Communal Living That Feels Like Home

How to Choose A Long-term Care Provider

It is our goal to provide compassionate, comprehensive care for our residents. We work closely with our residents’ family members and loved ones as we navigate their care journey together. Being a caregiver can be stressful, frustrating, difficult, and rewarding all at the same time.

When it comes time to evaluate or re-evaluate your loved one’s care situation, there are many things to consider.
You want your loved one to receive the kind of care that they need in a safe, clean, and comfortable environment. Most of all, you want them to be happy and feel loved when you can’t be there with them.

Choosing a care provider is a hard decision. We like to tell people to begin by considering the challenges a person is facing, the type of support they might need, and their life preferences. Do they like to be alone? Do they need around-the-clock care? Can they take care of basic, daily activities by themselves? Based on what you think is working and not working for them, you can begin to narrow care choices. It can also be helpful to consult their physician.

Finding A New Home

Once you determine the level of care someone needs, it’s time to begin considering the provider and their location.

Many residents like to stay in their current neighborhood to be near friends and family, their church, and places they like to frequent. Start with identifying providers in your loved one’s neighborhood, or providers in a location that is close to your home or place of work. Then schedule tours to visit places of interest.

Pay close attention to how staff members interact with one another, residents, and you. Staff members will spend a lot of time with your loved one and will become an important part of their life.

At Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky, our goal is for staff members to build relationships with residents and family members so that there is a genuine exchange of connection between people involved in the care.

At the end of the day, all we have is each other. Staff and resident relationships have been vital to happiness in our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some things to consider when touring a provider:

Is it clean?
Are people friendly and kind?
Do people smile?
Do people speak to each other?
What activities do they offer for residents?
Do staff members communicate well with your family?
Is the environment homelike?
Is your loved one comfortable?
Do the people call each other by name?
Are you comfortable?

Paying For Long-Term Care

The cost of long-term care expands or narrows someone’s choice of provider. Without insurance or Medicaid/Medicare, individuals can expect to pay between $8,000 – $10,000 a month for long-term care services.

For-profit long-term care providers are typically driven by the bottom line and have extra amenities available to potential residents/patients. Non-profit organizations (like us) are driven by a motivation of service for the benefit of the larger community. We try to serve a general need that is unmet or a population that may not be able to afford the for-profit options.

Our resources are poured into our people. We focus on the relationship we have with one another and the community that surrounds us. We may not have swimming pools or the latest technology, but we are committed to providing loving care and service to one another as employees and to our residents.

It’s important to note that regular health insurance does not cover long-term care. However, regular health insurance can cover short-term rehabilitation in some circumstances. Medicare does not cover ongoing assisted living, personal care, or long-term care. It can, however, cover short stays in nursing homes and hospice care for the last six months of life.

Assisted living communities are generally private pay, or can be covered by long-term care policies, depending on the plan.

Trying to figure out how to pay for long-term care can be frustrating and scary. If you choose us as your provider, we will walk you through payment options and will help you secure available funding through your long-term care insurance, VA, and any other possible source.

Long-term care is expensive. People usually pay for it using a combination of sources. Below are the common ways people pay for care.

Different Methods of Payment For Care:

Private funds (referred to as "private pay")
State Medicaid/Medicare
Long-term Care Insurance
Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits

Different Levels of Care, One Cost

Different providers charge for extra services or care items. Our residents pay one monthly fee that includes all services, meals, and “extra” services. We want our residents to feel at home.

We also offer a Caring Hands Fund. Funded by donations, if assisted living residents apply and meet certain criteria, they receive supplemental payments and are able to remain in their community.

Our goal is to keep residents in the Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky family. When someone becomes part of our family, we do everything we can to help them stay with us.

Making the Transition to A New Home

Moving into a new home is not an easy process. It can be scary and disorienting for a new resident as they get used to their new home.

We do everything we can to provide them with extra support and care during this time. As an extension of our family, we will help you during the transition as well.

You can learn more about what life is like in our communities here.

Not Sure Where to Start?

We provide long and short-term care services such as affordable housing for seniors, assisted living, and respite care in three communities across the Commonwealth.