Understanding the Types of Elder Care available in Sonoma County, California

This basic guide is provided to help you in your search for residential care, in-home nursing care or a nursing home for your loved one, here in Sonoma County.

Once you have determined that the elder person in your life is in need of assistance with the normal challenges of daily living, it will be important for you to know what your options are in terms of which type of care will meet the elder person's individual needs. In Sonoma County, we are fortunate enough to have all the kinds of elder care available to us and our loved ones. Our hope is that this simple guide will assist you in narrowing down the type of assistance the person in need of care requires.

In-home elder care in Sonoma County, California.

In-home care is chosen when the elder person's needs can be met while they remain in their own home, or move into the home of a family member. The family may be able to meet all of the elder person's care needs, or they may choose to hire professional help with some or all of the assistance needed. Because the care family may not always be available, all day and night long, to help the elder person, there are three types of professional elder care providers they may opt to hire to come into the home at scheduled times.

Housekeepers
Housekeepers are hired to accomplish household chores that neither the elder person nor his/her family can attend to. This may include, laundry, yardwork, housework such as sweeping, cleaning, dusting, vacuuming and running errands.

Homemakers
A homemaker is hired to prepare meals, assist with bathing, grooming and the scheduled taking of medications. As with the housekeeper, the family may find a homemaker through an agency or by directly hiring an individual themselves.

Health Aides and Registered Nurses
Health Aides, nursing assistants and registered nurses who make home visits are generally hired through an agency, though they can sometimes be contracted with directly. They are hired to assist with personal care needs such as grooming, bathing and dressing, they may dispense medications, and they are then in contact with the elder person's primary care provider to whom they report. If in-home nursing care of this type is ordered by the primary physician, the family should find out whether the elder person can be reimbursed for these services by Medicare.

If the elder person in your life is going to remain in their own home or come to live with a family member, it is essential that all members of the household be realistic about the kind of care they will be able to provide. Work schedules, vacations, emergencies must all be taken into consideration. It may be that the elder person only needs help with a few tasks, and is alright being on their own for a given period each day. But, if their needs are more diverse, hiring assistance can be a blessing to all concerned.

Whether you choose to go through the local newspaper to hire extra in-home help, or through an agency, it is essential to ask for the individual worker's references. You should be given contact phone numbers of other people who are using or who have used the worker's services. At the bottom of this article you will find some resources for Sonoma County elder care in-home aides, assistants and nurses which you may wish to contact as a way to begin your search for in-home care that meets the needs of your family and the elder person in your life.

Adult Day Programs in Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County elders may benefit from the adult day programs available these days. Such services are useful when the elder lives with a family member who works during the day, and care needs to be provided during this time period. Different day programs focus on different types of needs. Some adult day programs center on social activities or educational opportunities amongst the attendants, while others only provide more basic medical care. The majority of day programs are only available during normal business hours. Though Medicare may subsidize the cost of attending a day program, fees may need to be paid out-of-pocket, depending upon the elder person's Medicare plan.

As with hiring any type of assistance with the elder in your life, it is essential to request references, and also to visit the day program center to see what the atmosphere is like, and to interview the employees. Resources for Adult Day Programs in Sonoma County may be found at the bottom of this article.

Independent Living Facilities in Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County seniors may take advantage of the many independent living facilities in the area. In this situation, the elder person rents or buys an apartment or condominium in the independent living community. In general, such communities are intended for active, able adults who do not require special medical services. Rather, they are for mature adults who wish to benefit from the extensive social opportunities provided by the community. The cost of living in communities like these is reflective of the current housing market prices, or may be slightly higher than the average rate for an apartment or condo outside of the community.

In some cases, Section 8 housing assistance may be available to assist low-income elder persons who wish to live in an independent living community, but Medicare does not apply to such arrangements. Unlike other types of elder care facilities, independent living communities are not subject to government regulation. Please refer to our list of resources for independent living communities in Sonoma County at the bottom of this article.

Assisted Living Facilities / Residential Care Homes in Sonoma County, California

Assisted living, residential care, and community-based retirement homes are all terms to describe a specific kind of elder care in which the elder person receives assistance with the activities of daily living. Services to assist with bathing, grooming, taking of medications may be provided, though licensed nursing services generally are not. The elder person usually retains a level of independent living in his/her own unit or room, but the focus of such homes is community-based with opportunities for group activity and socialization. Financial assistance is generally not available for assisted living, and costs vary from place to place in Sonoma County. If the elder person has additional needs, some residential care homes may offer provisions for this at additional cost. Assisted living facilities are licensed and regulated by the State of California.

Green Acres Manor is a residential care home of this kind. The services we offer include meal preparation, housekeeping, linen service, personal grooming assistance, scheduled transportation, planned activities, limited bedside care, scheduled medication assistance, reporting to primary care provider, 24 hour supervision and care for appropriately staged dementia. Other facilities offer different services. We urge you to visit several facilities and interview the owners and staff to see which residential care home will be the best choice for the elder person in your life. Please, see our list of resources for assisted living facilities in Sonoma County at the bottom of this article.

Nursing Homes in Sonoma County, California

An elder person in need of constant, 24 hour care by medical professionals will need the services of a nursing home. There are three kinds of nursing homes available to assist them: Basic Care, Skilled Care, and Sub-Acute Care. In a basic care nursing home, assistance with all the activities of daily living is provided, often by an LPN or nurse's aide. In a skilled care situation, assistance is provided by RNs, and often, a variety of medical professionals such as speech, physical and occupational therapists. Sub-acute care homes are for those elders with the most diverse care needs. In such facilities, care may include daily or weekly medical treatments and continual review of the patient's progress by the medical staff.

The cost of nursing homes in Sonoma County depends upon the level of care needed. Medicare and third-party insurance assistance may apply to fees. Nursing care homes are federally regulated facilities.

Continuum of Care Facilities in Sonoma County, California

Coninuum of care facilities are chosen most often for those elders who suffer from health conditions which are likely to worsen with time. These types of facilities customize the assistance they offer to the resident's exact needs. The main benefit of such facilities is that they enable the resident to maintain a high standard of independent living while at the same time offering a level of medical services which would normally only be available to them in a sub-acute nursing home. Care needs may be as basic as daily living assistance, or as comprehensive as alzheimer's care. It is the flexibility of the care plans offered by such facilities that benefit the residents. These provisions greatly lessen the number of times the elder person might have to move from one facility to another, as their condition progresses over time, because the care given is staged appropriately to the person's health.

Costs for continuum care facilities are based on resident needs and the location of the facility. Regulation of continuum of care facilities occurs at a state level. Please see our list of resources at the end of this article.

Alzheimer's / Dementia Care Facilities in Sonoma County, California

The focus of these facilities is on the care of elder people with alzheimer's/ dementia. Assistance with the activities of daily living as well as skilled nursing is available on-site. Depending upon the facility, opportunities for group socialization may be provided. Residents stay in private or semi-private rooms, and fees are generally paid through a combination of Medicare and private funds. Please see our list of resources below.

Resources for Elder Care in Sonoma County
Green Acres Manor provides the following solely as an aid to you in your search for the best care you can find for your loved one. We do not necessarily endorse any of the following listings, but offer them for your information.

In-Home Care

• Home Care Options, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)576-0771
• Home Health Care, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA. (707)538-0679
• Arcadia Health Care, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)541-3600
• Pacific Coast Nursing Services, Sonoma, CA. (707)935-2700

• Council on Aging of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA. 525-0143

• Friends House, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)538-0152
• Oakmont Village, Santa Rosa, CA. 1-888-Oakmont (625-6668)

• Green Acres Manor Residential Care Home, Kenwood, CA. (707)833-2341
• Agua Caliente Villa Retirement Home, Sonoma, CA. (707)996-4565
• Avalon at Brush Creek, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)538-2590
• Oakmont Gardens Retirement Community, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)538-1914
• Renaissance Lodge at Paulin Creek, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)575-3722
• Springfield Place, Petaluma, CA. (707)769-3300
• Friends House, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)538-0152
• Oak Terrace, Windsor, CA. (707)837-9220

• Apple Valley Care and Rehabilitation, Sebastopol, CA. (707)823-7675
• Monte Verde Rest Home, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)539-2154
• Summerfield Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)539-1515
• Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center of Petaluma, Petaluma, CA. (707)763-6887

• Oakmont Senior Living, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)535-3299

• Adobe House, Petaluma, CA. (707)775-4330
• Recollections at Brush Creek, Santa Rosa, CA. (707)538-2590

If the elder person in your life needs assisted living care, please read the following article:
Screening Elder Care Facilities in Sonoma County, California

If the elder person in your life needs at-home assistance, please read the following article:
Screening In-Home Elder Care Providers in Sonoma County, California