TROY, Mich., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CarePatrol, the nation’s largest senior care solutions organization, recently announced a significant victory for the senior care industry as Maryland franchisee Paula Sotir worked with other senior referral companies, assisted living communities and clients that have placed loved ones to champion improved regulations for senior-care referral companies. Sotir, franchisee of CarePatrol of Baltimore, has been a pivotal advocate for ensuring safer and more reliable senior care services.

Over the past three years, Sotir has worked with Maryland Senator Shelly Hettleman and other placement companies to push for stricter oversight and higher standards in the senior care industry. Their efforts culminated last week with the signing of Senate Bill 952 into law, a landmark piece of legislation designed to enhance the quality and accountability of senior-care referral companies.

“Ensuring that our seniors receive the best possible care is not just a professional obligation, but a personal mission. The work to pass this bill is a major step toward protecting our most vulnerable citizens,” said Paula Sotir. “I am proud to be part of this significant change that will help elevate the standards of senior care across Maryland and aim to keep fighting for this initiative to spark positive change across the nation at large.”

Senate Bill 952 introduces stringent requirements for senior-care referral companies, including: mandating comprehensive criminal background checks for all personnel, requiring business insurance, conducting regular audits of care standards and using transparent payment practices. These measures aim to eliminate the previously unchecked practices that have infiltrated the industry and to ensure a greater level of trust and safety for seniors and their families.

“This new legislation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Paula Sotir and other referral companies, assisted living communities, clients and the entire CarePatrol organization,” stated CarePatrol Brand President Becky Bongiovanni. “At CarePatrol, we are committed to ensuring that every senior is placed in a safe and nurturing environment. Senate Bill 952 sets a precedent for other states to follow, and we are honored to have been a part of this critical advocacy. Congratulations Paula and others for your dedication!”

SOURCE CarePatrol

What is Personal Care?

Personal care refers to a range of personal daily living tasks that keep a person clean and comfortable. These tasks involve private hygiene such as bathing, toileting, and oral care. Additionally, other activities include dressing, eating, and ensuring medication is taken appropriately. An individual’s personal care requirements can differ depending on their overall health and level of mobility. Some older adults may require assistance with these tasks because they have problems with their joints, and strength, or have other health issues. For example, they may need help getting out of bed and into a chair or assistance with a bath or shower.²

Why is Personal Care so Important?

Personal care is key in promoting the overall well-being of elderly individuals. By engaging in personal care routines, individuals can experience a heightened quality of life empowering them to maintain their independence, health (physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially), and overall happiness.³

• Independence benefits – an individual’s personal care routine can be adapted to their specific needs so that their independence can be maintained in a comfortable and safe environment. Support for physical mobility enables them to continue living in their familiar environment and allows them to move around more safely, reducing the risk of falls and injuries. Assistance with outings ensures that a person can participate in social activities, continue their connections, and enjoy life beyond their home setting. Assisted Living care facilities can offer transportation when needed and senior transportation services are available.
• Physical health benefits – showering, dressing, and grooming are essential for maintaining physical health. Maintaining personal hygiene reduces illnesses and the spread of infection. It can also help certain health issues from worsening or reoccurring, such as skin conditions or urinary tract infections. Oral hygiene, including regular teeth brushing and denture care, prevents dental diseases and promotes overall health. Clean, appropriate clothing contributes to overall comfort. Maintaining a healthy diet, getting proper sleep, and obtaining adequate physical activity all play an important role in a person’s physical well-being.⁴
• Mental and emotional health benefits – by optimizing a personal care routine, a person feels better, looks better, and has more energy. This self-care is linked to enhanced mental health, resulting in greater self-esteem and self-worth, increased optimism, and lower levels of anxiety and depression. A warm bath and the use of scented products at the end of the day can help a person feel relaxed and ready for bed. Proper nutrition and sleep are additional aspects of self-care that contribute to mental well-being.
• Social health benefits – living alone can cause feelings of isolation and have serious health consequences. It is crucial to have a good social life to maintain overall wellness. Provided personal care support, such as what is available through an assisted living facility, offers an opportunity where an individual can form a genuine bond with their caregiver and gain companionship.
• Quality of life – when an older adult is caring for themselves and maintaining their overall health, they’ll be better equipped to live their best life. With proper physical health, the body will run more efficiently. There’s a strong connection between the body and the mind, so when caring for the body, one will think and feel better as well. Health problems, even relatively minor ones like aches, pains, fatigue, and indigestion impact people’s happiness and stress levels. Health problems can also make daily tasks more challenging. Poor health habits can add stress to an individual’s life and interfere with daily living. Therefore, maintaining healthy habits is extremely important for overall health. When daily tasks are managed and a healthy personal care regimen is in place, people can focus on activities they enjoy. Additionally, feeling well-cared-for increases happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being, resulting in a higher quality of life.⁵

While personal care routines can differ for older adults, it’s important to recognize an individual’s specific needs. Prioritizing an appropriate routine is a vital aspect of care for seniors. It empowers them to maintain their independence, overall health, and increased happiness. When ensuring personal care for a senior has become challenging or too costly, or social isolation is a concern, consider the benefits of an assisted living environment and call CarePatrol Baltimore for guidance and recommendations.

References:

¹ Verywell Mind https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729

² National Institute on Aging (NIH) https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place/aging-place-growing-older-home

³ Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/a-deeper-wellness/202302/understanding-the-mental-health-and-self-care-connection

⁴ Verywell Mind https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729

⁵ Verywell Mind https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-maintain-a-high-quality-of-life-3144723

As CarePatrol Baltimore marks its 10th anniversary in business, we help families navigate the maze of decision making that comes with placement in independent, assisted living and memory care. We realized we have developed a rich foundation of best practices in our industry. Our leadership is evident. Having placed over 2,000 individuals, CarePatrol Baltimore is committed to the community and the families it serves. CarePatrol Baltimore (CPB) has been recognized for this commitment such as Franchise of the year, MVP, and employee of the year awards for the Northeast, and the Founders Award.   We present here our anniversary-10 Reasons Why CPB is the best option to help you find a safe senior option.

Leadership and Best Practices – Our top 10:

1. Team Experience: Across the CarePatrol Baltimore’s team exists a broad knowledge base of experience in critical areas such as healthcare, finance, and real estate.  The depth of experience we tap into serves our clients throughout the whole process of finding a specialized living community that meets both healthcare needs and financial capabilities.  The depth and breadth of the team’s experience in healthcare allows CarePatrol to help seniors that are medically complex. As a women owned company, with the owner a nurse having over 40 years of experience in all facets of healthcare such as hospital, homecare, and wound care, we are so much more than placement services.
2. Large Inventory of Communities: CPB refers to over 350 communities that have been vetted. We know the prices, amenities, and medical capabilities of each one. CPB visits these communities, and we know real-time information on their current abilities.   We are in and out of the communities all the time, checking staffing changes and capabilities.  It is important for individuals to have this knowledge to make the best decisions. It is also important for families to understand that individuals with medically complex health situations have more options than the nursing home or long-term care. Highly medically complex clients have options too! There are assisted livings that can handle sliding scale insulin, Hoyer lifts, and dementia with aggressive behaviors.  We analyze where the best fit would be once we learn about your situation and connect it with the facility which offers the best fit.
3. Tour Support: CPB team members are local and hands-on. In most cases one of the staff members will accompany you on tours so that you will have all your questions answered and have a good idea of how each community will fit your needs. CPB provides on-staff touring specialists which is very unique in this industry.
4. Financial Resource Knowledge: CPB has knowledge of other financial resources.  Access to this knowledge will help identify programs to assist and potentially pay for assisted living. Programs such as the Baltimore Subsidy Program and Veterans Aid and Attendance are well understood by our Advisors. Our team offers best practices in understanding complicated long-term insurance and can guide clients in the right way to present it to increase the likelihood of approval. You do not need to navigate this alone.
5. Other move and legal resources: CPB has a network of resources that will help you with the move to senior communities such as referrals to reputable moving companies and companies to assist with downsizing, law services, and wills.   We offer a team member who earned a notary certificate to help when documents need to be notarized. Our goal is to help streamline and ease a difficult time and we have a decade of experience finetuning this process and building those relationships.
6. Help You Navigate the Health System:  CPB works closely with social workers in hospitals and rehabs.  With the families’ permission we can obtain medical information that will assist with narrowing down the living options for the family to choose. CPB can communicate with the healthcare personnel, even on weekends and holidays, because health situations don’t follow a calendar or clock. Offering this always-on access is unusual. CPB is prepared to go above and beyond for our clients.
7. Blogs Are Available: CPB has over 40 written blogs that will help you navigate this overwhelming time.  We have articles that can help you identify if this is the time to move.
8. Training Residential Assisted Livings: CPB is committed to helping residential assisted living facilities understand the state rules and best practices for operating an assisted living center.  CPB provides training for new assisted living managers monthly as part of the certification class. CPB wants your experience with the smaller residential communities to be positive.
9.  Excellent Client Satisfaction:  We have excellent client satisfaction with a Google rating of 4.8, and many, many positive shared stories from our clients.
10. State and National Reach:  We can help clients throughout Maryland and throughout the country through our partnership with other CarePatrol locations. Importantly, we can help our clients coming from treatment centers across the country get back to the state or town where they live with the same kinds of service we provide locally. We are a united CarePatrol team.

For all these reasons and more the community counts on CarePatrol Baltimore to help people find the living environment best for their needs. We help families manage and navigate a typically trying and emotional time and we do it with compassion and expertise. Help us celebrate 10 years, and know that if and when you need assistance, CarePatrol Baltimore is here and ready to assist.

Learn More:  https://carepatrol.com/baltimore/

As of early 2021, there are 613 licensed residential assisted living facilities with beds ranging from 3 to 18 in each of the communities.  Typically, these residential communities are houses in neighborhoods in Baltimore county and Baltimore city.  To be licensed as a RAL you must follow the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR)  http://www.dsd.state.md.us/COMAR/searchall.aspx.  The code provides detailed regulations for procedural, safety and health protocols within the living space, its programs, and staff.

Read about RAL specific regulations in the blog post The Code of Maryland Regulations as applied to Residential Assisted Living Facilities.

We often get asked to describe a residential assisted living (RAL), what is it, how does it work, what differentiates a RAL from other types of living communities?

RALs are houses of all different sizes that may have private and semi-private rooms.  They typically have a shared living room, kitchen and shared bathrooms.   Some bathrooms are large enough for wheelchair access, others are not.  They may have one floor or multiple floors with or without a stair lift.  Many have steps into the house that may or may not have a ramp.  RALs all have 24/7 caregivers with caregivers that are licensed to give medication.  The facility must have a delegating RN that assesses every new resident and will assess residents every 45 days or earlier with any change in resident condition.

Typically, RALs may have better caregiver-to-resident ratios compared to ratios at larger assisted living communities.  Due to the small size of the RAL, the residents feel like they are at home. The residents receive individual care.   Due to the close-knit nature, it is more likely for caregivers to know when a resident they provide care for is not acting themselves and will therefore identify early signs of illness or declining dementia.

Each RAL through their uniform disclosure statement will tell the state what kinds of residents they are comfortable caring for. Can they take care of urostomies, colostomies, internal catheters, sliding scale, Feeding tubes, 2 person lifts and wheelchair bound individuals, and other specific medical needs that a resident might have?

Some RALs will provide activities such as music and art while others will take their residents to a senior center for activities.  Some RALs have transportation and others do not.  CarePatrol knows the care capabilities of the majority of the RALs in our region.  This helps us guide families to the best options for their loved one and saves a tremendous amount of time and energy.

The biggest difference between a RAL and the other types of facilities? The cost. Fees are typically less in an RAL.  On average, in a large, rental assisted living, the cost is $5,000 a month or more.  In residential assisted living, depending upon the care needs of the residents, a Baltimore City fee can start at $1,500 a month and in Baltimore County $2,500 a month. With the family home-like feel, the individualized attention and the cost savings attached to RALs, this becomes a strong choice for families looking for the right place for their loved ones. With over 600 in our region, it is good to have a resource like CarePatrol to help navigate the many nuances within each facility. With our deep intake process and clinical understanding of the needs and goals of the family, we can narrow the search to a manageable list of top recommendations.

Reach out today for a no-cost consultation.

COMAR, is the official compilation of all administrative regulations issued by agencies of the state of Maryland. The COMAR regulations are reviewed and updated frequently. The following regulations apply to all assisted living and memory care communities and are the key points to look for when evaluating facilities:

1. Licensure requirements and procedures. Make sure the facility is licensed in the state of Maryland, by the Office of Healthcare Quality.
2. Uniform disclosure statement. A document that explains exactly the amenities and care abilities of the community. Review this – it includes the details about what services the facility can provide, what care ability they are authorized to perform (i.e., lifting, sliding scale insulin, catheter).
3. Quality assurance program. All RALs need to have this in place. It is a requirement for assisted living communities to have a quality assurance program, including how to use incident reports for accidents such as falls.
4. A staffing plan and defined rules. All RALs need to have their plan documented, i.e., for when an awake caregiver is needed at night, or having a care provider on premise 24/7. For example, dementia patients require awake care 24/7.
5. Requirements for staff training. Trainings such as CPR, medication management, and dementia training are critical for competent staff and compliance.
6. A delegating nurse. Every RAL must have a registered nurse staff member who will complete a resident assessment upon admission and at least every 45 days for each resident or when a resident’s condition changes, such as in declining health, running a temperature, or developing a new cough.
7. A preadmission requirement. RALs in Maryland must require a few things of each new resident prior to move in: A physician pre-check/Doctors orders called Healthcare Care Practitioner Assessment Form, an advanced directive in the Maryland form (MOLST), a TB test, AND NOW A COVID Vaccine or negative covid test.
8. Clients plan of care guidance.  Every resident must have a specific plan of care, which the caregivers must follow. An example of a “plan of care” is what kind of diet is medically needed or the need for oxygen and how often.
9. Meal standards. Each RAL must meet requirements for meals that are balanced & nutritional and planned in advance. The plan must be posted for the whole month, and must include protein, fruit, and vegetables. The Maryland Office of Healthcare Quality will audit the facility for this requirement.
10. Medication management. Medications must be managed and given to residents by a licensed medication technician. In most cases the residents medical list must be reviewed quarterly by a pharmacist.
11. Resident record requirements. There must be established protocols on how the facility must chart the health needs for each resident. Each resident has a health record or log which is stored in a locked cabinet.
12. Resident rights documentation. COMAR requires each RAL to post necessary documentation about resident rights. These rights include the right to be treated with respect, dignity, consideration, and full recognition of a resident’s human dignity and individuality.
13. Smoking rules must be posted. Smoking is only allowed outside in a designated area.
14. Bathroom minimums. Each RAL must have one bathroom per every 4 residents.
15. Posted Emergency Plans. Facilities must have a posted emergency preparedness plan and additional safety measures in place. For example, they are required to have accessible fire extinguishers, and smoke alarms.
16. Residential agreements. All residents must be provided for signature a residential agreement.

Maryland COMAR rules apply to all RAL communities, from those that are large and have 200 residents to communities that are small and have only 3 residents. The above regulations are those most relevant to consider when evaluating a residential facility. They provide a clear picture of the type of care, official safety measures in place, and establish clear guidelines for consistency and professionalism. The goal of the COMAR regulations is to keep residents healthy, happy, and well cared for.  CarePatrol will have this information for you and make this process very easy for you to chose a RAL.

Care Patrol of Baltimore staff members and Founder, Paula Sotir, regularly attend the monthly education meetings and the Baltimore County Provider Council’s annual luncheon. The ability to meet and network with other service providers better helps Care Patrol of Baltimore help our clients across a cross section of services relevant to aging seniors and families. Seniors living in the greater Baltimore community benefit from better coordinated care and better support for seniors across many challenges as they age.

With nearly 17% of the County’s population 65 and older, there’s a sizable number of individuals (nearly 140,000) who benefit from a robust network of professionals serving the senior market. This number is set to climb as the rate of persons 65+ in America is slated to double by the year 2050.² As people live longer and more people move into the senior age bracket, the impact on our community is profound. The services provided by the Baltimore County Provider Council help professionals serving this market stay abreast of important trainings, connect with one another to foster a referenceable community of providers, and overall, better serve Baltimore County and the region.

Meetings are free to members, and guests can typically join meetings for $10. Often, CEU is available at educational events. While other regions have similar organizations (Fredrick County offers the Elder Service Provider Council³) we’re pretty fond of our Baltimore County Provider Council.

Patty Haw, Board Chairperson, along with other board members, works to develop meaningful programs and events. This independent, charitable non-profit was created to foster education, communication and cooperation among care providers, geriatric professionals and others interested in the needs of older adults.

1. Baltimore County Provider Council https://www.bcpcouncil.org/index.php
2. US Census Bureau, US Department of Commerce, Economic and Statistics Administration, An Aging Nation: The Older Population in the United States  By Jennifer M. Ortman, Victoria A. Velkoff,  and Howard Hogan, Issued May 2014 https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p25-1140.pdf 
3. Elder Service Provider Council http://www.espcfrederick.com/about-us