I need to start with two very important points:
1) The Medicaid system pays for mom’s high-quality nursing home as easily as they would for something that looks more like it came straight out of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (been there, seen that).
2) After months of fumbling our way through the Medicaid system, we were frustrated, confused, and emotionally drained. The Estate Preservation Network stepped in changed everything for us.
Our Story:
We kept our mom in her much loved home as long as we could. By early 2018, her mental health had declined to the point where, even with the help of the Texas Human and Health Services and a live-in caregiver, she was no longer safe in her own home.
Her doctor recommended a nursing home. Mom’s dementia was relatively gentle and she was not a flight risk, so we didn’t need to worry about finding one with a memory care unit. She was living off her social security and some help from the kids, so Medicaid support was a necessity.
\We all work for a living, so we shared the responsibility of finding a nursing home and working our way through the Medicaid system to get her to someplace safe, and hopefully comfortable.
A few months into the process we were all stressed out. I won’t go into all the sad details but the biggest stressor was that mom’s options were starting to look pretty bleak. That fact was compounded by a Medicaid system that had proved nightmarish to navigate in our emotionally charged circumstances.
It was an employee of one of the nursing homes we visited who recommended the Estate Preservation Network in Cedar Park, Texas to us.
I called and spoke with Misty. Her expertise was immediately obvious. She was both informative and caring. We met and her services looked so much like a Godsend we engaged EPN on the spot.
It proved to be an excellent decision and a small price to pay. Within three days mom was placed in a nursing home that was much, much nicer than we had hoped to find. The key to mom getting in there was, they had a "Medicaid funded bed" available.
To everyone’s surprise, mom left the long-time refuge of her home willingly. The Bel Air at Teravista Nursing Home was that attractive to her. When she navigated the main entrance with her walker, the first thing she saw was an honest-to-God chapel. Down the hall, we came to a library with plush leather chairs and computer stations.
Then we visited her new address in “Blanco Hall”. The room was a cute little efficiency with a view of the courtyard. It was comfortable and clean. Mom had her very own bathroom and there was an individual window heat/ac unit. Since she is always cold, that was a real blessing. There was also a TV, fridge, sink, and microwave.
Her room came fully furnished but Bel Air let us bring in framed photos of family, and some of her most beloved possessions, so the room felt like her own space and place.
The courtyard is serene, with big rocking chairs we sit in when we visit during warm weather. There is also a formal visiting area with a piano in it. It is very comfortable for extended conversations. My mom is an avid reader though and prefers the library. That
is fine with us. Four large, plush leather chairs make for very comfortable visits.
Bel Air at Teravista has a large dining room and an onsite Beauty Salon. They even have their own bus, so mom has plenty of opportunities to join the other residents for shopping trips, movies, and regular “dining out” experiences.
There are a wealth of weekly community interactions, including Ice Cream and Popcorn Socials, Bingo and Dominoes, and Movie Nights. There is a physical therapy room with excellent equipment and qualified professionals to help. The entire staff is consistently friendly and helpful.
Update:
It has been a year since I posted the above review on the local BBB website. We just finished mom’s Annual Review. Consensus of both the Bel Air staff and the kids is that mom is healthier now than when she went in. A balanced diet and good, professional care giving seem to be the key difference makers. It helps that Mom continues to love being at Bel Air and feels spoiled by the good care she is receiving. The kids love knowing she is safe and her future secure.
From the bottom of our hearts, our entire family thanks Misty, the Estate Preservation Network, and the entire staff at Bel Air!
