![]() The state has never forced a facility to remain open, according to DSS spokesman Jalmar De Dios. If they had refused Flaxman’s request, the state would have had to put the home in receivership and run it until a buyer could be found - or force it to stay open. There weren’t many options for DSS, other than closing Hughes, that wouldn’t have been expensive for the state. Hughes cannot close the facility and must continue to provide services and care for its residents until all residents have secured and moved to new housing. Reeves said that Hughes Health & Rehabilitation is required to communicate a closure plan to its patients and their families and work with relevant state agencies during the closing process to guarantee a continuum of care. DSS’ priority is to work with the Long Term Care Ombudsman to ensure that all residents can be placed in suitable housing and that Hughes continues to follow all state regulations and meet residents’ needs while this process moves forward,” DSS Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said in a press release. ![]() “The closure of a skilled nursing facility is never easy, especially for the residents. The Department of Social Services approved Flaxman’s request to close Hughes on Friday, nearly 30 days after it was filed. Painter said some residents have asked her to send a letter to DSS officials asking them not to close Hughes, but that’s not likely to happen. They lose the connection with their peers and the staff that they know and trust,” Painter said. Painter said transfer trauma is a very real problem for elderly residents, who already have gone through leaving their original home to live in a long-term care facility and now must uproot their lives again. She will not get a single room at the new facility, and although she has already met her new roommate, it’s an adjustment that worries her. Her lunch - grilled cheese, pasta salad and hot tea - had just been delivered, and she wanted to finish and get to an afternoon bingo game. “It’s sad enough having to leave and start over at my age.”Īs she sat in her single room at Hughes, one with a mural of a lighthouse painted on the wall that she says reminds her of Cape Cod, Dembowski was apprehensive about moving. “I didn’t want to be the last one left here all by myself,” Dembowski said. She is moving to a nursing facility in Avon before the end of April. ![]() When the shock wore off, Dembowski and her family immediately started looking for a new home. Rosemarie Dembowski plays bingo at Hughes Health & Rehabilitation. When CT Mirror reporters visited Hughes recently, many rooms were piled high with boxes as relatives were helping their loved ones pack up their belongings - the shock and anger of the announcement replaced for some residents by the fear of having to move to a new place so late in their lives. “The consequences of that can be dramatic and harmful, including a five-star nursing facility moving to close and residents essentially being evicted from their long standing home.” ‘ I wanted to die here‘ But if you have a policy that over-relies on home and community-based care for this ever-exploding population, when there’s a known dearth of caregivers, then it’s going to fail,” Barrett said. “We say you shouldn’t over-rely on facility-based care. With creativity, flexibility and problem solving, you'll be able to adapt your daily routine to support these changes.Matthew Barrett, president and CEO of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, said Hughes, a facility with low occupancy but high care ratings, should signal to policymakers that occupancy isn’t the only measure of a nursing home’s value. Make sure to allow for flexibility within your daily routine for spontaneous activities.Īs Alzheimer's disease progresses, the abilities of a person with dementia will change. Regular times for waking up and going to bed (especially helpful if the person with dementia experiences sleep issues or sundowning).Ample time for meals, bathing and dressing.What times of day the person functions best.How the person used to structure his or her day.The person's likes, dislikes, strengths, abilities and interests.Planning activities for a person with dementia works best when you continually explore, experiment and adjust. Structured and pleasant activities can often reduce agitation and improve mood. Remember to make time for yourself, or include the person living with dementia in activities that you enjoy - for example, taking a daily walk.Ī person with Alzheimer's or other progressive dementia will eventually need a caregiver's assistance to organize the day.
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