What is a Community Fee?
Looking for a new home for your loved ones can be a stressful and overwhelming situation. Many questions come to mind regarding their health and well-being, and whether you are making the right choice. Each facility works differently than the next, and prices can also vary significantly. You need to keep in mind that each community will charge according to the services they provide, the level of care, the type of assistance that your loved ones will receive, accommodations, location, etc. These charges are self-explanatory for the most part, but what happens when you see something you don't recognize? For instance, a "Community Fee." You may ask, what is that for, and how does it benefit my loved one?
The Community Fee does apply on behalf of your loved one. Here is how the community fee is used towards your loved one:
Resident Assessment: Every time a community accepts a new resident, they need to make sure it is an appropriate placement, meaning that the community can meet the needs of that resident. It is crucial to know about the prospective resident's baseline, daily routine, medications, behaviors, cognitive level, special needs, level of assistance needed, skin assessment, treatments needed, etc. A community representative must spend time communicating with the resident, the relatives or responsible party, physicians, case managers, social workers, nurses, and caregivers to obtain this information. All documentation then needs to be reviewed.
Travel Time: A facility representative often has to travel to where the prospective resident is located to obtain accurate assessment and information.
Health Screening: A facility representative must identify any medical condition or diagnosis associated with the future resident to ensure treatment consistency.
Care Plan: Once a resident is accepted, a facility representative must ensure a care plan is initiated upon the resident's arrival to the community. The purpose of this plan is to identify residents' functional levels, capabilities, needs, problems, and goals based on their needs and specific approaches to meet those goals.
Staff Education & Training: It is important that before admission, all staff is aware of the needs of any future residents so they can assist with the transition to the new environment, something that can be challenging at times.
Notification and Coordination: Staff needs to guarantee consistency in the resident's medical regimen. This means they need to communicate with any entities that are going to be involved in the care of the resident, including but not limited to physicians, pharmacies, hospice agencies, home health providers, equipment/devices suppliers, etc.
Room accommodations: Every facility must make sure that their room/apartment is in good condition upon the resident's arrival. This includes coordination of furniture and equipment in the room and making sure that other accommodations are in place, such as adequate lighting, television, phone lines, water supply, etc.
Referral Agencies: There are multiple agencies that assist families in searching for the best home for their loved ones at no cost. These referral agencies do charge the communities a fee every time they refer to a new resident. This fee is usually a portion of the monthly rent families pay for services and varies from 50 to over 100 percent. That means communities may not get revenue for the first month of a resident's admission.
In summary, there is a long process before the admission of any resident to customize and provide the ultimate care. Every community has its own protocol, so feel free to ask any questions that come to mind during the process of admission or when reviewing potential fees.
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