Assisted Living & Adult Family Homes
Olympia WA • Tacoma Wa • Puyallup WA
Nancy Watkins has spent ten years serving seniors and their families, representing assisted living and memory care communities and working with adult family homes and other long-term care providers in Washington. She helped to rewrite Washington’s regulations to better serve its seniors and developed the state’s first Aging and Disability Services Administration-approved training program for managers of memory care and assisted living communities. She knows what to look for and the questions to ask when touring a care setting. And she can tell you who is doing a good job. When developing a list of options for a senior’s care setting, she will include only those settings that have met her high standards for quality care.
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Providing Caregiver Support in Puyallup WA
Finding support for caregivers and other family members in Puyallup is simpler now that you have found Assisted Living Options.
Family members helping care for their senior loved ones can often feel overwhelmed. The individual is now faced with the backwards feeling of taking care of a parent, instead of the other way around. Helping an elderly parent walk or go shopping may become routine, but what about when a parent loses the ability to prepare his or her own meals, recognize danger, or becomes unable to manage personal hygiene? This can feel like a crushing blow… Continue reading
Advance Directives: Helping Your Family Plan
Have you spoken with your family about their end-of-life plans? Do they know your preferences for healthcare management in the event that you become too ill to express your wishes? Although these topics are difficult to consider, they are especially important for family members of advancing age.
Advance directives are plans you create, often with the help of an attorney, listing specific wishes for your care in the event of devastating illness or injury. For example, would you choose to be on life support measures such as a respirator to help you breathe, or feeding through tubes to… Continue reading
Vintage Valentines and Romantic Remembrances
If you are looking for the best living environment for your senior loved one, you may know that Nancy Watkins can provide the help you need to feel confident about your decision. For those of us with parents, grandparents, or other loved ones already residing in an assisted living facility, it can sometimes be difficult to make conversation when we visit or call. We may feel like “small talk” is the safest choice, but it can be wonderful to hear love stories from earlier generations.
If you haven’t heard Aunt Sal tell about the day she… Continue reading
Protecting a Loved One From Fraud
Scams targeting seniors are becoming more common, and yet we only hear of them in the news occasionally. Have you a friend or relative who has been taken advantage of by a scam artist? People of an earlier generation may more likely to become victims of fraud in part because they tend to be more trusting and less willing to say “no” to someone who acts kind towards them. People who live far from family or who may be lonely are also at risk from swindlers looking for an “easy target”.
Concerned that a neighbor or family… Continue reading
Caring For Loved Ones in Winter
The official start of winter is nearly here, and with it comes added concerns for those of us with senior loved ones. As we age, our bodies become more fragile, and a fall can mean the difference between self-sufficiency and having to consider a move into an assisted living facility or adult family home.
Most of us are aware that falling is a significant hazard for our elders, and so we take care to help our loved ones when the sidewalks are frozen with ice or if an entryway is wet. But some of the risks associated with… Continue reading
Helpful information for Caregivers during the holidays
For many caregivers the holiday season gives rise to stress, frustration and even anger, instead of peace and good will. I wanted to share information that was written recently by the Family Caregivers Alliance.
Nancy Watkins, CSA
Caregivers may feel resentful towards other family members who they feel have not offered enough assistance. Managing care for someone who has a cognitive impairment may leave caregivers feeling that they will not be able to participate as fully as they would like in family gatherings. Already feeling overwhelmed with caregiving tasks, stressed-out caregivers may view traditional holiday preparations as more of a… Continue reading
