie: That's really so important, and you're right, by checking with your physicians and all of the above. So once we've started looking about that, how do you find a place that's a good fit for your loved one? What do you look for?

Bobbi: One of the most important things is location. You want to make sure that it's convenient for you to get there as often as you would like no matter what time of the day. The other thing to look for is when you're walking through and you're touring, the interaction with the staff. Do they look happy? The residents that are there, do they look happy? Are they engaged? You really always trust your gut instinct, and when you're walking through, observe those interactions.

Melanie: So now when we're talking about assisted living, different from a nursing home, what's offered at assisted living such as yours?

Bobbi: Like I mentioned earlier, it's a very home-like atmosphere with all the amenities and services you would expect in a fine hotel. So we have concierge services, we can do dry cleaning services, transportation to and from different outings and doctor's appointments, but we also have doctors that come on a regular basis to our location to assist the residents and their healthcare needs. The activities that we have range anywhere from- yesterday we were doing water coloring, next week we have a local author coming out to do a book signing for them. Bridge club, we have the library that comes out. We're the busiest location for the Bookmobile. In addition to that, we provide all three meals. Breakfast is a full menu, lunch and dinner is fine dining restaurant style. Our menu ranges anywhere from a hot dog to a cheeseburger to salmon, a seafood platter, and barbequed ribs. Even on Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve, our chef puts together a filet and lobster tail for the residents to make it really special for them.

Melanie: Wow, that's so cool. Now what about things like alcohol? Are they allowed at assisted living, and when you serve these nice dinners, can residents have a glass of wine?

Bobbi: Absolutely, and we do serve beer and wine at dinner as long as the physician is okay with it. We also have Happy Hour, which is pretty popular, and we do a signature cocktail every month. So last month, our signature cocktail was a Moscow Mule, and this month now that we're into summertime, is Pina Colada.

Melanie: How fun. And now tell us where the residents live. What are the apartments or rooms like?

Bobbi: So we have a variety to choose from, whether it's a studio, one bedroom. We also offer two bedroom, one bath, or two bedroom, two bath. All of the apartments are private, but we could accommodate companion living in a two bedroom suite if that's something that the resident would prefer.

Melanie: And do you have openings now?

Bobbi: Currently, yes we do.

Melanie: And even private rooms as well?

Bobbi: Yes.

Melanie: So now let's speak about the cost of assisted living, because I think that that's a big- you know, really top of mind for many people when they're looking around for a place. Is it covered by insurance or Medicare? How does someone pay for assisted living?

Bobbi: So assisted living is private pay, however, some residents do have long-term care insurance, and we're able to help them process that claim through their company, as well as some residents can apply for aid and attendance through the VA.

Melanie: And then, I mean- I'm going to hold on. I'm going to ask this question. How much does assisted living cost?

Bobbi: It's going to vary depending upon the type of apartment and the services being provided. I always recommend someone that's interested to give me a call and schedule a time to sit down with me one-on-one so that we can discuss what those needs are, and what the cost would look like.

Melanie: And why don't you give your phone number for us, Bobbi?

Bobbi: Sure, the phone number is (630) 851-1880.

Melanie: So now tell us what's included in assisted living. You mentioned the meals, and how nice that they can be, and your room. What about things like laundry, or beauty shop, and that physician visiting every month? Is all of that included or are these extra fees?

Bobbi: Those would be a separate charge for those utilizing those services.

Melanie: And then what would be included?

Bobbi: What would be included is their three meals a day, weekly housekeeping, and laundry services. We also do a monthly wellness visit where we check their full set of vitals, their weight, and report that to their physician. We also do care conferences with the resident and the family to make sure that all of their questions are being answered, all the services that they need are being provided to their liking. We also have a membership to a local gym, the Healthplex, and they have a pool there that all of our residents benefit from by being a resident at Alden Gardens of Waterford.

Melanie: And what about therapies? You mentioned the visiting physician, and the wellness visits, tell us about therapy if somebody needs a physical therapist, or if they've gotten a new hip, or any of these sorts of things. What's available?

Bobbi: Sure, we have services that we can provide whether it be physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. The nurse would work with the physician to make sure that all of those services are being provided whether it's to help them regain their strength, maybe we've seen a change in their condition, and they're not as strong as they used to be, we can implement those services, or just to help them maintain their strength and their level of independence.

Melanie: And then can they keep their doctor? If you've got that visiting doctor, do they still keep their primary care provider that they've had?

Bobbi: Absolutely they can, if that's something they choose to do. Oftentimes, they have that bond with their doctor and they don't want to give that up, and that's fine, they can continue that relationship and work with our nurses. Or as you mentioned, we do have the physicians that come in on a regular monthly basis that are available to them if that would be a convenience for them.

Melanie: What if a resident needs more care than you can provide with the nursing care, or help with activities, of daily living, that sort of thing? What if they need that extra level of care? Then what happens?

Bobbi: Sure, we're very fortunate on the Waterford campus that we offer continuing care. So whether it be we have independent apartments and homes on the campus, as well as My Assisted Living, we also have a secured Memory Care, which is Alden Courts of Waterford, and then we have short-term rehab at Alden at Waterford as well. So we're able to assist them throughout the whole transition on the campus for any services that they may need.

Melanie: So there's always stories, and we hear stories in the media, Bobbi, about assisted living, nursing homes abuse, all of these kinds of things. What do you want the listeners to know when they're choosing that kind of a community?

Bobbi: You know, I think a majority of our family members come to us word of mouth, and I think that says a lot. I've been on the Waterford campus close to eleven years now, and we take great pride in the services that we provide. There's nothing better than someone who's gone through what you're going through when you're out there looking, and to be able to have that firsthand information. In the years that I've been there, I actually have one family that they've been so happy, we've now cared for five family members.

Melanie: Oh cool.

Bobbi: Within our campus setting. So we're very proud of that. Another thing is that we're licensed by Illinois Department of Public Health, and they come in and do annual inspections, and under my leadership there for the past almost eleven years, we've been very fortunate with receiving a two-year license instead of a one-year. So like I said, we're just very proud of that, and that's something that families should look at as well.

Melanie: So what sets Alden Gardens apart from other assisted living communities?

Bobbi: It's my staff. The ladies and gentlemen of Alden Gardens of Waterford, they make the difference in our residents' lives. You can go out to a competitor facility, and they can hang up pretty pictures, and have a clean building, but at the end of the day, you're entrusting your loved one's care in our hands.

Melanie: So true. And how do people find you? How do they learn more about Alden Gardens Assisted Living?

Bobbi: You know, we do advertising like what we're doing now, newspaper ads, we have community events every month, but mainly it's that word of mouth. And anyone interested in learning more about Alden Gardens of Waterford, please give us a call. (630) 851-1880.

Melanie: Is there anything else you'd like to add? Just sort of wrap it up for us in summary, Bobbi, of what you would like the listeners to take away from this segment about assisted living in general and the assisted living community with Alden Network.

Bobbi: I think it's so important to start early. Have the dialogue and communication with family members, your physician. The worst part of my job is when I have a family member come in, and they're in crisis mode. Their loved one is in the hospital, and they're going to be discharged, and they don't know what to do, where to go, and they're making a very critical decision very quickly, and it's very unfortunate.

So I always say start early, it's never too early. Give us a call, come in, we'd love to sit down with you and explain our services and amenities so that you know if there is something that happens, you don't have to be frantic. You'll have peace of mind knowing that Alden Gardens of Waterford is there.

Melanie: Thank you so much. Thank you again for coming in today and sharing your expertise, and what a great topic, assisted living. Thank you so much for joining us today. You're listening to The Alden Network Podcast. For more information on our services, please visit www.TheAldenNetwork.com. Or to hear more podcasts in this series, please visit www.TheAldenNetwork.com/podcast. That's www.TheAldenNetwork.com/podcast. This is Melanie Cole, thanks so much for listening.