Adult Family Home | New Cedar Heights Adult Family Home

Here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions we get:

What is the maximum number of residents at your facility? 6 residents maximum.

What are the staffing levels at New Cedar Heights AFH? We have two licensed caregivers for each morning shift and one dedicated caregiver for the night shift 24 hours a day 7 days a week. With a 3:1 resident to caregiver ratio, our caregivers are not only able to meet all of the care needs of our residents, but they are also able to spend 1:1 time with them visiting, doing activities, and attending to their personal individual needs.

What kind of care can New Cedar Heights AFH provide? We are a licensed Adult Family Home to care for seniors who need physical assistance due to a medical complication or age-related decline or frailty, or for residents who have a cognitive impairment, with specialty designation and training for all of our staff in Dementia, or “memory” care. Owned and operated by a Registered Nurse and an LPN nurse, we provide care all the way through one’s end of life. Anything from some assistance with dressing, toileting, mobility, eating, and medication management all the way to a resident who requires total care in all areas. We are prepared to care for your loved ones for the duration of their days and to prevent them from ever needing to move again.

What is New Cedar Heights AFH home like? Rambler nestled in a quiet cul de sac, New Cedar Heights AFH has 6 private bedrooms and a 7th room for the caregiver. The kitchen is the center point of the home overlooking the dining room and living room. The kitchen layout allows for the caregivers to directly visualize and supervise the residents while they are cooking in the kitchen. This floorplan maximizes the interactions between the residents and caregivers and provides greater supervision and safety as well as greater stimulation throughout the day for our residents. Our home is fully wheelchair accessible.

How much is the Monthly Rate? New Cedar Heights AFH charges an all-inclusive flat rate that does not increase as the resident needs more care. All care supplies, such as incontinence products, gloves, wipes, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, linens, nail care, hearing aid batteries, etc are covered. The initial nursing assessment is not included in the rate. Nurse delegation and ongoing follow-on nurse assessments are covered in the monthly rate. The only change to the monthly rate over time is it increases 3% per year.

What is included in the monthly rate? Virtually everything! Our goal is to provide you with the exact cost of your loved one's care, both today and in the future. All of our rooms are equipped with premium cable, as well as high-speed wireless internet. Updates to assessments and care plans as well as all nurse delegation services are provided by the owner free of charge. Should the resident require care products such as incontinence products, gloves, wipes, hearing aid batteries, ensure supplements, etc. – it is provided by New Cedar Heights AFH.

Also included: all meals and snacks, daily laundry, haircuts, nail care, medication management, activities, linens, and close supervision day and night.

Are there any move-in fees? We charge a $600 move-in fee, which is billed on the initial invoice at move-in. This fee is for the preparation of the residents' chart and a cleaning fee to clean and repaint the room prior to the next resident.

What if we move in mid-month? New Cedar Heights AFH charges a prorated monthly fee for the first month, with the resident paying for only the days of the month the resident resides in the home or reserves the room for themselves. For example: If the resident reserves the room or moves in on the 15th of the month, their first invoice will be for only half a month.

How much do we pay if our resident moves out or passes away? If a resident passes away, New Cedar Heights AFH charges a “5-day room turnover fee” once the room is vacated of the residents' personal possessions. This allows us to prepare the room for the next resident in order to cover cleaning, painting, and any repairs. Since the month is generally prepaid, the balance of the prepaid month is refunded to the family for the days outside the 5-day room turnover period. If a resident chooses to move out, such as to follow a family member to another state, or because they have chosen to seek a different living facility, then a 30-day notice period is required.

What makes New Cedar Heights AFH unique? We are a locally owned home with diverse caregiving backgrounds. The RN owner closely monitors the resident's vital trends and any dietary concerns as needed. Our home is welcoming with a yard designed to show love and serenity.

What kind of food is served? Food by far is the number one complaint that we hear from each prospective resident from their prior place of residence or facility. We cook nearly all of our meals from scratch, using the freshest vegetables, fruits, meats, and seafood. Grocery tasks are performed weekly to ensure that the freshest of foods are always stocked. We bake homemade bread and treats, and have snacks and desserts available at all times.

Generally, meal times are targeted for 8a 12p, and 6p. We can accommodate requests for alterations if a resident does not like a main dish or side.

What if a family member wants to join the resident for a meal? We strive to cook the correct amount at each meal for our residents and caregivers, to minimize leftovers and waste. We certainly can accommodate 1 or 2 visitors joining us for a meal on an occasional basis as long as we are notified at least 24 hours in advance so that we can plan to prepare more for that meal.

What happens if the resident has a medical crisis? If the crisis involves cessation of breathing or pulse, and the resident has a “DNR" Do not resuscitate” choice on their POLST form, this choice will be followed and the resident will be comforted but not resuscitated. All of our caregivers and resident managers are trained to assess for and respond to a medical emergency. If a resident has a significant and possibly life-threatening medical emergency (such as a stroke, heart attack, sudden change in status, significant respiratory distress, etc) then 911 will be called as well as the family.

What if a resident falls? Many facilities have a policy of always calling 911 if a resident falls. This results in many unnecessary and intrusive ER visits and often unnecessary hospitalizations and medical tests and procedures. At New Cedar Heights AFH, we take responsibility for assessing our residents and only calling 911 for a fall if the resident seems at increased risk of having a serious injury or if there is a serious risk of head trauma from a fall. All of our caregivers are trained to do basic assessments after a fall and to contact the RN owner for further assessment as needed. We also have special measures in place to prevent falls, including the use of motion sensor alarms near beds, carpeting in certain resident bedrooms (which is more forgiving should a fall occur), and sufficient staff to provide visual supervision and quick attention to residents calls for assistance.

What about family members? Many family members come to us frustrated and exhausted after months or years of filling the gaps in caregiving in their loved one's current living situation. It is often only through the efforts of the family member acting as caregiver, that the resident has avoided a higher level of care for so long. Family members are often the ones who have been filling prescriptions, purchasing incontinence products, communicating details to physicians, and generally trying to maintain stability for their loved ones. Many times, the involved family members are near their breaking point. Our goal is to step in and relieve the family members of all of this frustration and burden. Sons and Daughters are able to go back to being “family” instead of “caregivers” and generally about a month or so after moving a resident in, we overwhelmingly hear how relieved they are with the transition.

Do you have visiting hours? Families and friends are welcome to visit at any time, although we will make some requests regarding the times of day that visits are less likely to upset the flow of the home. Generally, early mornings are busy times for the caregivers as they get each resident up for the day and make their breakfast, and some of our residents are easily distracted by visitors and thus tend to not eat well if a visitor is present during mealtimes. After 7p, some of our residents are retiring to bed, so after 7p visits are less desirable. So generally, visiting after 10a and before 7p and not visiting during lunch or dinner time is preferable.

How are medications managed? New Cedar Heights AFH takes responsibility for communicating with the resident's doctor and obtaining and maintaining prescriptions for all medications the resident takes. We use AXIS Pharmacy as our pharmacy, this long-term care pharmacy works with all insurances and they provide us with medications in a bubble-packed system as well as a MAR (Medication Administration Record) where we document every dose and time that medications are given. 100 percent of our staff are licensed caregivers with special training in medication administration and are Nurse Delegated to administer medications. There is no extra charge for Nurse Delegation, this is included in the monthly flat rate.

Does New Cedar Heights AFH have a visiting physician? Yes, most of our families choose to use Crown Health Visiting MD/ARNP service as the care provider for their residents. This service bills through medicare and makes home visits to see the resident. This minimizes the need for the resident to arrange transportation to a clinic and also prevents having the vulnerable seniors sitting around in a waiting room where they are potentially exposed to patients with illness or infections. Crown Health providers become the “Family Doctor” and visits all of our residents monthly, but are available by phone or email for questions or to review status changes as needed. Although residents can continue to go see their previous family practice physician or ARNP if they would like, most families appreciate the convenience of the visiting service and choose to transition to Crown Health Visiting MD/ARNP.

How about Hospice? Most of our residents sign up for Hospice Care at end of life. There are several different Hospice providers we work with (Evergreen Hospice, Providence Hospice, Kaiser Hospice), but in all cases, the Hospice team visits the home and provides guidance, support, additional services (such as social work, spiritual support, music therapy) but the resident is able to remain in the home, with comfort meds to ensure comfort at end of life, and cared for by the caregivers who love and know them. Hospice is usually initiated when the resident has a gradual or sudden change in status that is life threatening and when it is not possible to treat the condition or the family or resident chooses not to continue to seek treatment. Many residents continue to live for months or even years after hospice is initiated, as it does not mean that care is withdrawn or death is imminent, it simply means that the family and resident have accepted that medical treatment/hospitalization is no longer the goal and that quality of life for the remaining time is what is most important.

Is there an additional monthly charge if a resident enrolls in hospice? There is no additional charge.

Does New Cedar Heights AFH allow smoking? No. We are a smoke-free facility.

Do you take residents on outings? No. For the few residents who truly benefit from an outing, we leave this up to family and friends to do with them. Instead, we maximize scheduled and impromptu activities IN the home in order to entertain and stimulate our residents.

What about haircuts and hairstyling? Our caregivers assist our residents with showers and hair washing twice a week and will blow dry or style the resident's hair for them per their preferences. Some residents request or require showers more frequently which we can also accommodate. Our caregivers are also involved with hair styling should there be a request from a resident to utilize this complimentary service.

If you are interested in moving a loved one to New Cedar Heights AFH and we are currently full, there is no cost to be on our waiting list. If you decide to place your loved one name on our waiting list, we will call you and let you know as openings come up. Thank you and look forward to hearing from you. Click here to contact us today.

Thank you

New Cedar Heights AFH Management