website: foresthomeeldercare.org Tel: 360-844-5367
Adult Family Home in Camas
Forest Home Elder Care
A premier care home for your Mom in Camas
ABOUT US
Our names are Jim and Patty Sundem, we are the owners of Forest Home Elder Care Inc. in Camas Washington.
We began Forest Home Elder Care in 2011.
We both grew up in the Vancouver/Camas area and graduated from Seattle Pacific University.
We have been married for 46 years and have five adult children and five grandchildren.
A picture tour of our home
Scroll through the images to see our home and setting
Do you worry about your mom's care? Here are some factors that can set your mind at ease.
What does some of the research say?
A book that we would like to recommend and many have found informative and helpful is Being Mortal by Dr. Atul Gawande. (2014, Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Co, LLC). The author deals with the contemporary experience of aging and mortality, and how modern medicine has changed the experience, for better and for worse. It is asserted that whenever the elderly have had the financial means, they have chosen what social scientists have called "intimacy with independence."
Key Question:
If independence is highly valued, how can it be best managed when it can no longer be sustained due to the changing care needs of the elderly?
In Dr. Gawande's book (p75) he tells the story of an elderly woman in a nursing home. She said, "I know I can't do what I used to, but this feels like a hospital, not a home." She also talked about nursing home priorities, which are matters like avoiding bed sores and maintaining residents' weight.
The author then shares the research (p115) of a doctor named Bill Thomas who worked with nursing home residents. Thomas believed that a good life was one of maximum independence. He felt that this was precisely what the people in the nursing home were denied. He got to know the residents. They had been teachers, shopkeepers, housewives, and factory workers, just like people he had known growing up. Acting on little more than instinct, he decided to try to put some life into the nursing home-- by literally putting life into it. If he could introduce plants, animals, and children into the lives of the residents, filling the nursing home with them, what would happen? His goal was to attack the Three Plagues of nursing home existence: boredom, loneliness, and helplessness. To attack the Three Plagues they needed to bring in some life. They'd put green plants in every room. They'd tear up the lawn and create a vegetable and flower garden.
What he found was that the residents began to wake up and come to life. "People who we had believed weren't able to speak started speaking," Thomas said. People who had been completely withdrawn and non-ambulatory started coming to the nurses' station and saying, "I'll take the dog for a walk." All of the parakeets were adopted and named by the residents. The lights turned back on in the people's eyes.
Researchers studied the effects of this program over two years, comparing a variety of measures for these residents with those at another nursing home nearby. Their study found that the number of prescriptions required per resident fell to half that of the control nursing home. The total drug costs fell to just 38% of the comparison facility. Deaths fell 15%. The study could not say why. But Thomas said, "I believe that the difference in death rates can be traced to the fundamental human need for a reason to live."
What are some of the benefits of our Care Home?
First and foremost-- IT'S A HOME!
Forest Home Elder care is not an institution nor is it a hospital-- it is a home. It is also a place each person can call their home. The following are a few of the benefits:
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High caregiver to resident ratio: For example, in our home many days per week our caregiver ratio is 1 caregiver to 3 or 4 residents. Caregivers get to know each individual resident and their unique and specific care needs and preferences. Residents can wake up to a familiar face every day and their daily routines are maintained. It is a smaller, more intimate environment than a large institutional setting.
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Lower cost: An Adult Family Home is often much less expensive than larger institutional settings. In many cases-- the costs can be significantly less. At the same time, an Adult Family Home can provide excellent medical care. Usually, the heavier the care needs, the better value an Adult Family Home may provide.
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Nurse Delegation: Each caregiver goes through training in basic caregiving skills as required by the State of Washington. However, when a resident's care needs go beyond basic caregiving, a certified nurse can train each caregiver for specific tasks that may be required in a resident's care plan. These are specific delegated tasks in which training and supervision are managed. For example, caregivers can be delegated to give diabetes injections to a resident exactly as prescribed by the doctor.
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Able to maintain maximum independence: Residents are often able to maintain more independent control of their daily lives. It is far easier to meet the needs and preferences of a maximum of eight residents than large groups of residents.
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Adult Family Homes are highly regulated, Washington State has strict guidelines and licensing requirements, and requires compliance regarding care and medication management given exactly per Doctor's daily orders.
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Forest Home Elder Care uses a comprehensive computerized medication, Tasks and ADL management system. This system is used to ensure detailed care plan execution and record keeping.
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Low caregiver turn-over: In our home we have very low caregiver turnover. Our caregivers have been with us from two to twelve years. This is critical in maintaining a high level of care.
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Large vegetable and flower garden: We sit on almost two acres. We have a very large organic vegetable garden and flower garden. We also have chickens that provide us with fresh eggs every day. We also have a large patio for outdoor gatherings in the summer.
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We have a large 26x30 foot gathering room with 13 foot ceilings with private resident entrance. This provides a wonderful area for residents to entertain guests and family. We have a grand piano and organ in this room and they are used for a variety of activities and events.
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Large private rooms: Each large private room has 9 foot ceilings. Large windows bring in lots of light and each room has a garden view and their own private half bathroom.
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We have a large wheel chair accessible shower room.
Are there any residents that you cannot serve in your home?
With nurse delegation, we are able to serve almost all care needs. However, we are not able to serve the following residents in our home:
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We do not accept Medicaid residents. We only accept private pay residents.
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We specialize in caring for elderly women and therefore, do not accept men.
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We cannot accept a resident with exit seeking behavior.
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We accept residents that do not require regular and permanent awake night care. We can provide nightly monitoring and care for temporary care needs that arise. However, cannot accept residents that need awake night care on a permanent basis.
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We do not accept residents that are combative to caregivers or other residents.
If I am interested, what are the next steps?
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Please call us at 360-844-5367 and schedule a tour.
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Make sure that you have an assessment done by a certified medical professional. This will provide the basis for the care plans and rates. In addition, this will also ensure that we can provide the needed care for your mother or loved one.
