 | Larry Nanny is the Administrator at Lakewood Senior Living located off of Kellogg Drive on Seville St, between Tyler and Maize Rd. He has a degree in Health Administration, and has been a Nursing Home Administrator for three years. Larry is passionate about helping people. Prior to becoming an Administrator he was a teacher at Wichita Area Technical College where he taught Horticulture. Larry also has served in the Air National Guard and was stationed near Iraq during Desert Storm were he trained arriving troops in chemical weapons warfare. In his spare time Larry likes to spend time with his family, which includes his lovely wife, and their three dogs. Larry is a certified Personal Trainer and an avid fitness enthusiast. He enjoys playing and watching sports, including football, baseball and basketball. Feel free to contact Lakewood Senior Living for assistance if you need more information on our fall prevention program or long-term care, please call (316) 722-6916. |
Senior Living
2007-06-01 09:43:00
Choosing the best care for your loved one
What level of care does my loved one need?
Answer: Choosing the appropriate level of care or service for our loved ones can sometimes be a daunting task. There are so many options available to us these days. Most folks are unaware of what the differences are between Independent Living, Assisted Living and Nursing Home care. Most generally, the difference is the amount or level of care your loved one requires. The goal of all types of care is to keep the resident as independent as they are capable of.
Today’s nursing facilities are designed to care for the young and old alike, both those who expect to recover fully as well as those in need of extended long-term care services. The goal of care in a nursing facility is to help individuals meet their daily physical, social, medical, and psychological needs and return home whenever possible. Nursing facilities provide skilled, 24 hour nursing care services. While not always the case, today’s nursing home patient is very sick, requiring 24 hour supervision and assistance with 4 of 5 activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting and eating. Many nursing facilities service special populations, such as patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, infectious diseases, etc.
Assisted Living facilities are one of the fastest growing segments of long-term care and are an alternative for seniors who need more assistance than is available in a retirement community, but who do not require the heavy medical attention provided in a nursing facility. The philosophy of assisted living is to provide maximum independence in a home-like setting, with individualized assistance when needed. Assisted living communities are not staffed as heavily as a nursing home, as patients in this setting do not require as much care. Typically, assisted living facilities do not take on patients that are incontinent of bowel and bladder.
Independent Living communities require even more independent residents than assisted living. In an Independent Living setting there is no medical care provided. The individual has to be independent with all activities of daily living. The individual also has to be able to manage their own medications, although home health agencies can help with that if necessary. The assistance that is normally provided in this type of setting is maintenance services, housekeeping, meals, activities and an emergency call light. This type of setting gives peace of mind to the families of these residents as they are in a more secure, yet independent environment. Choosing a place where your loved one will be happy and receive the services they require is a very important decision.
