My father has the dementia diagnosis. He is on medications to keep him calm. He has lashed out verbally in the past, but not frequently. This week, however, he smacked another resident on the back. I understand this is not acceptable behavior, the facility called me immediately and demanded I take dad to the doctor, which I did. They put him on a low dose of sleep meds 3x per day, which 'should keep him calm'. Meanwhile, the Assisted Living Exec. Director has demanded that they place a 'Companion Caregiver' with dad, 24 hours a day - at a price of $500/day! It has almost been a week, with no further incidents. Dad has VERY limited funds, and I'm afraid that the ~3 years we've calculated that he can afford assisted living will go down the tubes, at this rate. Do we have any legal standing where we can demand a 'cease and desist' with the 'Companion Caregiver'? It seems the facility is more concerned with CYA and liability, than dad's best interests. Thank you in advance for your comments!
Does an assisted living facility have the right to assign a 24-hour a day "companion caregiver" after an incident involving my parent?