Revenue and success are obviously tied to admitting new residents in assisted living, especially small scale assisted living. Quality entrepreneurs go out of their way to ensure they admit people who match their ability to care and who can complement their existing residential environment. Question for you now is how broad must your assessment be? Really broad.
You need to assess those in the immediate family who are responsible for overseeing care. Why? Because the wrong family dynamic could easily work against you. As an example there is a need to be cautious with the sibling who tells you he/she does not want his brothers or sisters visiting the parent you are caring for. When this happens its time for you to get into investigative mode and press for the reason. Ask specific questions including:
Have any of your siblings been investigated by law enforcement or Adult Protective Services for abusing your parent? If , when and why?
Is your parent in agreement with this restriction?
Explain that your program is a person-centered one and that if this new resident could be fulfilled by the interactions of other family, you want to ensure this is in place. Appeal to their sense of conscious, but do not be surprised if their sociopathy stands in the way of your getting through. It could be this one sibling has taken on a martyrdom role and convinced themselves no one can render care or supervision of care but them. As a result of this dangerous psychological complex they feed their ego by trying to lock out other family members who have simply less availability than he/she does?
In other cases ego comes in and this sibling needs to feed their own lack of personal value by consuming as much care responsibility as possible to demonstrate their own perceived, “great sacrifice” while not allowing others to share in the responsibility of care. This personality type will lie to perpetuate their delusion.
Before long they will show how they also may wish to control you and will pounce on the least of opportunities to complain or besmirch you.
So go ahead and assess that new prospective resident but be sure and assess the family dynamic as well. The latter could be more of a threat to your peace of mind than anything or anyone else.
What do you think? Please sign-in and share.
Please join the on-line LinkedIn groups where we share on a regular basis.
Small Scale Assisted Living Success Strategies.