Tick, tock ... but with hope

I went 'shopping' for places for Mom.

I chopped a lot of places off the list due to bad reputation, or low scores from Medicare site.

I found one, a nursing home, that used to be called the 'county nursing home' - but it is well-organized, pleasant.  Her room would be about the same size as her present one, also a semi-private.  But they seem to be better organized, more caring, more individualized.  They have 'neighborhoods' that are managed independently - she would eat with the same small group, be cared for by the same group of staff.  I learned that they pay their staff higher than other places, resulting in being able to keep the best people.  Plus, it's cheaper by a bit.

Then I hit pay dirt.

I know a hospice nurse who told me she has several clients in another place she likes - but it's at the assisted living level rather than a full nursing home. But she said that this place 'goes the extra mile' in helping with ADL's - activities of daily living. They would help her with her almost complete incontinence.  They would wheel her to her meals, if she felt too weak.  They give showers.  They have delicious meals.  They have homey pictures of residents around. They are in a wooded area in the midst of suburbs, but it feels peaceful and like country.

This is where the hospice nurse would go if she needed it.

Plus, she would have her own apartment - a separate living area (with kitchenette), a bedroom, a large bathroom, closets.  Not a glorified hospital room (as in nursing homes).

Plus, it costs less than her former assisted living home (by more than $1,000/month), and almost half the nursing homes.

The downside is that it's farther for me to drive, but it's do-able.  And, if her health worsens, she may eventually need nursing home care (though she is on hospice and has end-of-life wishes to not receive extraordinary measures, so maybe she could just stay there - may depend on regulations).

And they have a room coming available in the next weeks.

Now we just wait for them to come assess her to make sure they can accept her, then wait for the room to open up. But I'm so ... content ... that she'll have a place to call home, where she feels safe and cared for. My heart is light for the first time in weeks.

Tick tock, tick tock.