Can You Advocate on Your Mother’s Behalf When She’s in Assisted Living?

January 2, 2018 by ·

To advocate for somebody is to speak up on their behalf. There are many people all across the country who have difficulty advocating for themselves and rely on family, friends, and even others for support and assistance. When somebody moves into an assisted living facility, they have chosen a comfortable environment that provides a great deal of support when needed.

Assisted Living in Spanish Fort AL: Advocating for Mom

Assisted Living in Spanish Fort AL: Advocating for Mom

Sometimes, though, seniors do need advocates.

Your mother might be in that type of situation right now. She may have chosen an assisted living facility in her own neighborhood because she knew some other friends were living there. Perhaps you wanted her to consider moving closer to you so you could check on her more frequently, but you respect her decision. After all, the longer people live in a particular community, the more entrenched they become and it’s also that much more difficult to uproot and start over somewhere else.

Your mother, though, has a lot of questions.

You went on a tour of the facility with her. You were both impressed by the rooms, the support that staff offered, the dining facility, entertainment, activities, transportation options, and so much more. You didn’t ask a lot of questions then, but now that your mother has spent a few weeks there, she has questions that can be disguised as concerns.

She feels that no one is advocating for her.

Maybe she’s complaining about the menu options down in the restaurant. Perhaps she doesn’t know much about the activities that take place daily. She might be extremely shy and have a difficult time speaking up and asking questions.

The longer she spends there, though, the more likely she will become comfortable with at least a few staff members and that’s a great way to help her learn more about what this facility offers.

In the meantime, can you advocate for her?

Of course you can. At the same time, an assisted living community may limit how much information they are willing to share with others, even if it is a family member of a resident. They would need to have your mother authorize you to speak on her behalf.

You can ask questions, though, about activities, entertainment, movie choices, how your mother can get out and go for a walk safely or get to the mall for a couple of hours, and so on.

Just because you may not live close to her doesn’t mean you can’t help her. Assisted living provides the best of many aspects of life for seniors, but some elderly men and women might have trouble speaking up and a quality assisted living community wants its residents to feel at ease.

If you or an aging loved one are considering assisted living in Spanish Fort, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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