Here are some of the most commonly ask questions that are asked of us that we would like to share with patients and their families.
Many hospitals inform families that the best thing to do is find a less restrictive living environment for their family member such as a licensed residential care facility. It’s not recommended for a patient to immediately move back home due to family dynamics as well as the fact that families facing a love one with a new diagnosis typically don’t know how to best deal with it.
Families start looking online for resources and information and sometimes social workers can provide referral lists. Hospitals can no longer be relied upon to provide placement by calling residential care facilities for their patients. In addition, insurance companies will not allow a mentally ill patient to leave a hospital because that’s considered being discharged. So, the ability for a patient to find a place to live on their own, after hospitalization is limited.
Usually, families are the ones involved in the search for housing. However, It is important for patients see the homes to make the final decision where they are going to live.
- They could search on the Internet under keywords – Licensed Residential Care Facilities, San Diego
- Another suggestion is to contact 211, for your county service and ask if they have a list of licensed residential care facilities. Mental Health links
- In addition there is also a more extensive listing of Licensed Residential Care Facilities, San Diego at ccld.ca.gov
- Half of the residents that live in our homes come to us from out of state, because the services were extremely limited in the states where they live.
- Usually, mental illness housing begins at very high-end, facilities that charge $24,000 a month.
- New patients who have never been hospitalized before and their family members, don’t know what to do and will search for these facilities first.
- Eventually these patients are discharged from these very expensive facilities.
- They contact us when they are stable and ready to move out into the community.
We are a unique niche in the mental health system of care because we’re not that high-end facility that has in-house psychiatry and therapy. We are a facility / home that’s so essential for people who are trying to become and reach a level and place of independence. The patient may have spent the last two years in a facility, has been seeing the psychiatrist two times a month and did therapy every day. But, now they are ready to be discharged; how do they start?
Newly Released Patients should be focused on a stress-free environment.
- Where they can focus on becoming more independent
- Maybe eventually moving back in with their families
- Finishing college and finding work.
The mental health system is so difficult to navigate. When you’re a family in crisis you don’t know where to begin.
Depending on the individual, we sometimes suggest a psychiatric outpatient program at a local hospital. They provide services where they can see a psychiatrist and get assigned to a treatment coordinator often a licensed clinical social worker,LCSW, or licensed marriage and family therapist, LMFT. They provide weekly group therapy and are a good way for residents to get out into the community, to receive psychiatric treatment and to socialize.
It’s important to advocate for yourself. We educate our residents to notice changes in what they are feeling.
Over 95% of psychiatric hospitalizations are due to patients who forget to take their prescribed medications and a small percentage because they’re non-compliant with the medication.
We support residents to advocate for themselves. For example, if a resident tells us: “My head feels like a balloon, it feels tense, and I can’t stand it!” We would remind them to let the psychiatrist know what is being experienced. Residents learn to be assertive about their mental health and how to best cope with troublesome side effects of their prescribed medications.
Independent living in a nutshell is you are responsible entirely for yourself. Living in a licensed residential care home is a stress-reducing environment and is a good way to maintain mental wellness.
Typical advantages for licensed residential care homes.
- Residents are encouraged to do daily physical activity. We live in beautiful San Diego and it is a lovely place to walk.
- Good nutrition. Residential care facilities prepare all the meals for their residents.
- Adequate rest and sleep. Living in a residential care facility offers observance and tracking of the residents. We remind our residents that it’s important for them to get to bed at a certain hour so their bodies can rest.
- With the observance and tracking of residents offered by us and staff at our homes, we educate residents about what sleep hygiene looks like. People with mental illness are accustomed to sleeping in their clothing sometimes even with their shoes on. We remind our residents what good sleep hygiene is.
- Licensed residential care facilities are responsible for making sure you are getting the medication that’s prescribed by your primary care and your psychiatrist at the right hour.
Some residents come and stay for three months, some stay longer. The longest-term resident we have is 20 years. If a resident turns 60 while living here, they can stay as long as they are ambulatory.
We do not always have availability in our homes. We always encourage families to come and visit. If we don’t have space now, you can get put on a wait list and space could open up shortly after.
We advocate our residents to sign up for the San Diego YMCA. There are reduced membership scholarships that are available at the YMCA. All you need to do is obtain the YMCA scholarship paperwork along with a doctor’s note. The YMCA is a state-of-the-art facility with access to three swimming pools, Jacuzzi, all kinds of activities, water aerobics and is a 15-minute bus ride from our homes.
This California state funded agency helps individuals who have been diagnosed with a disability find work. They interview and test them. They then make recommendations to work with the employers who are looking to hire people who have disabilities.
