Discover Haciendas at Grace Village: Our Four Levels of Care

October 20, 2022 Janet Acosta

As you know, HGV is an Assisted Living Care Facility, but did you also know that there are four levels of care available? These levels represent the different amounts of care that our residents may require as they reach older age. If your loved one is beginning to need extra day-to-day support or is experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia, we suggest that you keep reading to take a glimpse at our care options.

Firstly, Our Care Assessment

When someone enters our facility to receive care, we first conduct an assessment at least 15 days prior to admission. This determines what level they are placed in within. Haciendas at Grace Village provides care to elderly individuals needing assistance until they reach the end of their life. They can enter our facility at level 1, the most basic and lowest level of care, and stay through level 4, which is the highest amount of care until the patient reaches the end of their life. Many of our residents are experiencing illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, which are conditions that our staff specializes in.

The goal of the assessment is to see what level of care is appropriate for the resident. It is fairly simple and looks for the ability of the individual to perform certain, specific tasks. Our team continues to monitor each resident every six months to ensure they are always met with the level of care they need. We can, however, conduct the assessment again at any time if we ever notice significant changes in the patient’s behavior, abilities, or health.

We assess the individual’s ability to perform what we call Activities of Daily Living or ADL(s). These activities include bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (getting in and out of bed or chair), eating, and continence. In the placement assessment we also evaluate the following:

Cognitive abilities; reasoning and perception; the ability to articulate thoughts, memory function or impairment, etc.
Communication and hearing; ability to communicate needs and understand instructions, etc.
Vision
Physical functioning and skeletal problems
Incontinence of bowel/bladder
Psychosocial well-being
Mood and behavior
Activity interests
Diagnoses
Health conditions
Nutritional status
Oral or dental status
Skin condition
Medication use and level of assistance needed with medication
Special treatments and procedures or special medical needs such as hospice
Safety needs/high-risk behaviors; history of falls, agitation, wandering, fire safety issues, etc.

What Makes Us Different

We are a truly unique facility that provides specialized care to our residents. Each resident that enters our facility receives care at a 1:6 caregiver-to-patient ratio, which increases depending on the level of care needed. This starting point exceeds the state of New Mexico’s minimum standard of 1:15 and brings a sense of comfort to our residents and their family members.

Comfort is a priority. We pride ourselves on our memory care services, and we know individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia can live fulfilling lives when their dignity and independence - as well as physical, psychological, and emotional needs - are met. At all levels of care, we provide private suites for our residents, with 24-hour specialized care. Haciendas at Grace Village provides over twice the state standard of care with freshly prepared meals, care coordination with physicians, housekeeping, and so much more!

Beyond physical accommodations, we also have spiritual and religious services on-site for those who would like to attend, activities specifically designed for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and we provide a variety of outdoor spaces for our residents to enjoy.

Our Four Levels of Care

Once our initial assessment is complete, the individual is placed in the appropriate level of care within our living facilities. At each level, the highest quality of care and comfort, provided by certified memory care professionals, is our top priority.

These levels are:

Level 1: Entry/Assisted Living

People often enter this level when they are beginning to experience memory loss. Based on our assessment, they are still mostly independent, able to feed themselves, and can transfer themselves with help of a walker or minimal assistance/guidance. It is our goal to support these individuals and provide them with as much independence and autonomy as possible.

Level 2: Intermediate Care

The second level of care has increased focus on helping residents with their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Within this level of care, each resident has one person assisting them with ADLs, but they still aren’t in need of advanced support with these activities. Although these residents need additional assistance, independence still tends to be a priority for them. The care we provide aims to offer this while ensuring daily tasks are done safely and properly.

Level 3: Moderate to Advanced

The third level is a progression of the assistance our residents need, where one to two persons are assisting each resident with ADLs. This level of care is common for residents who are experiencing increased symptoms of Alzheimer’s or dementia, in which case our staff aims to provide structure and support that helps residents feel as comfortable and engaged as possible.

Level 4: Most Advanced

This is the highest level of care offered at Haciendas at Grace Village. This level provides two-person assistance and, as needed, hospice care for residents until the end of life. Many complications and hardships can arrive as someone approaches the end of life, and our staff is well-equipped to mitigate these as much as possible. Our conviction is that all people are valuable, and our person-centered care ensures that all residents receive the care they deserve through the end of life.

Each level is located within a different building, separate from all the other levels. This means that everyone will be living with peers who are receiving the same level of care that they are. All the levels within our care participate in the same activities and are fed the same meals every day unless they have dietary restrictions, which we are happy to accommodate.

If or when someone needs to transition from one level of care to another, we do our best to make that transition as smooth and comfortable as possible for everyone involved. We do whatever we can to reduce the patient’s anxiety levels because we know there can be serious implications when such change happens abruptly.

In addition to these long-term living situations, our team also offers Respite Care. This service is available to individuals who are caring for a loved one who isn’t ready for an assisted living community but may still desire out-of-the-home engagement and activities with others.