Fountain View Village on the day that changed our lives – LIVING WELL Magazine

The day that changed our lives

By Rebecca Quinn, Director of Sales & Marketing for Fountain View Village, Scottsdale LIVING WELL Magazine

The day started out like any other day. I got up, ate breakfast, got in my car and drove to work.  When I arrived at work, I turned on my computer and started checking my email. Then the phone rang and everything changed. It was my sister calling. She said that dad had a stroke and was in the hospital. The doctors weren’t sure if the damage would be permanent, but for now it had affected his right side. I left work in a blur and was at the hospital in no time.

When I arrived at his room, I noticed just how much he had changed over the years. He wasn’t the big strong man who scooped me up in his arms when I fell and skinned my knee; he was an elderly man who had become frail with age. My sister said that the social worker told her that we should look for skilled nursing for him. I was so surprised. I couldn’t believe that my dad, who until now had seemed very healthy, needed to go into a nursing home! She must have seen the surprise in my eyes and explained it was just temporary, for rehabilitation.

Then our search began. The social worker gave us a list of three places to investigate. After looking at them, we were beginning to get disheartened, until we called Fountain View Village.  I talked with the admissions coordinator. She said that as long as dad had a qualifying stay (three midnight inpatient admission), Medicare would pay for inpatient rehabilitation for up to 20 days at 100% and up to 100 days with a copay.  She asked if dad had Medicare supplemental insurance. I said he did, and she told me that it would cover all or at least most of the copay. I was relieved to know that Medicare and his supplement would cover the cost and he could continue his inpatient rehabilitation for up to 100 days.  She also informed me that after dad was released from there he could continue his therapy while at home and Medicare would help pay for that as well.

We decided to bring dad to Fountain View Village. He had a beautiful private room overlooking the desert, and you could see Four Peaks in the distance. The staff was wonderful and treated us like part of their family. We met with the team within 72 hours of dad’s admission and they told us what to expect in the next few weeks. It was nice to know what the time frame was, as we had no idea how long he would have to be in skilled rehabilitation. After about 30 days, the team said he was doing very well, but they were concerned about him going back to his house. It had been determined his stroke was probably caused by him not taking his high blood pressure medication and not eating properly. They suggested that we talk with Jean Martin, their sales counselor about assisted living. We called Jean and she explained that dad would be able to come and go as he pleased and would be encouraged to be as independent as he could; they would provide him with three nutritious homemade meals a day and just be there to help him if he needed assistance. We looked at several apartments and decided on a one bedroom with a den overlooking the courtyard.

Dad was skeptical at first, but soon was telling us how happy he was to be at Fountain View Village. He would never have admitted it to us, but he had been worried for some time about living on his own. He often noticed his prescriptions lasting longer than 30 days, but didn’t want to burden us.

He has made some great friends at Fountain View Village. After mom passed away, he became a hermit, and now he is going out for lunch with the guys and also playing a little poker.

The day dad had his stroke actually turned into a blessing in disguise. It taught us that living in your own home alone is not always the best answer, and sometimes being in a community among friends with a little support is a whole lot better.

This is a compilation of resident’s stories. If you would like more information on Fountain View Village, please contact Rebecca Quinn at 480-836-5081.