There is a fellow Ag who has to put her mother into an Assisted Living Facility. She is looking for recommendations in the the Frisco area. I told her I would reach out for on TexAgs.com.

If anyone has experience with a facility in the Frisco (Plano, McKinney) area, any information would be appreciated.

As far as I know, her mother has been having some memory loss and forgets to take her medicine. She is in her low to mid 80s. She has been living on her own, until a few weeks ago and has been in a rehabilitation facility, the last few weeks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.capitalsenior.com/thewaterfordatplano/services/

We put my Dad in Assisted Living/Memory Care three years ago at Legacy at Willow Bend in Plano. It's a top notch facility but incredibly expensive. He passed away a little over a year ago at 93. He was in very good hands and we never had to worry about his care. If you can handle if financially I'd look into it. Over $8,000 a month.

We have been looking at the new Legends facility in McKinney and have been impressed so far. I believe it is scheduled to open in the next few weeks.

I hear good things about HarborChase in Plano. Of course a lot of this is going to depend on the budget as far as where to look, but hands down everywhere they go they should taste the food.

Any place that is worth their price will have food they will want to show off, and do so by offering the potential resident and their family a free lunch meal. Take advantage of it! The worst thing to do is land on a place with nice aesthetics but crappy food.

Also look into whether she or her latest husband is/was a wartime veteran as there could be some money (I think roughly $1300/mo+, tax free) that would help go to pay for care. a VA accredited attorney could help determine eligibility. Don't speak to anyone who is not accredited by the VA. Here's the URL to search and verify if someone is accredited: https://www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/index.asp

And kudos to the family for seeking outside assistance. As someone who used to work in the eldercare world, I got to see well intentioned caregivers/family fail their own health because they otherwise felt guilty giving grandma professional help.

Not an easy thing to do. I just put my parents in Harbor Chase and am happy so far (They've been there about 4 months).

There are consultants out there that can help with the process. I have a social worker friend that gave me the name of Paul Markowitz, founder of Senior Living Specialists. I used him and he was extremely helpful. There is no charge for the service.

I suggest googling him and checking out his website or give him a call 214-929-5055

I had a lot of questions and he had solid answers.

The VA does have benefits for veterans. About $1,700 a month for the veteran and $1,200 a month for the surviving spouse. We did this for my Dad and currently am doing this for my MIL.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will pass along the information. Has anyone used home care, where someone comes to the house, ie, Visiting Angels? There is a chance they move her home and have someone come to the house.

My FIL is a vet and has benefits that allowed us to have someone come by the house 3-4 days per week for a few hours. Works out really well. The lady cooks a meal for him, does some light cleaning, and he's able to have conversation. My wife goes by 1-2 times per week so he sees someone most days. He's not very social so we feel really lucky to have the service. If we didn't, he would sit there alone 5-6 days every week (even though that would be his choice, I think his health would deteriorate without interaction).

Highland Springs in very North Dallas may be worth considering. It is across the street from Plano, so may stilll be a geographical fit. They have the full range of options from independent living to memory care unit, to help appropriately over time. Is a very active social community, if that is important.

If she is fortunate enough to have LTC coverage, does it include a home health benefit? If so, daily or monthly benefit? May not apply, but if she has an old LTC policy, home health may not be an economical choice.