What to Look for in an Assisted Living Home in Boston, Massachusetts
The first thing you should do when visiting an assisted living home is find out everything that you can about the vital staff members, like the dietician, the nurses, activities director, and most importantly the director. This core group of employees will have the biggest effect on the quality of life for residence in the assisted living home. Find out their experience level, how long they have been working with elderly people, and where they were trained and educated. You should treat this process as if you were an employer interviewing a potential job candidate. You are filling the most important job in the world, the care of your elderly family member who is at a vulnerable sate in their life.
Next, ask for records such as patient surveys that deal with how they feel about the home. A legitimate assisted living home should willingly offer these. As you can imagine, most residents will not hesitate to be truthful on these. You may find out that current and previous residence felt there was not enough activities to keep them active or something small like they don’t like how the eggs are cooked. All that you learn is important no matter how small it may seem. If at all possible read these over with your family member that is going got live in an assisted living facility.
Finally, the last step can be accomplished from your own home. Assisted living homes are regulated by the state. Random inspections are completed at the assisted living home by state employees. They are there to inspect facilities, review patient medical records, and make sure that the assisted living facility is functioning at state standards. Records of these inspections can be requested from your Department of public Health. You will need to write to their Division of Healthcare Regulations and request any information about any assisted living homes you are considering. You will need to request this information under the Freedom of information Act. Local addresses can be found online or in the phone book in the government section, which is usually colored blue.
All of these factors will play into deciding which assisted living home in the Boston area is suited to your individual needs. Below are some local Boston assisted living facilities to help get you started. There are many in the city and surrounding areas, so don’t limit yourself to only the ones provided here.
Boston Center for Independent Living is located dat 95 Berkeley Street, Suite 206, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116. They can be reached at (617) 338-6665.
Zelma Lacey House of Charlestown and Assisted living Community is locate dat 9 West School Street, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129. Charlestown is one mile outside of Boston. They can be reached at (617) 241-0328.
Boston Aging Concerns Mainstay House is located at 258 Main Street, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129. They can be reached at (617) 241-9036.
The Susan S. Bailis Assisted living Community is locate dat 352 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115. They can be reached at (617) 247-1010.
