Well my DH is in a facility and it has been going fairly well. It is not a locked facility, but he has not wandered in the 3 months he as been there. Well today i got a call from some people that they had found him (he wears an ID bracelet) and then another call from the facility saying they had gotten him back. Yikes. So I guess it is back to square one in finding a locked facility that takes Medicaid and is "nice."
Anyone ever thought about opening a group home and looked in to what that entails?
Shannon, I am so sorry that is happening again. It is difficult. My dh was a wanderer and he may not have know alot but he knew how to wait until I went to the bathroom to get out the door. And that was with alarms on it. I have wondered what it would take to have a group home but never researched it. Good luck finding a good home with a locked unit. I found one here in Louisiana but don't know about any others else where.... Good luck girl.....praying for you.....
It takes a lot of time, bureaucratic red tape, money, and renovations to open a group home. It is just my opinion, but others can weigh in with theirs, that this is not the time for you to be thinking about that endeavor.
Medicaid will give you a list of facilities with which they have contracts, and unfortunately, it is up to you to do the research. Word of mouth is the best indicator of how good a facility is. Talk to people who have had LO's in facilities on list. Fancy and expensive is not always the best. Training of staff is an important factor to consider. Look at turnover. You want a place that does not have a revolving door of staff.
Considering your dh's propensity for wandering, the facility you choose must be locked down. Just because they don't wander today doesn't mean they won't do so tomorrow.
We belong to Kaiser & when I was looking for a facility, they had a brochure of facilities that was very helpful. Other medical groups probably have them also.
At one time he was briefly in a group (6-pack) home. His room had twin beds & the owners often let me stay there too. Good facility, good care--but NO WAY would I ever consider running one!