Are you one of us baby boomers concerned about taking care of aging parents? For some, the day comes when you feel the only remaining option is to get help in the form of an assisted living or long-term care facility.
But how do you find a good one? One where you can trust that your aging mom or dad won’t be ignored or mistreated? It’s frightening to hear horror stories about such incidents. Choosing the right place is tough---and the truth can be clouded with missing information and even misrepresentations. How can you tell ahead of time unless you happen to know someone who sees what goes on in a particular place?
A few years ago I met a woman, Cindy Pawlak, whose personal experiences impelled her to create a service to help people navigate this tough time of life. She went through a great deal of planning and had to make sure the service complied with all privacy, medical and legal requirements. But now it’s been in business a couple of years and is working for lots of folks here in the Chicago area.
Gunther’s Grades is an online service where you can do all of the following:
- Locate long-term care facilities by zip code or keyword.
- Rate and review a long-term care operation that you have had personal experience with in terms of facility, quality of care, respect, and quality of life. Survey questions here. Update your review every 6 months so that others will know if standards have changed or performance has improved or slipped.
- Read ratings and reviews of facilities that are written by people like yourself and shared directly with you.
- Find relevant information from people like yourself who have been or are going through the process of finding care for their loved one.
- Ask questions, share feelings and reach out to caregivers and friends who are waiting to share knowledge and lend their support.
- Celebrate the life of the aging person you are supporting. Share life stories and inspire others.
Cindy does a gentle and heartfelt blog about aging, life philosophy, emotions relating to well being, and more. Uplifting reading—even if you don’t have an aging parent in a long-term care facility. Congratulations, Cindy. Gunther’s Grades is clearing the smog for many in Chicago who struggle with assuring loving care to aging relatives..
For more information about government regulations and to search in other areas besides Chicago, try the Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.
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