Baton Rouge Senior AdvisorHow can we help a parent in Baton Rouge from another state?
Build a local team: a neighbor or church member who can check in, the parish council on aging for meals and information, a home care agency for set hours, and a primary care doctor who knows how to reach you.
Get your parent's written permission for doctors and agencies to talk with you, and keep a shared list of medications, appointments and contacts that everyone can see.
What documents should long-distance caregivers have?
A durable power of attorney, a health care power of attorney or proxy, HIPAA releases for each doctor, a list of accounts and insurance policies, and copies of any residency agreement or care plan.
Louisiana documents are usually notarized; have an attorney prepare them if your parent's capacity could be questioned later.
How do we check a Baton Rouge facility from far away?
Look up the license on LDH's monthly report and directory, read CMS data for nursing homes, ask the ARCP to send its posted statement of deficiencies and plan of correction, and ask for the written emergency plan.
Every facility page in our directory shows the license dates, level, capacity and, for nursing homes, CMS ratings, inspection results and staffing.
What should we look for when we visit?
Weight loss, unopened mail, missed medications, unexplained bruises, changes in mood or hygiene, and how staff talk to your parent and to each other.
Visit at different times of day, including a meal, and talk to the regional ombudsman at (800) 833-9883 if something seems wrong in a facility.
When does a long-distance arrangement stop working?
When crises come faster than you can travel, when your local helpers are stretched thin, or when your parent cannot evacuate or summon help, it is time to consider a move, either to a care setting in Baton Rouge or closer to you.
Moving a parent with dementia away from familiar places has costs too; talk it through with the doctor and visit options in both cities before deciding.
Side by side
| From a distance you can | From a distance you cannot | |
|---|---|---|
| Records | Check licenses and CMS data online | See daily care |
| Help | Hire and coordinate local help | Cover a crisis in an hour |
| Money | Manage bills with a power of attorney | Sign for your parent without one |
| Advocacy | Call the ombudsman and LDH | Replace in-person visits |
Sources: LAC 48:I.Chapter 68 for adult residential care, Louisiana Department of Health (Health Standards Section and Office of Aging and Adult Services) program pages, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, CareScout and VA rate tables, each cited in the text. Our editorial standards explain how we check them.
