Re: Caring for LO in Ontario, Canada. Need advice.

[Guest guest]

Hi Shomy - don't know the answers to your requests... but wanted to

point out that there is a LBD Local Support Group in Toronto,

Ontario - so my bet is that there will be members in that group who

can help your sister w/ these questions - here's the link about the

support group:

Canada, Ontario, Toronto

Second Wednesday of each month 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Alzheimer

Society of Toronto, 2323 Yonge Street, Suite 500, Toronto. Family

members of those diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Kivell,

, ext. 231. Click link to get email.

http://www.alzheimertoronto.org/sg_Family.htm

http://www.lbda.org/category/4185/local-support-groups.htm

>

> Hello Everyone,

> We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia floor

> of a private retirement home.

> We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to find

> other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> homes), etc...

> We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this

through our lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

> Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> for the nursing homes?

> And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone had a LO in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate

hearing their experiences, good or bad.

> I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really need to know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent

alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> find on this forum.

> Shomy.

>

[Guest guest]

Also Shomy - we have a document that lists a number of the caregivers

from this board - and I see that there were 4-5 on the list in

Toronto, Canada. I'm sure Courage will respond to this email - but

you may be interested in emailing those on the LBD Caregiver Locator

list b/c they can help too. (This list is always being updated - if

anyone is interested in being on this list, send me a personal email)

The list is here... go to:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LBDcaregivers/files/

and go into the folder marked:

LBD Caregiver Locations

List of caregivers from this board and their locations

>

> Hello Everyone,

> We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia floor

> of a private retirement home.

> We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to find

> other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> homes), etc...

> We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this

through our lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

> Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> for the nursing homes?

> And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone had a LO in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate

hearing their experiences, good or bad.

> I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really need to know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent

alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> find on this forum.

> Shomy.

>

[Guest guest]

. and Shomy,

One of the problems with this support group is that people are finding they

can't get in as there is a " waiting list. " I discussed this with the Ronnie

from the LBDA.

This would discourage many who can't " wait " with needing to participate.

So I would caution not to get to many hopes up about this program in Toronto.

I do think that Courage is planning on a get together soon for a meeting and she

will let Shomy know about it.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: Caring for LO in Ontario, Canada. Need advice.

Hi Shomy - don't know the answers to your requests... but wanted to

point out that there is a LBD Local Support Group in Toronto,

Ontario - so my bet is that there will be members in that group who

can help your sister w/ these questions - here's the link about the

support group:

Canada, Ontario, Toronto

Second Wednesday of each month 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Alzheimer

Society of Toronto, 2323 Yonge Street, Suite 500, Toronto. Family

members of those diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Kivell,

, ext. 231. Click link to get email.

http://www.alzheimertoronto.org/sg_Family.htm

http://www.lbda.org/category/4185/local-support-groups.htm

>

> Hello Everyone,

> We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia floor

> of a private retirement home.

> We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to find

> other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> homes), etc...

> We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this

through our lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

> Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> for the nursing homes?

> And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone had a LO in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate

hearing their experiences, good or bad.

> I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really need to know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent

alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> find on this forum.

> Shomy.

>

[Guest guest]

Really?! That's weird... A waiting list to join a support group?

YIKES! Never heard of such a thing... Looks like they could use a 2nd

one in the area then... LOL

>

> . and Shomy,

>

> One of the problems with this support group is that people are

finding they can't get in as there is a " waiting list. " I discussed

this with the Ronnie from the LBDA.

>

> This would discourage many who can't " wait " with needing to

participate.

>

> So I would caution not to get to many hopes up about this program

in Toronto.

>

>

> I do think that Courage is planning on a get together soon for a

meeting and she will let Shomy know about it.

>

> Hugs,

>

> Donna R

>

> Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years

and 4th year in a nh.

> She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

[Guest guest]

Shomy,

I am not from Canada, (I am sure you will get responses from those who are) but

I would be curious about how you chose the " best " nh? We do have a link

( can you get it for her) that will help you decided what is " best " for

your Dad. What you will need to do is go check out the ones you have chosen and

see what is happening there. What is " best " for your Dad, might not be the same

as anyone else.

For instance, I really wanted a smaller place for Mom. I did make the mistake

of not checking it out early enough and have a place ready as you are doing. So

checking early is better. Getting feedback from those who have a LO in the one

you want is another good thing. And " pretty " is not nearly as important as

" happy help. " Those who are happy seems to take better care of those in their

charge.

While there are some horror stories about some nhs, the one thing anyone must

know is that you will still need someone to oversee him at any nh. Mostly our

LOs can't tell people what they need. So someone needs to keep an eye on what

any nh is doing.

I think some of the problem is there is never enough help for those who have

dementia. Then for the help they have, they don't always have the training to

care for LBD people. So even if you put your LO there, someone needs to oversee

their care.

Hope this helps in your decision. Mostly the bottom line is that unless you

have enough money and people to do it at home , you will likely eventually need

help.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Caring for LO in Ontario, Canada. Need advice.

Hello Everyone,

We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia floor

of a private retirement home.

We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to find

other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

homes), etc...

We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this through our

lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

for the nursing homes?

And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has anyone had a LO

in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate hearing their experiences, good

or bad.

I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I really need to

know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent alternative for Dad when his turn

comes up.

Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

find on this forum.

Shomy.

[Guest guest]

I was wondering why those who get together never went to that support group.

Apparently the AD support group can only give up one group leader. The LBDA

haven't found anyone yet who can do a support group there.

Courage is having a meeting this fall I think. I am not sure who all else is up

there. has moved. And I think we haven't heard from a few others as

their LO has passed on. I should go check the picture and see who is in it. We

do have a photo of one of their meetings.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: Caring for LO in Ontario, Canada. Need advice.

Really?! That's weird... A waiting list to join a support group?

YIKES! Never heard of such a thing... Looks like they could use a 2nd

one in the area then... LOL

>

> . and Shomy,

>

> One of the problems with this support group is that people are

finding they can't get in as there is a " waiting list. " I discussed

this with the Ronnie from the LBDA.

>

> This would discourage many who can't " wait " with needing to

participate.

>

> So I would caution not to get to many hopes up about this program

in Toronto.

>

>

> I do think that Courage is planning on a get together soon for a

meeting and she will let Shomy know about it.

>

> Hugs,

>

> Donna R

>

> Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years

and 4th year in a nh.

> She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

[Guest guest]

Dear Donna,

Thanks a lot for writing back and for your insights.

In Ontario, Canada, the Long Term Care facilities are supervised and

funded by the government which conducts regular inspections and post

the inspections results and any sanctions or complaints regularly on

the web site so that the consumers can see for themselves the level

of performance at the various NH's. There are over 400 standards and

criteria that must be met during these inspections and all cases of

non-compliance are reported publicly on the web site.

We can choose up to 3 NH's and we are then put on the waiting lists

for these facilities. We looked up all the NH's in our geographical

area and picked the ones with the best inspection records. Then we

went and visited most of them and if we could, spoke with the

residents and their visiting families. Through this process, we

picked the 3 that seemed best to us.

Currently Dad is in a private retirement home with tremendous costs

which go up every month. My sister is single and alone and works full-

time and I don't think taking care of Dad at her home would be

feasible. I figure, if his turn comes up for a decent NH, it will

cost us less than half of what we are paying now, and we would then

be able to afford a caregiver who will go in at least during the days

and see to his every need, one on one. I believe the level of

professional nursing and medical care at the NH's are superior to the

retirement homes. It's just that sometimes you hear such horror

stories of the elderly being neglected and abandoned at these places,

that it makes me want to be extra careful.

Your advice really helps. Thank you.

Shomy

>

> Shomy,

>

> I am not from Canada, (I am sure you will get responses from those

who are) but I would be curious about how you chose the " best " nh?

We do have a link ( can you get it for her) that will help

you decided what is " best " for your Dad. What you will need to do is

go check out the ones you have chosen and see what is happening

there. What is " best " for your Dad, might not be the same as anyone

else.

>

> For instance, I really wanted a smaller place for Mom. I did make

the mistake of not checking it out early enough and have a place

ready as you are doing. So checking early is better. Getting

feedback from those who have a LO in the one you want is another good

thing. And " pretty " is not nearly as important as " happy help. "

Those who are happy seems to take better care of those in their

charge.

>

> While there are some horror stories about some nhs, the one thing

anyone must know is that you will still need someone to oversee him

at any nh. Mostly our LOs can't tell people what they need. So

someone needs to keep an eye on what any nh is doing.

>

> I think some of the problem is there is never enough help for those

who have dementia. Then for the help they have, they don't always

have the training to care for LBD people. So even if you put your LO

there, someone needs to oversee their care.

>

> Hope this helps in your decision. Mostly the bottom line is that

unless you have enough money and people to do it at home , you will

likely eventually need help.

>

> Hugs,

>

> Donna R

>

> Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years

and 4th year in a nh.

> She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

>

>

> Caring for LO in Ontario, Canada. Need

advice.

>

> Hello Everyone,

> We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia

floor

> of a private retirement home.

> We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to

find

> other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> homes), etc...

> We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this

through our lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

> Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> for the nursing homes?

> And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone had a LO in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate

hearing their experiences, good or bad.

> I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really need to know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent

alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> find on this forum.

> Shomy.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Courage,

So good to hear from a fellow Torontonian! Thank you for responding.

To bring you quickly up to speed regarding our situation:

Dad was diagnosed last September with LBD but now with hindsight, we

figure his initial symptoms showed up at least 2-3 years ago. He was

living on his own in his condo in North York but we realized that he

could no longer take care of his daily living activities and we moved

him to a retirement home.

In his current retirement home, he was initially on an assisted

living floor and was very happy. But two months ago, the director

came up with a list of reasons why he should move up to the dementia

floor and the very next day they moved him. I don't want to get into

the details but we are pretty sure it was only because they needed

the room on the AL floor and also because the dementia floor is a lot

more expensive. His cognitive neurologist has condemned this decision

because she does not feel that he needs to be on the dementia floor

just yet. He has never attempted to leave the building and is in no

danger of wandering outside. He is cognitively much higher

functioning than the other residents on dementia floor and he finds

it like a prison: he regularly calls my sister and tells her: I feel

as if I'm in jail.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we have to either get the

retirement home to be more reasonable, or find him another facility

soon. Meanwhile, we are on the CCAC waiting list for the following 3

NH's: Elginwood (Richmond Hill), Leisureworld (Richmond Hill) and

Baycrest (Toronto). God only knows when his turn will come up.

And if and when his turn does come up, I still have to convince my

sister who has read the recent much-publicized media circus regarding

the horrors of the nursing homes and she is adamant that Dad must

never be subjected to a NH. But she is also very dissatisfied with

his retirement home even though it is top of the line and very fancy

and horribly expensive. She says we are paying all this money and Dad

is being held captive on a locked floor with residents who are much

much more severely impaired and he cannot even enjoy the beautiful

gardens and lobby and library on the AL floors and is deprived of

most of the activities and outings. The dementia floor stinks of

urine (and worse) because everybody is incontinent. Our Dad is

perfectly continent and dresses himself, feeds himself beautifully

and even does his own laundry sometimes. It is so unfair to put him

on this floor. But it's a private home and no one an interfere with

their decisions.

I know for sure that there are awful NH's but I think we have been

very careful to choose the right ones: we looked up on the CCAC

reports and chose the ones with the least number of unmet standards

and then we visited a lot of them and spoke to the residents and

their familites as much as we could and finally picked the first

two. We also chose Baycrest becasue everyone says that it is THE

leading facility for geriatric care.

I looked up Kensington Gardens which you had suggested. Looks great

but it is very far from my Sister who lives way up in Richmond Hill.

You see, I live most of the year in Italy but come to visit about 3-4

times a year. So my sister is the one who has to actually look after

Dad.

I will be in Toronto from August 1st, for a whole month. Would love

to get together with you and maybe others from a support group. I

will encourage my sister to also attend.

In the meanwhile, I would love to hear your comments and insight.

Thank you.

Shomy.

>

> Hi Shomy,

>

> Welcome to the group from a fellow Torontonian!

>

> We cared for mom at home for as long as we could and then mom went

into care about 4-5 years ago. There are some nice NH out there and

some awful ones to be sure.

>

> Where have you applied? My mom is currently living at Kensington

Gardens and I can't say enough good things about the place. Everyone

gets their own room whether you are on basic or private and the

number of residents to staff ratio is smaller than in most places.

The staff are very nice and helpful, the food is very good and they

do have a lot of activities which is great for residents who are able

to partake of them.

>

> I'd be happy to answer any of your and your sister's questions.

You can either ask here at the group or you can email me personally.

I'd also be happy to meet with you both if you like. I'm hoping to

have a coffee/cake get-together in September.

> Best,

> Courage

>

> Caring for LO in Ontario, Canada. Need

advice.

>

>

> Hello Everyone,

> We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who

was

> diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia

floor

> of a private retirement home.

> We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to

find

> other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences

with

> local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> homes), etc...

> We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done

this through our lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

> Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's

turn

> for the nursing homes?

> And even more important: What is the real condition of the

nursing

> homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone had a LO in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate

hearing their experiences, good or bad.

> I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really need to know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent

alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I

always

> find on this forum.

> Shomy.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Shomy,

I recently moved to BC but lived in Oakville and was front line for my mom with

PDD in

Kitchener for 13 years. Again, looking back, her symptoms went on much longer,

but

surgery at age 79 brought out the tremor leading to the Parkinsons diagnosis and

it was

downhill from there. Lewy Body wasn't even mentioned until getting her into our

#1 nh

years after it should have been diagnosed.

Mom's first move when her independent apartment living proved unsafe for her was

to a

privately run retirement home. Their criteria for need to move to nh was when

the level of

care she needed, such as activities of daily living, toileting, getting to and

from the dining

room exceeded the assist hours they allotted their residents. Through CCAC we

accessed

aides to go in twice a day to help with morning and bedtime care, dressing,

undressing for

free to supplement the retirement home care. By the time she needed to move on

she

needed a 2 person assist which the retirement home also was not staffed for. It

sounds to

me that the retirement home your dad is in has moved him on all too soon. I'm

sorry to

hear that.

At the time the retirement home felt they could no longer meet Mom's needs, she

" crashed " from what I think had become too much Sinemet for the Parkinsons.

They sent

her to hospital because none of our 3 first nh choices had rooms open. At that

time she

needed to be fed, became wheelchair bound, needed total care. She waited in

hospital for

6 weeks until any nh room became open and had to be sent there. It was not a

choice we

would have made for her, kept her on the list for our #1 spot for 9 more months

until she

got in. She had been in 1 of the Central Park Lodge chains, #1 is a privately

owned and

operated nh where the care as so much more personal, " caring " . When she was

dying 4

1/2 years later the staff were as upset as family. They made it apparent that

they get as

connected with family as with the resident and grieve every death that way. I

know there

are personalities wherever you go, but the expectation of care comes from the

top and

filters down, wherever you choose. Some feel that the privately run homes are

money

grabbers, but it depends on the owner I guess. That certainly wasn't our

opinion.

It seems to me that thought her mom was well taken care of at Breton House

I think

it was. , are you still out there?

I don't know if any of this helps but has brought back many positive memories of

where

Mom last resided as we lead into the month of her 2 year anniversary.

Good luck Shomy.

Gibsons BC

Mother died Aug. 12, 2006 at age 92 after a 13 year decline from PDD.

>

> Hello Everyone,

> We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia floor

> of a private retirement home.

> We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to find

> other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> homes), etc...

> We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this through

our lock

CCAC (Community care access centre).

> Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> for the nursing homes?

> And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has anyone had a LO

in a

nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate hearing their experiences, good or

bad.

> I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I really need to

know if the

LTC homes are a dignified, decent alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> find on this forum.

> Shomy.

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thank you for writing back. Very encouraging to know that at least

some people have had good experiences with NH's in Ontario.

I think it is important that my sister and I keep an open mind and

judge every facility on its own merits. All the 3 NH's we have chosen

are private companies, so your account is very encouraging.

For now, since Dad is nowhere near getting to the top of the waiting

list for his NH's, I think my immediate course of action is to either

get the current retirement home to cooperate more and get their act

together fast, or move Dad to yet another retirement home.

It was wonderful to get in contact with you and I hope to read from

you soon again on this forum.

Thanks again,

Shomy.

> >

> > Hello Everyone,

> > We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> > diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia

floor

> > of a private retirement home.

> > We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to

find

> > other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> > local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> > homes), etc...

> > We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> > homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done

this through our lock

> CCAC (Community care access centre).

> > Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> > for the nursing homes?

> > And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> > homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> > and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone had a LO in a

> nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate hearing their

experiences, good or bad.

> > I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> > Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really need to know if the

> LTC homes are a dignified, decent alternative for Dad when his turn

comes up.

> > Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> > find on this forum.

> > Shomy.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I also want to add that around the time Mom needed placement, more and more nhs

were

being built so I would hope the current wait time is much less than it was.

Personally I

would not want to see your dad at his level of functioning ending up in a

nursing home,

rather an assisted living facility, the current retirement home with assistance

the nh deems

he needs possibly through CCAC, or another retirement home, to keep him as

stimulated

cognitively and physically as possible.

> >

> > Hello Everyone,

> > We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> > diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia floor

> > of a private retirement home.

> > We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to find

> > other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> > local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> > homes), etc...

> > We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> > homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done this through

our lock

> CCAC (Community care access centre).

> > Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> > for the nursing homes?

> > And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> > homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> > and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has anyone had a

LO in a

> nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate hearing their experiences, good or

bad.

> > I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> > Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I really need to

know if the

> LTC homes are a dignified, decent alternative for Dad when his turn comes up.

> > Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> > find on this forum.

> > Shomy.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Doris,

Wonderful to hear from you, a fellow Ontarian. My Dad's retirement

home is in Richmond Hill (in the GTA area) and my sister lives very

close by.

We have put his name on the waiting list in January 2008 for the 3

NH's thru the CCAC. So we think we still have a very long wait, at

least another year.

The 3 NH's we have chosen are: Elginwood (Richmond Hill),

Leisureworld (Richmond Hill) and Baycrest (Richmond Hill). We have

visited the first two and they look great. We also chose Baycrest

because everybody says that they are the leading edge on geriatric

care and research, but we have never actually visited Baycrest. He

will never get into Baycrest anyway, because it is the one with the

longest waiting list.

The reason I am enquiring about NH's is just so that we have his

future care covered as well. As I said, my sister has ruled them out

becasue of the horror stories that have come out in the papers. I

personally think that when the right time comes (as his dementia

progresses), they are the best choices for his proper care.

For now, our battle continues with his retirement home and their

absurd decision to put him on the locked dementia floor, totally

unjustified and unreasonable and completely against the wishes of his

cognitive neurologist.

I will be in Toronto from August 1st for a whole month and I am going

to definitely contact the support group for LBD caregivers and maybe

they will let me participate just as a visitor. I will also tell my

sister about the group as well.

Thank you Doris for responding to my message. I hope to hear back

from you soon.

Shomy

> >

> > Hello Everyone,

> > We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who was

> > diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia

floor

> > of a private retirement home.

> > We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to

find

> > other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences with

> > local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC nuring

> > homes), etc...

> > We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best nursing

> > homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done

this

> through our lock CCAC (Community care access centre).

> > Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's turn

> > for the nursing homes?

> > And even more important: What is the real condition of the nursing

> > homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about them

> > and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

anyone

> had a LO in a nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate hearing

their

> experiences, good or bad.

> > I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live in

> > Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

really

> need to know if the LTC homes are a dignified, decent alternative

for

> Dad when his turn comes up.

> > Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I always

> > find on this forum.

> > Shomy.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Shomy, I feel so badly for your dad, would certainly be putting up an argument

in his

behalf to the nh. Personally I would call a care conference to discuss all your

concerns

about his care plan and insist that his placement is not in his best interest.

I am not one

to make waves, but I think this case needs a tidal wave to get your dad the kind

of lifestyle

he needs if he stays in that facility. To me it sounds like he is still

retirement living vs ALF

who also tend to be locked in. The retirement home needs to qualify his

placement in the

dementia unit. Admittance to a facility usually is followed up very quickly

with a personal

care conference so you are in your right to ask for one. It should include a

representative

from all aspects of the facility, dietary, OT, PT, nursing care, recreation.

Each explains

their care plan for your dad and you express your concerns, appreciations. This

makes

family part of the team and a total care plan should be put into place. I would

think this

the arena to insist his placement is not in his best interest and to move him

back to

retirement living unless they have specific reasons for not doing so. You can

go in with as

many family, friends to back you as needed. I'm wondering if what you are

seeing is

showtime and they live with a less capable individual. Just trying to give them

the benefit

of the doubt. This hopefully could all come out in a care conference.

Difficult times, I know. Been there.

> > > >

> > > > Hello Everyone,

> > > > We are two sisters caring for our beloved Dad (84 yrs old) who

> was

> > > > diagnosed with LBD last year and is now living on the dementia

> floor

> > > > of a private retirement home.

> > > > We are from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and I desperately need to

> find

> > > > other Canadians on this forum who can share their experiences

> with

> > > > local retirement homes, the long term care facilities (LTC

> nuring

> > > > homes), etc...

> > > > We have put Dad's name on the waiting list for the 3 best

> nursing

> > > > homes we could find in the Greater Toronto Area. We have done

> this through our lock

> > > CCAC (Community care access centre).

> > > > Can the CCAC help us in any other way while we wait for Dad's

> turn

> > > > for the nursing homes?

> > > > And even more important: What is the real condition of the

> nursing

> > > > homes (LTC's)? My sister has heard some horror stories about

> them

> > > > and she is just dead set against sending Dad to them ever. Has

> anyone had a LO in a

> > > nursing home in Ontario? I would appreciate hearing their

> experiences, good or bad.

> > > > I can't be much help to my sister because most the year I live

> in

> > > > Italy and go home to Toronto about 3 to 4 times a year. So I

> really need to know if the

> > > LTC homes are a dignified, decent alternative for Dad when his

> turn comes up.

> > > > Thank you for all the love, support and great advice that I

> always

> > > > find on this forum.

> > > > Shomy.

> > > >

> > >

> >

>