Pleasant Valley Personal Care

Having a private room, bathroom and porch is one of the best things about this assisted living home. The outdoor sitting areas are great. Food is mostly hot dogs, sandwiches, chips, carb-heavy breakfast; lunch is usually the best meal of the day with some variety of meat and vegetables. There is no RN on staff or on call therefore the "elder caregiver" must follow the care plan of the home health or hospice or physician of each resident. Assessment is specifically a function of the RN role and assessing a resident's need for an as needed (not scheduled) medication would be left up to non-medical staff. This could be a problem if the resident who is "aging in place" has decreased consciousness, dementia or becomes increasingly nonverbal. Assisted living community is a great transition between home alone and nursing home. However, a resident at end of life who remains in an assisted living home should have someone continually present to advocate for her when she is not able to adequately express her wishes.

Any assisted living facility is inappropriate for residents with cognitive decline or inability to advocate for themselves. There is no RN on staff or on call. "Elder caregivers" would be assessing and administering medications. This is especially concerning for hospice patients on morphine and other controlled drugs. Some staff, not all, feel "called" to work with the elderly. Focus here is on ability to move independently and eat regular food, not increasingly bedbound or transitioning to softer foods. In any case, the menu is unhealthy; lots of simple carbs with little protein or fresh vegetables or fruit. Outdoor spaces are great. Private room, bathroom and porch are a good compromise between home alone and nursing home with less privacy. Expensive because it's private pay. Even though it's advertised as "age in place" it is not best at end of life.