Mount Hope Nursing Center

If both medical and personal care needs have become too great to handle at home or in another senior living community, it may be time to consider a nursing facility. This may be due to a recent hospitalization or a chronic illness that has gradually been worsening.

Additionally, a nursing home should be considered when higher-level care is needed temporarily after a hospitalization but the patient is expected to be able to return home or to another facility after a period of time. If you aren’t sure, the Department of Aging will do a care assessment to determine if a person is ready for a nursing home.

At Mount Hope Nursing Center, we provide all of the furniture your parent or loved one needs in their apartment. However, to make it feel like home, we encourage residents to bring personal items such as family photos, a familiar bedspread, and treasured knickknacks.

We love visitors! You’re welcome to stop by and see the physical layout, sizes of the rooms, amount of closet space, and any furniture or household items that are included. We also offer a list of suggested items to bring and a floor plan for visitors to review.

Yes, we work with local Emergency Medical Service offer prompt ambulance service to our residents when necessary.

We feature a full calendar of activities and social events for residents, including art classes, ice cream socials, bingo and game night, prayer service, movie night, and guest speakers. In addition, Mt. Hope Nursing Center highlights a wellness center, swimming pool, beauty parlor, restaurant-style dining, and other amenities that make our facility feel more like resort living.

Unfortunately, we do not allow pets at this time.

No, that is not true. Some illnesses or injuries have progressed to the point where both ongoing medical and custodial care may be necessary through the end of life. However, many people encounter a nursing home for the first time after a sudden hospitalization, such as from a fall or stroke. After rehabilitative care, the person will be able to return home or may consider an independent living community or assisted living.

The cost of skilled nursing varies depending on where you live. In the Wichita area (and across the state of Kansas), healthcare costs are typically lower than those in other parts of the U.S. Other factors, such as what level of care is provided, and what type of accommodations you choose will affect the total cost. Most seniors do not usually meet their long-term care needs from any one source. Instead, a combination of support—private funds, long-term care insurance, and government assistance—is used to foot the bill.

Medicare covers post-hospital, short-term skilled care only—and may not cover the cost of ongoing nursing home care. For low-income seniors who meet eligibility requirements, Medicaid might pay a portion of the cost.

No. For some people, owning a house means they are not eligible for Medical Assistance. In that case, they may sell the house to pay for nursing home care, but the state does not take the house. If your mother uses the Maryland Medical Assistance program to pay her cost of care in a nursing home, the state may place a lien on her house after her death to recover correctly paid benefits. However, the state will not place a lien on the home if there is a chance your mother will become well enough to return home.

Also, the state will not place a lien on the home if a spouse or certain dependents are living there. When the Medical Assistance recipient passes away, if he or she does not have a surviving spouse or a surviving child who is unmarried and under 21 or is blind or disabled, the state can recover from his or her estate what Medical Assistance paid for nursing home care after the individual turned 55 years of age. If the person is survived by a spouse, a child who is unmarried and under 21, or a child who is blind or disabled, the state cannot recover those funds from the estate until the surviving spouse dies and there is no longer a surviving child living there who is unmarried and under 21 or is blind or disabled. The state has no claim against the estate of the surviving spouse or child.

The Maryland Legal Aid Bureau offers more information about how the Medical Assistance coverage in nursing homes operates.

At Mt. Hope, we strive to make our residents as comfortable as possible, and we understand that the transition process is different for each resident. The best way to help your loved one will depend on her mental status and the reasons for her desire to leave. If she does not feel at home or is having trouble adjusting to her new surroundings, ask for a meeting with our social worker to discuss the situation. Our skilled social worker will work with your loved one to help ease the transition as she makes the adjustment, and may be able to offer suggestions on how you can help, too. Simply bringing her favorite photographs and a few personal belongings may make her feel more at home. Also, visit often and encourage other family and friends to do the same.

If your loved one is suffering from dementia, adjustment may be more difficult as they may not remember why they need to stay at the nursing home despite how well or how often you explain the reasons. A support group may help you deal with the stress and unique challenges that come with caring for your loved one and could offer you more specific ways to help him or her.

The level of care for which a person is eligible is determined by evaluating how much assistance the individual needs with regular everyday activities (dressing, bathing, walking, eating, using the bathroom) and how much nursing supervision and medical care is required. An independent agency, KePRO, determines medical eligibility and level of care for nursing home placement. The Department of Aging will do a care assessment to determine if a person is ready for a nursing home.

Yes. As with all nursing facilities, Mt. Hope offers the same care and services to Medical Assistance residents and private pay residents. If you feel your loved one is not receiving the care he or she deserves, you can report the problem to a member of our staff or to an outside agency.

All adults should strongly consider making certain decisions before a crisis hits. Executing a Financial Power of Attorney and Advance Directives, including a Living Will and Do Not Resuscitate Order, enables the competent adult to decide what type of care he or she may want in the future. If your dad is not mentally capable of executing these documents, Maryland law offers other legal remedies that may enable you to ensure that his wishes are met. Making and prepaying for burial arrangements is helpful as well.

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Medicare may pay a portion of the bill for a very specific period of time if the patient is determined to need skilled nursing care. The maximum benefit period is 100 days. Examples that may require skilled nursing care include an open wound that needs dressings and treatments, a tracheostomy, a newly placed feeding tube, or the need for extensive physical and occupational therapy. Most people do not qualify for skilled care for an extended period of time. The majority of nursing home care is paid for privately or by the Medical Assistance Program.

Of course you can bring your loved one home for the holidays, provided they meet necessary criteria. We want our residents to enjoy the holidays, but we must make sure that they are in good health before they leave the facility. In order for a resident to be released, he or she must be granted prior approval from their doctor. However, if you wish to have them stay overnight or longer, you will need to review the nursing home contract regarding nursing home bed-hold policy, where it should specify the number of days of leave a resident may use without losing his or her bed. If your mom is receiving Medical Assistance, she is allowed to spend up to 15 nights of approved leave away from the nursing home each year. It is important, when making this decision, to be sure you will be able to give your mother the amount of care she needs before you bring her home for a visit, but if you and her doctor feel it is feasible and in her best interest, you may want to consider it.

You may move your loved one to another facility at any time, but it is important to read your contract to learn how many days’ notice are required to avoid incurring an additional expense.

To choose a good nursing home for your loved one, you need to focus on their needs and wants, determine and familiarize yourself with the facilities available in your area, and let others with the right knowledge and experience help you through the necessary insurance questions and paperwork. One of the most important ways to find the right place is to visit the facilities. Don’t schedule an appointment—just show up. See how the place looks, smells, and feels. How does the staff act? Do they greet you when you walk in or interact with you at all? Does the environment feel comfortable and safe? Do the people there seem to be treated and cared for well? Use your senses and best judgment. You’ll know whether or not a place is best for your loved one’s health and happiness.

We always welcome families into our home and encourage you to call to arrange a tour today. Because we’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we can be flexible to accommodate your schedule.

To make each room feel as much like home as possible, we encourage residents to bring personal items with them when moving into our home. We do not limit any kind of furniture in resident rooms unless it invades the space of the resident’s roommate or poses a safety hazard to other residents, visitors, or our employees. Many of our residents have brought their own recliners, end tables, plant stands, and television sets.

Resident room hookups are available in the locations that offer cable television service. At some of the locations that offer cable, the resident is charged a monthly fee for this service.

Residents may have private telephone service in their rooms, but the expense of the connection and the monthly bill may be charged to the resident.

At Mt. Hope, there are no set times or restrictions on visiting hours for family members and friends, but we have found the most convenient hours for residents are between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Before you bring your father’s favorite foods into the nursing home, check with the nursing staff or dietary manager because many of our residents must follow a special diet for health reasons. Anytime you bring in food from home, be sure to store it in an airtight container. Also, plan to arrive at mealtimes or snack times, when the food can be eaten, because we have very strict guidelines for storing perishable food.

Ask your loved one if he or she has completed any advance directives, which are documents that provide clear instructions about what medical care they want (or don’t want). The most commonly recognized types of advance directives are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care. A living will is a document that contains all of your loved one’s wishes concerning medical treatment. A durable power of attorney for health care enables your loved one to appoint someone to make medical decisions when he or she cannot do so. If your loved one does not have any of these documents, talk to them about their wishes and the need to get them in writing. Be sure to discuss their wishes with other family members, and perhaps with important people outside the family such as a family friend, religious leader, or social worker.

We recommend at least seven complete outfits. Appropriate clothing is usually considered to be slacks, shirts or tops, dresses, sweat suits, sweaters, nightgown/sleepwear, and underwear. Shoes or slippers should have nonslip soles. As a general rule, clothing should be roomy and have large enough openings that they can be put on and removed with a minimum of stress to both the resident and the clothing.

Personal laundry service is provided by the facility. Clothing should be machine washable and dryable. Each item of clothing should be indelibly marked with the resident’s name (first initial and last name). Families should expect to assist in maintaining the resident’s wardrobe.

Please be sure to include the resident’s first and last name when sending mail to our facility. All personal mail is delivered unopened to each resident. Upon request of the resident or family, helpful staff or volunteers can assist with opening and reading mail.

Skilled nursing care is appropriate when the patient needs ongoing nursing intervention and supervision following an illness or a chronic condition. It is also appropriate for short-term intensive physical, occupational, or speech rehabilitation therapy. The patient’s care is under the direction of a physician.

Sometimes, events happen or circumstances change. Being prepared “just in case” can save you time and worry during a time of crisis. I’ve spoken with several families over the years that, because of an unanticipated need, ended up looking for nursing home placement even though that was not at all in their plans.

If your goal, like that of many, is to avoid nursing home placement, you may want to research some supports you can bring into the home such as home health care services or meals for seniors. These services can often extend the time someone can live at home.

However, you should also identify and consider your options in case your loved one does ever need a facility. Remember that getting information about possible facilities is much easier when you’re able do this research at your own convenience instead of making a rushed decision because your loved one is at the hospital and needs to be transferred out in an hour.

Even if you never need to use that information, perhaps it will still bring you a little peace of mind.

Consider these suggestions on researching and choosing a nursing home. It’s an important task, so ask around and drop in on a few facilities. One of the best resources is word-of-mouth from a friend.

Home health care can be very helpful in supporting someone at home. Here’s how home health care works and how it can help someone with dementia. Remember that the goal of keeping someone at home is quality of care and safety in their home.

At Mt. Hope, we’re always available to address your concerns. Knowing how to approach a facility when you’re concerned about the care they’re providing is half the battle. Advocating for your loved one in a calm, respectful, and effective way can improve his care and open the door for ongoing communication.

Here are some tips on how to help your loved one with dementia adjust to a facility.