In looking for short-term respite facilities, I found one that sounds good. The marketing person told me their ratio of staff to patients is higher than most places--one staff member to every 5 ot 6 patients. I am wondering how this compares with most facilities?

Staff may include janitorial staff, kitchen workers and other non hands on people. The ratio may not be as good as it seems.

JudithKB--I haven't put my husband into a respite care situation because I was concerned that the regular dementia ALF's would potentially not be able to handle him. I just found a new one that has two units for dementia patients--one for the more docile patients and one for the more challenging (my husband would probably fall into the latter). They require a two to three WEEK stay, which is fine with me if they think they can handle him. They call it a gero psych unit; they receive patients from other dementia facilities when those places cannot manage behaviors. However, it is an ALF, not a psych ward of a hospital. Regarding the issue of a "lock down" place--I would say that most likely you would want a dementia-specific facility or unit, one that does have security features.

Good point, Bluedaze, I will ask for a breakdown of the staff.

Judith, I agree with Marilyn, you would want an ALF with security or a dementia unit. My DH was in a secure dementia unit for 2 weeks and was still able to escape, so I would encourage you to seriously consider the secured unit. I would also tour the unit to determine not only patient to staff ratio but also the functionality of the clients. My DH was the youngest by almost 20 years and clearly the most functional and he knew he didn't belong in that environment. Also most facilities prefer the client stay 1-2 weeks because it takes them at least 2-3 days to get acclimated. Maybe you could get a live-in for the 2-3 days?