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For many aging adults, considering how they will get their needs met as they age is a very important consideration. Even in cultures where familial caregiving is the norm (and aging individuals will be taken care of informally, in a family member’s home, rather than formally, in a public setting such as a nursing home or assisted living), individuals still must decide which family member will take care of them, how they’ll know it’s time to move in, what to do if their level of care becomes more than their family member can handle, etc. For individuals who don’t have an informal caregiving option, long term care choices include decisions about cost, level of care provided, timing, location, etc.

This project will have students investigate the options currently available for an aging individual needing care, through a combination of internet research and phone calls. This assignment is intended to be a learning experience for both instructor and student. While I know the specifics of long term care options in a handful of states, I don’t know specifics for the majority of the US, and certainly am not up to date about options for long term care in other countries. I usually have a handful of distance ed students in other states and countries, and am interested to learn about the cost for long term care in other parts of the country and world. While there is technically no “right” or “wrong” answer being sought here, it is very important to be thorough and detailed with your responses. Also, it’s important to note that some of these topics/questions may not be applicable to those of you doing a search in another country. Students running into this issue should document the responses they receive and move on. Additionally, if it seems that other questions are needing to be asked (for in- or out-of country searches) students are welcome to provide that information as well.

Students who are currently living overseas are welcome to search for and call communities in the US, following the instructions for students in the US. The reasoning behind providing two different options was to give students who are not in the US detailed information on how to complete the assignment; I imagine that calling the states can be a timely and costly undertaking, so I didn’t want students to feel left out if they were unable to make phone calls to the US. Although, there may be language barriers that necessitate students calling the US anyway. Please feel free to choose whichever option works best for your situation and preferences; if you’re running in to issues with this assignment, please let me know ASAP.

In the US:

You will be collecting information for your hypothetical 85 year old grandmother, who currently lives at home alone, but due to a recent decline in her health and ability to care for herself, will need to move into a setting that provides care and other services in the near future. Because this is a made up scenario, you will not have a lot of detail to provide, so you can tell the communities that you contact that you aren’t very close to your grandmother (and therefore don’t know the specifics of her finances or exact medical condition), but have been tasked with starting the process to find her somewhere to live. You’ll want to mention that she’s had a few falls recently and has some general forgetfulness and that your family is worried about her being home alone for extended periods, but that she doesn’t have major physical limitations or advanced dementia.

· Search for “long term care” or “assisted living” or “nursing home” in your city (Prince Georges County, Maryland). You’ll want to record the first 15 results that are provided, and choose the four most appropriate to call. “Most appropriate” is an actual community that provides 24/7 care and services for the aging population; you will probably get results for senior centers, the Department of Health, and placement agencies that will help you find a community, but these aren’t appropriate to contact for information on care and services. You want a community where your grandmother will live, not an organization that will help her on a part time basis, or that will find resources to help you out.

· Click on all of the first 15 links to see what they are. If you’d like, you can search for more than one term (EG, search for both assisted living and nursing home, and provide 7 results from one search and 8 from another). It shouldn’t take too long to decide whether or not the business at that link is an actual community that provides care, or if it is a resource designed to help you find opportunities for care, etc. Please record the information you find at these 15 links on the provided “web results” template.

· Choose the 4 most appropriate communities to contact, and ask them the questions provided on the “community search” template. Please also record the information they provide on that template as well.

· Write a 2-3 paragraph response about your experience with this assignment. What did you learn? What was the experience like? Were you surprised by anything you found? Provide any feedback, thoughts, etc. that you have about looking for long term care for a loved one. Please also upload your templates for your classmates (and me!) to see.

Grading Rubric for Long Term Care Assignment:

Web results template

Community search template

Questions to ask:

1. What type of community is this? Nursing home, assisted living, group home?

2. Do you currently have a wait list? If so, how long is it? Does it cost money to be put on the wait list? What if we decided not to move in?

3. What price range can I expect to pay here for a light level of care for my grandmother? For housekeeping, safety checks, reminders to shower, meals, and minimal help with activities of daily living? Many places will intentionally not answer this question in an attempt to get you to tour or solicit more information from you. If you persist, they will usually give you at least a broad price range that you can expect.

4. What’s included in the price you just quoted? Meals in the dining room? Housekeeping? Personal care? Activities?

5. Do you take any insurance? Medicare? Medicaid?