Long-Term-Care, L-T-C
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
What Families Need to Know
The Good
The emotional weight of deciding on the right care options for your loved one can zap your energy. But there is hope.
Preferred providers in long-term care (LTC) are breaking barriers and raising the bar to provide a variety of services through a caring approach.
These key providers in California have established a new standard by delivering exceptional services and sophisticated environments. Their many resources create a modern atmosphere, delivering the hospitality of a luxury residential community.
Amenities include all-day dining experiences and various opportunities to participate in the activities listed in the marketing collateral.
Reliable providers ensure that their team members are well-trained to help residents achieve their goals. These team members are friendly and readily available to address residents’ requests.
The Bad
Some L-T-C. facilities continue to struggle in the aftermath of the pandemic. In California, while some are making attempts to navigate worker shortages, it has been challenging to employ caring, quality people to work for the wages offered.
With the high cost of living in California, many caregivers work more than one job to make ends meet. Stress is also a major contributor to caregiver turnover.
Many facilities continue to employ staffing agencies. These companies provide essential workers for most shifts daily. Unfortunately, there is no consistency with agency staff. Residents are met with unfamiliar faces, which can lead to challenging situations. The best-recommended practice is to provide a few permanent staff to work alongside the agency employees.
The Ugly
There are ugly truths and deliberate deceptions in long-term care.
- Be cautious of the false promises a community makes to you.
- You cannot trust the information in the marketing collateral.
With such a high turnover in staffing, temporary staff do not have time to promote the facility’s mission, vision, or values.
Each building takes a risk when they select the agency that is going to send staff to work when scheduled staff do not arrive for their shift.
The stress associated with staff shortages has been the most devastating. Unfortunately, many facilities face challenges getting people hired, onboarded, and trained so residents have someone to reach out to for support.
In conclusion, be mindful of the properties you are considering for your loved one.
The State of California Department of Social Services has a website for you to research communities.
Go to this website ccld.ca.gov
This link will take you to the Home page.
On the right side of the page under CCLD Services and Notifications, Click on the title “Find Licensed Care”
Go to the bottom of the page and “Search for a facility”
Under the Search by Facility Group Tab, select the title “Elderly Assisted Living”. Enter only the city you wish to search in the box. (Do not put any other information in the search boxes with this first attempt.)
At the bottom of the page under the Facility Number, select the title “search”.
This will produce an alphabetical list of all the facilities within the city you selected. Select the facility you want to research. And select the “view” link at the end of the line.
Here you will be able to read all the information the state has on the facility. You can see visit reports, complaint reports and the facility compliance standards are met or if they are working with the department to correct substantiated complaints.
There are many resources on the California website. California practices transparency of records in an effort to provide individuals resources to review facilities.
