|
MEMO
To: Residents From: Erica Jimenez, Director of Resident Care Re: Commonly Asked Questions - 2008 Version Date: June 9th, 2008 ________________________________________________________________
Here is a list of commonly asked questions along with the answers regarding health care services available here at Carlsbad By The Sea. I hope this helps make things a little more clear. Please remember you can call me with any questions. My extension is 2345.
1. Question: If I have a medical problem, even if it is after hours or on a weekend, whom should I call? Should I go to the Care Center for help? Answer: Any time, day or night, that you have a medical problem, there is a licensed nurse in the building available to you. That nurse is dedicated to the Assisted Living and Independent residents. The nurse is stationed in the clinic on the Assisted Living floor which is on the 3rd floor, north side of the main building. The extension to the nurse’s office is 2318. You may leave a message on the phone in a non-emergency situation and the nurse will return your call promptly. If it is an emergency and you need help right away either dial 0 and the front desk will page the nurse, or push your emergency button either in the bathroom or on your emergency pendant. The Care Center staff will refer you to the Assisted Living nurse/department so it is preferable that you seek help directly from us.
2. Question: How much will I be charged for a visit from the nurse when I am sick or hurt? Answer: Absolutely nothing. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide assistance if you are ill or have an emergency.
3. Question: If I cut myself or have a procedure done, and I need the nurse to put on a bandage or dressing, will I be charged? What if I need help to change the dressing everyday for a few days, will I be charged for that? Answer: We will be happy to help you with bandages, first aid or assistance while you are ill, injured or recovering from a procedure. As stated in the ancillary charges, we provide 3 free days of bandage changes or assistance per month. If you have a wound that requires a dressing change daily for 2 weeks for example, we will charge for assistance starting on day 4. Please see Ancillary charges for details. The LVN portion of the charges refers to having the nurse or medical assistant perform a dressing change or other procedure that would require a licensed professional. The care giving portion of the charges is for caregiver assistance, such as bathing help or accompaniment to medical appointments.
4. Question: What would the nurse do if I called for help because I was ill, but I did not want an ambulance called? Answer: The nurse would respect your wishes if it does not appear to be a life-threatening situation. He or she would assist you as you needed and would suggest calling an ambulance if appropriate, but would not do anything without your permission. It is also our standard practice in accordance with California state law, to notify your emergency contact in the event of a serious injury or change of condition.
5. Question: Under what circumstances would 911 be called? Answer: If you were discovered unconscious or not breathing, we are required to call 911. We would also call 911 if you had a serious condition that warrants emergency attention and you agreed to have 911 called. If you need to go to the hospital but it is not life threatening, a non-emergency ambulance may be called to transport you there. As a reminder: If you have provided us with a signed Do Not Resuscitate form, we will NOT start CPR ,but we are still required to call 911 if you are unconscious or not breathing. We then hand the DNR form to the paramedics when they arrive. We also give them copies of your information sheet, insurance cards and durable power of attorney forms if you have one. Please make sure we have up to date information in our file for you.
6. Question: Should I discuss my medical problems and concerns with the Director of Resident Care? Answer: Yes, it is strongly recommended. If we, as a team, are aware of your problems, we will be better prepared to serve you. Strict confidentiality is maintained at all times.
7. Question: What if I need help around the apartment or with personal care? Who do I call to arrange that? Answer: If you need assistance on a temporary or regular basis, you have some options from which to chose. You may receive Assisted Living services provided by our Assisted Living staff within your own apartment if appropriate. We have many levels of care available, all of which are listed in the Ancillary Charges. You may also hire a caregiver from an agency, but if you decide to do this you must discuss it first with the Director of Resident Care as we do have certain state regulations to follow. Please call me with any questions . We can have a care conference and discuss the options available to best suit your needs.
8. Question: What if I need temporary use of a wheelchair, walker or cane? Answer: We do have a small amount of loaner equipment we can loan out for a short period of time. We will be happy to assist you in arranging for a rental or purchase of medical equipment if needed.
9. Question: If I’m not feeling good, can I call Assisted Living to bring me a tray? Will I get charged for that service? Answer: Assisted Living can bring you a tray if you are not feeling good. As stated in the Ancillary Charges- you can get up to 5 free days of trays (up to 15 trays) per month (meaning no charge for a tray delivery) if you are ill. After that, regular charges apply. This is true whether you order from Assisted Living or the main dining room for delivery. Whether you order a meal from the main dining room or Assisted Living, meal credits will be deducted for that meal just as if you were eating in the dining room or taking out. If you are ill and need meal delivery the best option is to call x2318 and speak to the nurse on duty.
10. Question: I would like get my medicines from the pharmacy that delivers to CBTS, how do I go about that? Answer: If you are interested in having your prescriptions filled by our house pharmacy, Smart Pharmacy, please call the Assisted Living office, ext.2318. We will fax the pharmacy a copy of your insurance cards along with any prescriptions you have and your doctor’s phone number. Smart delivers at least once a day and sometimes more. They bring everyone’s medicines to the Assisted Living clinic and then our staff will call you to pick it up or we will bring it to you. Smart Pharmacy’s phone number is : 858-668-3350. Please call them with any questions or concerns you might have about insurance or transferring your prescriptions.
11. Question: My doctor has ordered some blood work/ lab tests, can I get them done here? Is there a charge for this service? Answer: Yes, Diagnostic Laboratory comes here every Tuesday morning between 9 and 11am approximately to take blood for lab tests. When you are on the schedule to have lab work done, the nurse on duty will call you when the lab technicians arrive on campus. You can either meet the lab technician up in the Assisted Living clinic or he or she can come to your apartment. If you would like to have your lab work done through Diagnostic Lab, please call the Assisted Living office, ext.2318 to make arrangements. CBTS does not charge an additional fee for this service. The lab takes all major insurances and operates just as if you were going to a laboratory outside the facility. If your doctor prescribes lab work to be done immediately, we will submit the order to the lab and they will come out any day of the week, but they come very, very early in the morning for these NON -Tuesday requests. The Assisted Living nurse will accompany the technician to your apartment in this situation .
12. Question: I’d like to have my blood pressure checked weekly, when can I get that done and where do I go? Answer: We have clinic hours for blood pressure checks on Mondays and Fridays 10am to 11am in the Assisted Living Clinic located on the 3rd floor of the main building, north side. We also have a caregiver available for blood pressure checks on Wednesdays, 10am to 11am in the clinic office of the Grand Building which is on the second floor by the elevator. If you have a special need to have your blood pressure checked more often than the clinic days or aren’t feeling well, please call the Assisted Living nurse at X2318 to arrange a time that is convenient for both of you. We have a licensed nurse on 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.
13. Question: I have changed doctors/ dentists/ power of attorney/ medications/ my children have moved/etc. How do I get that changed in my medical record? What does CBTS need for their records? Answer: CBTS is required by law to keep accurate, up-to-date records for each resident. We need to have your current doctor, dentist, and specialists on file as well as pertinent medical information about you such as medical diagnosis and allergies. We need emergency contacts to call if something happens to you. We need current insurance and Medicare cards. We need every resident to have a TB test upon admission, and if your records do not show a TB test or chest xray was done prior to admission, then we will be requiring , per California law, to have you take one this year (we will be administering TB tests if needed). We STRONGLY encourage you to have a current Durable Power Of Attorney for health and finances on file. We also need your most current medication list. We formally update this information and perform an assessment yearly per California law, but please make sure if there are changes that you provide them to me as soon as possible. Again, my extension is 2345- call me with any questions ! J
|
