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Hi Nancy... (Sorry this is so long - I was deep in flashbacks and just let it all out on ya) I live in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles and was forced to spent more time then I EVER thought I would searching for an living home for my mom, who suffered from dementia due to having had couple or three heart attacks or strokes (it was enough that she was regularly seen by her cardiologist and took the drugs, according to her GP who had treated both my parents for over 25 years) I had TWO experiences moving mom - about 5 years apart, as the initial move was to a well run large senior's HOTEL. They rented out single rooms or 2 and 3 room suites, but provided no assisted living. There was an agency on the premises which residents, family, or caregivers could arrange to have by-the-hour assistance at $10 per hour. The assistants were all Philipinas and without exception, were thoughtful and kindly to mom. There was a lovely dining room there, and also a game room and an up-to-date library, They showed movies regularly, and many day trips. The single room and bath plus parking (mom still had her car when she first moved. tho hardly froze it any longer, because we worked with her MD to save her pride, yet get her to understand that in stopping her ability to drive, we were prolly saving some other innocent person (or two or three!) from being hit and killed by her!! As mom's dementia go noticeably worse it was suggested to me that it was time to move her to an assisted living facility and believe me, it wasn't at ALL "hotel-like." It was a very nice place which was 2 minutes from ,my home, so I was able to visit mom daily. I was able to lunch or dinner, or to the mall, or back to my home where Mom and I cooked dinner for two! We BOTH had a great time puttering 'round the kitchen together. The second time we moved mom it was to a 6 resident assisted care home. There was one staff member for every two persons. All residents had dementia EXCEPT for the 2 ladies who were PWPs. While the two PWPs got their meds every 4 hours, day and nite, they were prescribed by a staff MD," who came by every day to see patients. In my opinion, he merely doped the 2 PWP ladies up so they'd keep from going ;round the bend as their PD meds wore off. I sat there and spoke with both PWP ladies and found that each suffered from terrible "offs" several times a day, yet when I spoke with the owner, together with the two attendants about what an "on and off " cycle was and what PD "freezing,": plus other PD symptoms that the "average" (Hahahaha! Like there IS such a critter as "average" PD symptoms!) Parkie might encounter each day. .The home was in a LOVLY neighborhood, near everything and I felt that was important as a caregiver of sorts. If mom had a yen for chocolate ice cream at 10:05 p.m., that I had 12 or 14 hours of access to drop in on mom. and I was accommodated. Also,. was a market access the street from the residence and it only took me a minute to go there and pick up s pint of Haagan Daz Chocolate Ice cream and drop it off at the residence. The whole deed was done in about 10 minutes! By the way. it made a LOT of difference in mom's comfort-level (and MY guilt Level) that mom was permitted to move several pieces of her own furniture in each of the 2 times she moved. Err... when I'd visit her she'd comment (while pointing at her lovely French breadbox which was hung on the living room wall and backlighed just as she'd always had it in her own homes throughout the years. It now hangs in my home and I feel like it's an old childhood friend each time I see it. Mom's connection to her long-time possessions that we moved along with her when she moved elicited one of those painful moments when mom'd point to one or another of her lovely antique furnishings and say, "OH... I used to have a table, chest, whatever JUST like that. Till the day mom died she commented that she "used to have something just like that in her REAL home." Since I'm single and am almost 58 (OHMAGOSH! How did _ I _ get to be THAT old??? <grin>, I have my eye on a stunning home in a gorgeous neighborhood of elegant remodeled homes (there's still plenty of original owners there tho so the neighborhood can accommodate more of these comfortable remodeled homes for board and care homes... much to the neighbor's chagrin. Contraction is almost completed and I can't WAIT to see what's been done with this home in order to accommodate their anticipated residents. I'll report back to the List after the house is open for viewing. Well, m'friends....this has been an unanticipated cathartic experience for me which I hadn't planned on tonight. Thanks for "Listening" Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] . -----Original Message----- From: Nancy O McCaffrey <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2000 7:58 PM Subject: Nursing Homes >To all Listserv Members, > >Can anyone tell me if there are any facilities in the world that have >been developed specifically for the care of people with Parkinson's >Disease or PD+ diseases? >I would like to know if there are nursing homes, extended care facilities >or assisted living facilities of any kind. >If there are any in existence anywhere, I would like to know how they >were planned, if they followed any specific model in the floor plan or if >they had any specific care plan? >If there is such a facility in existence, I would be pleased if someone >could send me any and all information available on how it came about, how >it was planned and if it has been a successful venture. > >Thank you in advance for any information I may receive. > >Nancy McCaffrey CG for Ed 71/dx 63