Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Senior Living Home Inquiries
Bellaken Garden & Skilled Nursing Center (Oakland)
(Medi-Cal subsidized)
http://www.bellaken.com/index.html
2/28/2017 Emailed inquiry
House of Psalms, Oakland
(Medi-Cal subsidized)
http://www.houseofpsalms.com/contact.html
Call them
Monday, February 27, 2017
Senior Housing Resources
Senior Housing Resources
Financial Assistance, Costs and Payment Options for Eldercare in Californiahttps://www.payingforseniorcare.com/financial-assistance/california.html
Info on Veterans Housing Aid:
http://www.aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles/guide-to-us-veterans-benefits
Info about Govt. of California's Assisted Living Waiver
http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Pages/AssistedLivingWaiver.aspx
http://www.canhr.org/factsheets/rcfe_fs/html/fs_alw.htm
http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Documents/ListofRCFEfacilities.pdf
My employer offers support for staff seeking elder care for their relatives:
https://uhs.berkeley.edu/bewellatwork/eldercare
I have requested an appointment!
Resistance
Bill called me yesterday to check in.
He reported that a gal named Heather from Visiting Nurses of SB came by to do her 2 hours of assistance, and spent some time assessing what needed doing. She determined that cleaning my dad's floor was the most urgent thing, and I guess she made plans to do that in the future.
Bill expressed antipathy toward Heather's visit and her efforts to help. He said something like, "I don't know what she can do to help. I can't think of anything." To that, I suggested things like cooking him some food, going shopping, taking him out for a walk in the wheel chair...
I know that it takes some creativity and motivation to think of things for someone to do to help, but to practically dismiss the service/support seems short-sighted.
Bill also seemed to be having second thoughts about the Yountville Veteran's Housing that we had talked about. He asked if he could say 'no' if he got admitted, but didn't want to live there. I assured him that yes, he could do that; and, that my plan is to look for other housing options (closer to Oakland/Berkeley) while we are waiting for his VA housing app to be processed, which might take a year.
Over all, Bill seems resistant to change and is confused by the process and options. I think he still doesn't believe that anything needs to happen.
I got off the phone feeling irritated and deflated. This is going to be one long uphill battle.
He reported that a gal named Heather from Visiting Nurses of SB came by to do her 2 hours of assistance, and spent some time assessing what needed doing. She determined that cleaning my dad's floor was the most urgent thing, and I guess she made plans to do that in the future.
Bill expressed antipathy toward Heather's visit and her efforts to help. He said something like, "I don't know what she can do to help. I can't think of anything." To that, I suggested things like cooking him some food, going shopping, taking him out for a walk in the wheel chair...
I know that it takes some creativity and motivation to think of things for someone to do to help, but to practically dismiss the service/support seems short-sighted.
Bill also seemed to be having second thoughts about the Yountville Veteran's Housing that we had talked about. He asked if he could say 'no' if he got admitted, but didn't want to live there. I assured him that yes, he could do that; and, that my plan is to look for other housing options (closer to Oakland/Berkeley) while we are waiting for his VA housing app to be processed, which might take a year.
Over all, Bill seems resistant to change and is confused by the process and options. I think he still doesn't believe that anything needs to happen.
I got off the phone feeling irritated and deflated. This is going to be one long uphill battle.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
It Takes a Village
Since yesterday, I've been busy on the phone to various organizations and agencies, trying to cobble together a list of options for senior living situations that will eventually be shaped into a plan for transitioning Bill out of his place and into a new one.
Here's what I learned:
This is a great relief! I am starting to feel incredibly grateful to all of the state agencies and nonprofits who make it their mission to support the aged and vulnerable!
Here's what I learned:
- "Senior Housing" generally refers to apartment buildings that house seniors. It does not include an "assisted living" component, and most residents of such places are younger and more active than Bill is.
- "Assisted living facilities" tend to be privately run and provide different levels of care. One place I talked to yesterday, which specializes in "memory care," which sounds like a euphemism for Alzheimer's, charges its residents $8,000 per month!
- The Veterans Administration has a number of housing facilities, the best of which is located in Yountville, CA (Napa County). I spoke to a guy named Dick Sutton about the process for applying and the odds of getting in and received lots of information. In summary, you want to get into this place while you can still live independently. Don't throw around any medical jargon (memory problems, etc.), as this will severely decreases your chances of getting in. "Let the medical report and records speak for themselves," advised Dick. I will be sent a copy of the application and it could take up to a year on the waiting list before getting in.
This is a great relief! I am starting to feel incredibly grateful to all of the state agencies and nonprofits who make it their mission to support the aged and vulnerable!
Introducing Bill
I visited my elderly dad, Bill, in Santa Barbara over President's Day weekend; he lives in a loft unit at El Zoco, a low-cost housing community built in the 1980s especially for artist residents who qualify for low-cost housing. (See photo, below.)
Bill has lived in Santa Barbara since the early 1960s. He is 88 years old, twice divorced, and has lived at El Zoco since the late 1980s. I am Bill's only child and have a family of my own in Oakland.
Bill currently lives independently. He suffered a fall a couple of years ago, for which he did not undergo sufficient physical therapy or rehabilitation to regain the full use of his hips and legs. The result is that now he is virtually immobile without the use of a walker to get around. He gets around his studio by scooting in an office chair from computer desk to bed to bathroom to kitchen.
Bill spends most of his time streaming Netflix on his large-screen Macintosh computer (he favors English dramas), playing computer solitaire, and occasionally spending time with friends who come by to visit. He receives regular, light support from Brian, a dear friend who comes by regularly to ensure that Bill has enough food and is otherwise okay.
Professionally, Bill spent most of his adult life being involved in graphic design and typography: from printing, to pioneering photo-typesetting systems, to design and layout, to desktop publishing. He has a keen aesthetic eye and loves beauty in all forms, whether it be found in a flower, an old engraving, a fancy font, or a young woman's face.
During my visit to Santa Barbara, which I make about every three months, it became clear that Bill needed more help than he is currently getting. While he claims that "everything's fine," he could sure benefit from someone coming in more regularly than two or three times a week to bring hot meals, do light cleaning, and help him with personal hygiene.
We discussed the possibility of Bill selling his unit and moving to the Bay Area (East Bay) to live closer to me. He had never been open to this idea in the past -- he always had many excuses for why it was not a good idea -- but this time he said it sounded like a good idea! This is a serious 180 degree turn, and now I am inspired to find a way for Bill to move out of El Zoco and into a senior living situation where he can comfortably spend the rest of his life, and receive appropriate care according to his changing needs.
This blog, then, is intended to be a journal chronicling my efforts to move Bill out of El Zoco and into an assisted living facility in the Bay Area.
I am usually a meticulous writer, but this blog will ignore good style in exchange for information.
Bill has lived in Santa Barbara since the early 1960s. He is 88 years old, twice divorced, and has lived at El Zoco since the late 1980s. I am Bill's only child and have a family of my own in Oakland.
Bill currently lives independently. He suffered a fall a couple of years ago, for which he did not undergo sufficient physical therapy or rehabilitation to regain the full use of his hips and legs. The result is that now he is virtually immobile without the use of a walker to get around. He gets around his studio by scooting in an office chair from computer desk to bed to bathroom to kitchen.
Bill spends most of his time streaming Netflix on his large-screen Macintosh computer (he favors English dramas), playing computer solitaire, and occasionally spending time with friends who come by to visit. He receives regular, light support from Brian, a dear friend who comes by regularly to ensure that Bill has enough food and is otherwise okay.
Professionally, Bill spent most of his adult life being involved in graphic design and typography: from printing, to pioneering photo-typesetting systems, to design and layout, to desktop publishing. He has a keen aesthetic eye and loves beauty in all forms, whether it be found in a flower, an old engraving, a fancy font, or a young woman's face.
During my visit to Santa Barbara, which I make about every three months, it became clear that Bill needed more help than he is currently getting. While he claims that "everything's fine," he could sure benefit from someone coming in more regularly than two or three times a week to bring hot meals, do light cleaning, and help him with personal hygiene.
We discussed the possibility of Bill selling his unit and moving to the Bay Area (East Bay) to live closer to me. He had never been open to this idea in the past -- he always had many excuses for why it was not a good idea -- but this time he said it sounded like a good idea! This is a serious 180 degree turn, and now I am inspired to find a way for Bill to move out of El Zoco and into a senior living situation where he can comfortably spend the rest of his life, and receive appropriate care according to his changing needs.
This blog, then, is intended to be a journal chronicling my efforts to move Bill out of El Zoco and into an assisted living facility in the Bay Area.
I am usually a meticulous writer, but this blog will ignore good style in exchange for information.
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