Nurses living in their home with patients. . .

TwilightRNurse · Jul 5, 2010

I know there are 2 such similar homes in the city where I live. The patients seem to be happy there. They do have a licensed person there 24/7. How they do it in terms of financing or getting any help from the government I have no clue. I think it's a great idea if it's something you would enjoy.

AntMarchingRN, RN · Jul 5, 2010

My grandmother lived in a home like this. It was a mother and daughter who took care of 8 elderly ladies. It was a wonderful place. My grandmother felt like she was in a sorority and not an "old folks home". She had a roomate and they all had good home cooked food together for meals. They had a garden and a dog they all loved. It was a great family environment and was a very pleasant place to visit. They were all very happy and when you visited one, you visited everyone. The only problem was when they had to pick a movie to watch on the big TV in the livingroom:p

My favorite part was Mable...

She used to smoke back in the day and would almost tackle you when you came in trying to find your cigarettes (I didnt smoke, but she was sure I had them). She was the reason for the alarm on the door too...she knew there were cigarettes out there.

God Bless that house. It was a not just a place for elderly to live. It was thier home.

rl589092 · Jul 5, 2010

Where was this? Do you know if they have a website?

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2010

There are several where I live, I believe they are private pay, but I'm not sure. It's something I have thought about doing someday. The ones around here are nice places in the country.

belgarion · Jul 5, 2010

There's a place like that near where I live. It is in a two story building that went through a couple of dozen reincarnations before this couple bought it for back taxes and remodeled it. They have 8 or 10 seniors living on the first floor while they live on the second floor with their 2 kids. They have 24 hr. care on site, the residents love the kids, love the home-like atmosphere, and love NOT being in an instituionalized setting.

EmmyBee · Jul 5, 2010

I'm working as a Hospice LPN right now, while finishing up my ASN. There are a ton of them here in Florida. I definitely think it's a better alternative for loved ones, than a nursing home. But just like everything, some are better than others.

Most of the ones I have seen, the owners don't live there. They will hire one or two caregivers, who reside in the home. The residents are usually independent, though I have seen some who are bed bound.

It's a lot of hard work though, mostly for the actual caregivers. They are responsible for cooking all meals, washing clothes, giving meds, cleaning/bathing the ones who need assistance, doctor's appointments, etc. And families visit much of the day, since you typically have about 6 residents. And their various relatives work different hours.

I'm sure you can find more information on the internet. But I found this link that might give you some sort of idea of how it works:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4556944_starting-residential-assisted-living-facility.html

RubyRN,CHPN · Jul 5, 2010

In my state they are called Adult Family Homes (AFH's) and fall unto licensing as board and care homes. Highly regulated by the state here. In this state you can have up to 6 residents for a licensed home. Some will take state pay but majority prefer private pay and rates per client can be spendy but less say than assisted living or SNF. A former RN collegue just opened one and took her several months start to finish to get licensed, regulatory requirements and be up to full census. Majority of homes in my area are not owned by RN's or LPNs for that matter; however, see many advantages in having RN/LPN owned facility after visitng a few in my experience in homehealth. I have yet to visit an AFH owned by a nurse without a waiting list to get in. Probably best place to investigate for information would be you regulatory agency for nursing facilities. Good luck.

Jarnaes · Jul 5, 2010

This is a recent story on the news in my area:

"Adult family homes in the state are seen as a national model, and in King County alone, they've become more plentiful than Starbucks stores. But the explosive growth, fueled by profiteers and a lack of careful state regulation, is leaving thousands of people vulnerable to harm."

Seniors for sale | How the aged and frail are exploited in Washington's adult family homes | Seattle Times Newspaper

RubyRN,CHPN · Jul 5, 2010

Yup there's always a bad egg or two in the bunch....been in a few of those places too. I guess with 200 or so in the county I work in, there is something for just about everyone.

caliotter3 · Jul 5, 2010

Lots of these in my state. I did my first couple of shifts as a CNA in one. Common for a family business to start with one home, then add more as time goes on and they can afford more. There was one enterprising family that owned about seven of them. And of course, you read about or hear on the news, stories about the bad apples. If I had the wherewithal, I would have one of these.

nicole109 · Jul 5, 2010

I'm a home health RN and in Baltimore, and they are pretty popular here too...I'd say in about 50% of the cases the staff actually live on site, but the vast majority of these places do not have an RN on site on a daily basis. They are CNA/GNA, medication aides, or LPN. The facilities that I've been in are somewhere between assisted living and nursing home, and normally take between 6-10 patients at a time, all with varying medical issues. I think I've only been in 1 that I've questioned how the funds were being disbursed (if you catch my drift) the rest were legit. I can't imagine as an RN ever doing this on my own, imagine if all of your staff quit, this would be my worst nightmare--or like us in Baltimore last winter had that blizzard that put our city under blankets of snow for weeks and nobody was mobile. I'm thankful that there are nurses out there that would take on endeavors like this, it's just not for me.