PSA: We compared two assisted living facilities in Phoenix and the difference was night and day

One place had 3 staff per 10 residents and actual activity schedules, the other had 1 staff for 20 people and TVs in every room. Has anyone else toured places and found the staffing ratios made or broke the decision?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan184d ago

My grandma's place had that TV-in-every-room setup and it was SO depressing. You'd walk in and everyone was just zoned out staring at screens. Total difference when we moved her somewhere with actual activities. My mom cried happy tears the first time we saw her playing bingo with a group.

alice9284d ago

Omg YES. My aunt's place was exactly like that. I'd visit and everyone was just slumped in recliners watching different shows in different rooms. It felt more like a waiting room than a home. We moved her to a smaller place with a garden and a shared kitchen and now she's always making cookies with people or playing cards. She actually has friends now instead of just watching Judge Judy reruns all day.

robinp894d ago

and that's exactly what gets me about these places with the low staffing numbers. You said night and day difference, but I gotta ask - did you notice if the higher staffed place actually had people who seemed happy to be there? Like not just going through the motions but actually engaging with residents? Because I've seen places with decent ratios on paper but the staff are burned out and it shows. The activities schedule doesn't matter if nobody's really pushing to get folks involved, you know? That's the thing that would make or break it for me when I was looking for my dad - seeing if the energy was real or just for show during tours.