On Friday I went to Eagle Crest Arbor((preshomes.org), an assisted living with memory care. This place was awesome, outdoor courtyard, thoughtful floorplan for dementia residents, a private dining room to have family dinners, a childcare center next door that visits often, pet therapy, beauty shop and other amenities. The place is six years old, about 7 miles from home and it accepts Medicaid. The unit has three 'houses' with 9 to 15 residents in each and they are all connected. The waiting list is 4-6 months.
Today I went to RiverVillage East(catholiceldercare.org) also an assisted living with memory care, also totally rocked. The amenities here were comparable to Eagle Crest Arbor with the added bonus of a spa, a guest room on campus that can be rented for $50/night(basically a swank hotel room), painting classes and an art gallery that displays the residents' work. They even have art openings with wine and cheese! I told the marketing director that I wanted to move in. The memory care unit has 11 residents and they join the rest of the campus for lunch, dinner and some other activities. The campus is connected to, you guessed it, a catholic church so the residents can walk or wheel to service. RiverVillage East is only two years old and about 6 easy miles from home. There are currently three people on the waiting list.
I have one more place to go on Wednesday, and I've been considering visiting the St. Paul Rakhma home; however, it seems the bigger places are better for mom, more room to roam, less stairs. I've put a couple calls out to find some info. on a decent eldercare attorney. Maybe I just need an informed worker in the health care system that can let me know the details of transferring Medicaid from state to state. The admissions director I met with at The Village at Walker Methodist said that Medicaid transfers with the patient, there's no waiting period or penalty. I'll still have to follow up on the info. but that sounds like good news.
