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April 30, 2004/Iyar 9 5764, Vol. 56, No. 32
Elderchoice owner inspired by mother
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
When Nanean Fann brought her elderly mother Sylvia Mutch-nik to Arizona from Illinois 16 years ago, she faced a dilemma that many adult children of elderly parents experience. She wanted only the best care for her mother, but she found the wide range of care-giving options daunting.
At first, she acted as primary caregiver, but found it too emotionally and mentally exhausting. Next came the difficult decision to search for a living facility.
"I cried for a week," Fann recalls, "from the guilt and the stress of looking for a place for her to live."
Fann took a job in her mother's first independent-care facility to be close to her and also ensure that she was receiving proper care. Seven years later, when Sylvia's health degenerated and she required a move to an assisted-living facility, Fann began her company, Elderchoice, to help other families dealing with the same difficult issues.
Elderchoice is a placement agency that matches elderly people with the appropriate independent- or assisted-living facility.
"It's a family consulting firm," Fann states. "I take a person's needs and their personality and their pocketbook and find the facility that's appropriate for them. It's almost like being a matchmaker."
Fann says that the most important element of choosing a living facility for an elderly loved one is a factor she calls "care acuity" - namely, that the facility has the staff, resources, activities, medical capabilities and attitude to provide every resident with the level of care they signed up for.
Care acuity also applies to families looking for in-home caregivers, an industry that Fann says she has "intrinsic problems with." She states that it's hard to trust in-home caregivers to fulfill their responsibilities, so family members often become watchdogs. Although the purpose of Elderchoice is to match elderly people with caregiving facilities and not with in-home caregivers, Fann tries to assist families in whatever way she can.
"I like being helpful," she says. "I want to be a community resource."
Fann recommends families ask themselves the following questions before, during and after the search for appropriate care for an elderly relative:
- Who will be impacted by the decision if I choose to care for an elderly relative in my home? Discuss the decision with spouses, children, siblings and even your family doctor - care-giving can have mental and physical repercussions.
- What are the desired effects of care-giving? Does my elderly relative need serious, round-the-clock medical care or less-frequent assistance?
- Determine what kind of care or lifestyle your loved one needs (in-home care, assisted living facility, or independent-living facility).
When considering facilities, ask these questions:
- What is the ratio of caregivers to residents?
- Are each resident's levels of need being met?
- Will your loved one have directed activities or self-guided activities that are appropriate for the level of functioning?
- Is my elderly relative getting adequate care at his living facility? Occasionally, drop in at the facility unannounced. You will see the care as it really is, not as the facility management wishes it to appear.
- Is this really the best course of action for my loved one? Do not accept an opinion from a professional if you are not comfortable with the feedback or diagnosis. Get a second or third opinion.
- How can I make sure the living facility is living up to its obligations? Make yourself a presence in the life of the person who requires care, so the caregivers will know they will be accountable to someone who cares deeply.
- Who knows more about this process than I do? Reach out to more experienced people who have been through a similar situation, such as physicians or friends who have sought care for their parents.
Although Fann's mother passed away in August 2003, Fann continues to help elderly people and their families in memory of her mother.
"It is her legacy of love that guided me to establish Elderchoice, and every time I help a family, I am helping my beloved mother all over again," Fann says. "I'm passing it on."
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