The season has come for me, and I have had to find a Nursing Home placement for a family member. You might think that after 35 years in the long-term care and the health care industry, this decision would be easy. It is not. Thankfully, my family member had most of the legal items taken care of, including a designated medical and financial power of attorney along with a Will designating where their resources will go upon their death. I know this is a grim topic, but it is so important to address it before it presents as a surprise or becomes so urgent that choices become limited.
Although most of the items were taken care of for my loved one, the choice of placement became urgent as we found the first and second choices were not accepting admissions. I am grateful that we eventually found placement. Still, it is hard to accept that the place chosen was different from where they intended to spend their recuperation time. As I think about this experience, I want to share that this is still an uncertain time for many healthcare facilities recovering from the post-pandemic workforce losses that may limit the choices available. Thinking about these decisions sooner versus later may seem difficult, but it may prevent some challenges in the future. This experience has helped us to ensure that you know about the resources available in our community. We invite you to attend our Senior Living Open House on September 14th from 12:30 – 3:00 PM in our Care Center Chapel area. We have a speaker and a variety of industries that will be on hand to assist you with any planning needs. We will also be providing tours of our Assisted Living and Care Center. For more information, visit our website at www.jmhsmn.org.
We hope to see you there!
Kris Jacobson, LNHA, LALD, MBA
JMHS CEO
