A Daughter Shaves Off Thousands from Parent's Assisted Living Costs

Source: AARP.org | March 4, 2004

When my grandfather had a stroke in November 2002, my mother found herself in the position of not only caregiver but pharmacist, too. Until the stroke, my grandfather had worn those hats for my grandmother, a cardiac-dialysis patient since 1998. They had had a home health aide for some years but never more than three hours a week.

Without my grandfather's constant support to care for my grandmother, my mother, Martha, knew it was time to consider assisted living.

"What was most important was that the room be big enough to include them both," my mother explained, "and that there were enough services to accommodate a further decline in their health and, short of nursing home care, prevent another upheaval."

Mom learned that, besides the fee for the room, expenses would include services which were to be assessed on an as-need basis, using a points system ranging from 0 to 50. "So many points for helping Grandma into her wheelchair, so many points for bathing her twice a week, so many points for meal delivery when she's too tired to go to the dining room."

Currently, my grandfather, who now qualifies for independent living, uses zero points while my grandmother chalks up 10 per month. But it only remains low because of a pharmacy service provided by my mother.

"The administration of each of their medicines would have been a number of additional points, calculated by the number of pills and the number of times per day they need them dispensed," my mother said.

My grandmother takes 25 pills given at four different times throughout the day. Mom explained, "by doing it the way we do, I probably save them close to $1,000 per month."

Just the dispensation alone would cost $350 per month. The assisted living facility requires all pills dispensed by staff to be purchased through the facility's pharmacy. As veterans, this would have been a significant financial burden for my grandparents, who have always purchased their prescriptions inexpensively through the Veterans Administration.

Instead, my mother assumed the role of "pharmacist," ensuring that each of the 30 medications taken by my grandparents remain up to date by communicating with two different pharmacies, as well as each of their seven doctors.

Managing that many medicines can be overwhelming.

"Recently, it's become so complex—changes in dosages, medications added and some omitted," she explained. "It's really an inventory control issue: setting them up for two weeks at a time and making sure there will still be enough pills when you get back," she added, citing the rare example of when she and my father leave town.

And yet while the stress of playing pharmacist often is frustrating, my mother says the financial return is too considerable to overlook. She urges others in her position to carefully weigh their options and take advantage of every available service to lighten the caregiving load.

Editor's note: This arrangement is available to residents who, upon quarterly review, are found competent to administer their own medications. Although Anne-Marie's grandparents reside in a facility in Troy, Michigan, a survey of Wyoming facilities confirms that this arrangement is feasible here as well. In fact, most facilities explained that patients are free to purchase their medications wherever they want without fear of being denied dispensation services.

Related Articles:

• Relief is Available for Family Caregivers
• Managing the Stress of Caregiving
• Community Sources that Help with Caregiving

Other Resources:

• Wyoming Department of Health Aging Division
• Senior Resource Roundup
• Senior Pathways
• Wyoming Senior Citizens, Inc.
• Wyoming Senior Resource Guide (PDF file)