Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

They say “Knowledge is Power.” To help, we’ve created a place where you can find answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive. Click on any of the categories below to see the questions and answers related to that category. Click on the topic again if you wish to collapse the text prior to selecting another topic.

Senior Living FAQ Categories

Social Enrichment/Activities

Staying active isn’t just important for physical health, but for overall wellbeing. Depression can strike at any age, but for seniors, it is a common and potentially serious problem. It is believed that one in four senior adults battle feelings of depression. Elderly Depression is often undiagnosed because it is considered a normal part of aging, but staying active both physically and socially can help ensure that feelings of loneliness and isolation do not occur.

Absolutely! Our full calendar of events and activities ensures that there’s something for everyone’s taste! We ask our residents what they enjoy, and then incorporate those preferences into the activities calendar. Our Social Enrichment Directors go the extra mile to encourage all residents to participate in activities they find meaningful.

We welcome family members at any time, but especially enjoy when they take part in our community activities and social events. Our Activities Directors are happy to include family members and the residents enjoy having their loved ones join in the fun.

Each of our communities use a Wellness based model to plan their engagement calendar. Physical Wellness, Social Wellness, Mental Wellness and Spiritual Wellness are all reflected each week to help provide residents with activities that are both fun and meaningful. Exercise, BINGO, art classes, outings and spiritual programs are just some of the enrichment programs offered.

Admissions Process

Either prior to or during the admissions process, you must present your Medicare card, Medicaid card, Managed Care or Insurance card, Social Security card, Medicare Part D (drug benefit) card, Advanced Directives, Living Will, etc. (if applicable) and any Long-Term Care/Supplemental Insurance policies. Our admissions personnel will review all state and federal programs that you could be eligible for and explain the benefits and requirements to you. Additionally, you may meet with a member of our business office to review any financial questions that center around your Medicare, Medicaid or Insurance policies.

Our goal is to provide each resident with a smooth transition into our community, while meeting the federal, state and local requirements. Our admissions director will assist you with every step of the process. 

The first step is determining that the prospective resident has a medical need for placement in a nursing facility. The admissions director will gather information for review such as a history and physical completed by your personal physician within the last 30 days, medication orders, a chest x-ray within the last 6 months, a statement from the physician that indicates you have no communicable disease, as well as a physician’s order for admittance. Also required is a PPD, which is a skin test for tuberculosis that you must have had within the last three months.

This information is then sent to the state as a part of a pre-admission screening process completed by the local Area Agency on Aging. During this process, the state will determine if the prospective resident meets the requirements for admission.

Following a clinical assessment, the admissions team will work with the hospital staff to arrange placement into the Skilled Nursing community. The hospital staff will provide the medical information to ensure a smooth transition. It will be necessary for you or a family member to complete admission paperwork prior to or the day of admission.

A member of our nursing team will meet with you to review clinical information, perform a clinical evaluation, and orient you to our community. The admitting nurse will discuss a number of clinical aspects related to your diagnosis, medications and activity level. The clinical evaluation is a head-to-toe assessment during which time your weight will be recorded as well as any conditions that may need to be addressed immediately and during your stay.

Clinical interventions are focused on the special needs of our residents and are designed to promote a safe and timely discharge.

Members of the interdisciplinary team will meet with you and/or your loved one shortly after admission. This team includes many of the community’s leaders that will be overseeing your care such as the therapy staff, registered dietitian and social services. We call this our Road to Recovery meeting. This meeting is a time to discuss goals and provide a “road map” for your expected recovery. It will include discussions about your nursing needs, therapy goals, expected length of treatment, psychosocial needs, discharge planning and educational needs.

For your convenience, the community may arrange providers of professional services, or you may wish to select your own providers. If you do so, please remember to bring their names, addresses and telephone numbers with you on the day of admission. These providers of professional services must comply with all applicable rules and regulations. The providers of service can include your physician who is available to visit you at the community as required by licensure/certification, your dentist, podiatrist, pharmacist, hospital professionals, and your church or clergy member.

We encourage you to bring personal items as space allows. All personal belongings should be labeled with your name. Any electrical item, such as lights, TVs and radios, must be checked and approved for use by our maintenance department. All clothing should have your name either on a label sewn to the garment or written on the garment in permanent ink.

Women should bring four or five dresses or slacks and blouses/tops, two or three sweaters, eight undergarments, pajamas, gown and robe, non-slip shoes and a coat.

Men should bring four or five pairs of slacks and four or five shirts, eight undershirts and shorts, two or three sweaters, pajamas, a robe, non-slip shoes and a coat.

Depending on which service line they will be utilizing, alternative lists of suggested items may be given.

CMS 5-Star Rating

In 2008, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the controversial Five-Star Quality Rating System on the Medicare.gov website. The Nursing Home Compare website features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of 1 to 5 stars. CMS cautions the public that no rating system can address all of the important considerations that go into a decision about which nursing home may be best for a particular person. There are limitations of the Five-Star Quality Rating System. The overall rating is made up of 3 subcategories, which include Health Inspection Results, Staffing and Quality Measures. CMS notes the limitations of the rating are due to the fact that two of the three subcategories are based on self-reported data and only capture a small period of time.

It is because of these limitations that CMS advises consumers to use other sources, including a visit, before making a decision.

American Senior Communities understands this is an important decision and warmly opens its doors and invites you to visit and get to know the staff before you make a decision. We are here to help answer any questions you have to ensure you feel confident regarding your decision.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a federal and state-funded medical assistance program that pays for approved and needed medical care for persons who meet specific eligibility requirements. A medical assistance recipient remains eligible for nursing facility care for as long as that level of care is approved and the person continues to meet all financial and other requirements.

Medicaid reimbursement of Intermediate and Skilled Nursing Home care costs is available to people unable to pay for nursing facility care who are age 65 or over, blind because of either central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a corrective lens, or a visual field restriction of 20 degrees or less. You may also be eligible for Medicaid if you are disabled because of a physical or mental impairment, disease or illness which appears reasonably certain to continue a lifetime without significant improvement and which substantially impairs the ability to perform labor or services or to engage in a useful occupation.

Additionally, the individual must not have resources over the allowable limits, be a resident of Indiana, a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien with permanent resident status, and not be a resident of a public institution, except one that is Medicaid certified.

State law requires that every person applying for admission to a nursing facility is prescreened to determine whether or not services are available in the community which would allow the individual to remain in the community. Failure to participate in the pre-admission screening program will result in the individual’s ineligibility for Medicaid reimbursement for the daily costs of the nursing facility for up to one year.

Nursing home services, physician services, inpatient hospital and clinic services, prescriptions, medical supplies and equipment, eyeglasses and prosthetic devices, therapy, optometry services, podiatry services, certain inpatient psychiatric care, medically-related transportation, personal items and room and board services. If an applicant is determined to be eligible for nursing facility care under the Medical Assistance program, Medicaid may pay for your medical bills incurred up to three months before the month in which the application is signed.

An ASC representative can assist you with this process. A variety of records with your application is needed to determine if you meet income and asset requirements. You must also have the approval of a physician certifying you need the care. Records of proof include statements showing how much you receive from Supplemental Security Income, Social Security, Veteran’s benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits, Unemployment Compensation, income from rental property and you and your spouse’s earnings and income. You will also need to provide your marriage license, Social Security number, Medicare number, Railroad Retirement number and Veteran’s claim number. You should bring your birth record, bank records, property deeds, burial trusts of pre-paid funeral arrangements, all life and medical insurance policies, documentation of all property transferred in the past five years, and records showing ages of dependent children in the home.

The Spousal Impoverishment Protection Law applies to nursing home admissions that occurred after Sept. 30, 1989. It allows the spouse who remains at home to keep some of the couple’s income and assets while still qualifying the nursing home spouse for Medicaid.

A snapshot of the couple’s assets is taken at the time the Medicaid application is taken, which must be after 30 days of continuous institutionalization in a nursing facility or hospital. The spouse who remains at home, known as the community spouse, is allowed to keep all income that is solely in his or her name, plus half of all jointly owned income. If his or her income does not equal the minimum amount, the spouse who remains at home may keep some of the nursing home spouse’s income.

If the community spouse has high living expenses, he or she may appeal to keep more of the nursing home spouse’s income. The nursing home spouse must contribute all of his or her remaining income towards nursing home costs except for a small amount per month for personal needs and any dollar amounts needed for health insurance premiums, taxes and medical expenses not covered by Medicaid.

Medicare

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, have been disabled for at least two years, or have End Stage Renal Disease.

There are two types of traditional Medicare coverage. Medicare Part A provides for hospital insurance for costs incurred while you are in the hospital & can cover up to 100 days of Skilled Nursing home coverage. Medicare Part B provides medical insurance for costs of physician services, the cost of an ambulance, outpatient medical services and hospital supplies. The patient is responsible for a deductible and a co-pay for each of these service categories each year.

You must have a prior Medicare-covered inpatient hospital stay of at least three days (not counting the day of hospital discharge). Your admission to a Medicare-approved Skilled Nursing facility must be within 30 days of discharge from the hospital or within 30 days of a previous Medicare-covered hospital stay. Your doctor must have certified that following your hospital stay, you require a daily skilled service provided by a licensed nurse or therapist in a nursing facility that is Medicare certified.

Your room and board, routine nursing care, medical supplies and complex equipment, medicines and physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy. Oxygen and lab services are covered. Also covered are X-rays, EKGs and intravenous medications you may need. Personal convenience items, private duty nurses, custodial nursing care and the extra cost of a private room are not covered.

In a Medicare-certified Skilled Nursing facility, Medicare will cover 100 days per benefit period after a three-day Medicare-covered inpatient hospital stay and physician confirmation that there is a need for daily, Skilled Nursing and/or rehabilitative care in a Skilled Nursing facility. There is a co-insurance cost per day for days 21-100. This means the patient will pay for co-insurance costs through private insurance or out of pocket. Expenses beyond 100 days are not covered by Medicare Part A benefits.

Medicare Part C is also known as a Medicare Advantage Plan. The Medicare Advantage Plan is an insurance policy offered by private insurance companies approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). When a person enrolls in a Medicare Advantage Plan, the plan will cover all of Part A, Part B and sometimes Part D coverage. Part D coverage is insurance coverage that subsidizes Medicare coverage for the costs of medicine.

The Medicare Advantage Plan often offers extra coverage above and beyond traditional Medicare and covers expenses for such costs as vision, hearing, dental or wellness programs. Each insurance company that offers a Medicare Advantage Plan has different rules that define which hospitals, physicians and Skilled Nursing facilities members can use. Some Medicare Advantage Plans may waive the three-day hospital stay required for inpatient skilled nursing and rehabilitation under traditional Medicare. Many Medicare Advantage Plans require that healthcare providers secure prior authorization.

American Senior Communities employs registered nurses to negotiate with the insurance companies during the prior authorization process.

Memory Care

A certain amount of memory loss is considered a normal part of the aging process, but Alzheimer’s disease is not. Family members and close friends are often the first to notice changes in behavior that may indicate something more serious than what is considered normal. Although Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, there are many different causes of memory loss. So if you think a loved one is experiencing symptoms, it’s best to visit a doctor to determine the cause and take the necessary steps after diagnosis. ASC offers seminars and support groups that can help family members recognize symptoms and become active in the treatment for their loved ones.

Alzheimer’s disease does worsen over time, but the progression varies greatly from person to person. The program in our memory care is designed to follow the natural flow of the typical Alzheimer’s or dementia experience. Although there is no way to predict how fast someone will progress through the stages, our staff are specially trained in this area and are acutely aware of changes that indicate the disease is progressing. Early diagnosis and treatment can slow the progression, but expert care provided in a specialized environment, especially in advanced stages, is essential in maintaining quality of life.

When you really care for someone, it may not be easy to recognize when it is time for them to make a transition to a senior living community. Fortunately, there are a number of signs you can look for to help you make a decision. Every situation can present its own challenges. Some signs to be on the lookout for are changes in mobility, changes in hygiene and cleanliness of the home, mismanagement of medications, spoiled food items, significant weight loss/gain and changes in problem solving skills. These situations are a good place to start, but if you are still not sure, give us a call at (888) 996- 8272 for more information or read our blog.

Our communities accept a number of payment models. We have experts on staff that can identify each customer’s best options. We can also assist individuals in the application process for Medicaid coverage. If you would like to further discuss your financial options, then give us a call at (888) 996-8272 for more information.

Memory Care neighborhoods are often a specific area within a traditional nursing home or senior living community that is specially designed for those living with Alzheimer’s or like forms of Dementia. Both settings are capable of meeting one’s physical and medical needs, however memory care neighborhoods have some unique differentiators from the traditional settings. Some of the key differentiators are listed below. Please visit our blog for additional insight on what makes American Senior Communities memory care so unique.

  • Dementia friendly environment with monochromatic flooring, reminiscent art groupings,
    concrete signage, and visual cues.
  • Specially trained professionals in Alzheimer’s care attend to one’s needs around the clock
  • Consistent and structured daily programming
  • Innovations are used to trigger specific responses such as hunger, rest, and mood enhancement.

As research shows, Alzheimer’s and like forms of dementia affect everyone differently. We encourage family visitation and outings, however, there are times when it is in the best interest of the resident to remain in familiar surroundings following the structure of the day that they are accustomed to. We recommend allowing your loved one time to adjust to their new environment first. Our memory care professionals can provide guidance and recommendations on frequency of outings specific to your loved one needs.

The basic essentials are provided by the community. We do recommend bringing items that your loved one will recognize as their own. Personalize the space and make it feel like home. A special comforter or throw can be utilized to provide a visual cue of their space. Pictures of their distant past are often good conversation starters and can be hung on the walls. Small trinkets to personalize their memory box outside their room serve as a visual cue of room location along with a conversation starter for staff interaction. Comfortable clothing, to include items that can be layered such as a cardigan sweater for those days that the temperature fluctuates. Please refrain from bringing any valuables or cash.

Nursing

Our Skilled Nursing Care is designed to provide compassionate care to those recovering from stroke, heart attack, orthopedic conditions or other disabilities. We’ve built a team of geriatric specialists who have developed unique protocols and procedures for short-term or extended care, encompassing the physical and emotional well-being of each resident.

Each community employs full-time, licensed nurses who oversee all aspects of care, including assessments, medication assistance and communication with family and physicians around the clock. In addition, medical centers and hospitals are easily accessible from most of our communities.

First, ASC looks for people who have a passion for serving seniors. In addition to the medical training and licensing required, each caregiver must successfully complete a thorough reference and background check. All of our caregivers, including our licensed nurses, participate in an exclusive senior care training program.

Therapy

Our Short-Term Rehabilitation program offers physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Physical therapy focuses primarily on independent mobility, strength and balance, use of proper body mechanics, and energy-saving techniques. Occupational Therapy helps participants improve their activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, dressing, self-care, and home management tasks by improving strength and coordination. The Speech/Language therapy program targets functional communication, cognitive skills, and teaches safe swallowing techniques. Programs vary in frequency and intensity. Our goal is to return our participants home safely with the skills they need to continue life on their own terms.

It’s your choice. For those who qualify to be part of the Short-Term Rehabilitation Program we offer upscale benefits in our special Short-Term Rehabilitation Wing (at select locations), which includes a spacious living room, a family lounge, an exclusive dining area, and a private courtyard for relaxation. Private suites are available with electric beds, cable tv, phone, and other amenities that make the stay comfortable and enjoyable.

All you have to do is call or visit one of our communities. Our admissions team will work with you initially and then a meeting between our interdisciplinary team takes place to assess goals and map out a plan of recovery. Because a strong support system is so vital to recovery, we encourage family and friends to take part in the plan.

Our licensed therapists are on-site at our communities and are part of our regular staff. They are warm, caring team members who take a vested interest in the success of each therapy patient. Because of the shared goals and commitment between the participant and therapist, and because our therapy team takes a special interest in the overall wellbeing of each person, participants often become very close to their therapists and it’s common for us to see them return just to visit even after they’ve graduated from the program.

When you’ve completed your individualized program that means you’ve joined the ranks of our many successful Short-Term Rehabilitation graduates! But before you leave us, we provide an in-home assessment to ensure a safe transition back into your home and to be sure there are no obstacles to your continued success. If more therapy is required or different areas of need become apparent, our team is available and will welcome the chance to help participants increase their success level. We also offer our New Energy Wellness program (at select locations) for increased strength building and conditioning.

Yes, if you meet their criteria. Typically, it requires a recent stay in a hospital and a few other factors. Our admissions team will asses and help you determine if you qualify.

Download Floor Plans & Pricing Information

Download Floor Plans & Pricing Information