Eligibility for Residency
To become a resident of Doolittle Home your loved one must be at least 65 years of age and must pass the entrance physical examination. Doolittle Home welcomes both men and women of all religious backgrounds. To enter, residents must be ambulatory and able to care for themselves. Doolittle Home offers two primary admissions options: Life Care and the Residency Plan. Other options are available to meet specific needs.
Life Care
Life Care ensures care for the resident for life, regardless of changes in health or financial status. Residents do not turn over all their assets - they pay an up-front fee for Life Care based on expected costs of care for their life expectancy according to actuarial tables. That is a one-time Life Care fee which assures care for life. That fee is immediately reduced to present day value and further offset by monthly Social Security, Pension or other income. Many residents have sold their modest homes or converted other assets, paid their admission, and still retain investments of their own.
Life Care provides full services in addition to room and meals for life. As health changes dictate, residents have access to the fully accredited Nursing Unit as well. There are no additional or incremental fees with Life Care but if a resident moves to the Nursing Unit, drawdown from the Life Care balance is accelerated. Changing medical needs are addressed by staff and licensed providers in a familiar setting.
Once they become a Life Care resident, there are no additional fees for the remainder of their lives. If a resident passes away prior to exhausting their life care balance, 90% of the unused balance of the Life Care funds is returned minus a $10,000 administrative fee after current expenses for care are deducted. With the up-front fee, residents are guaranteed care for the remainder of their days regardless of changes in health.
For Life Care residents, services continue for the remainder of the resident’s life with no interruption even when the Life Care balance is depleted.
"She (mother)
loves the Life Care concept, knowing that she will stay in the same facility,
with familiar staff. She had been worried about where she might end up and
this gives her and us peace of mind."
-- Steve, about his mother Edna, a Doolittle Home resident
Doolittle Residency Plan
Under the Doolittle Residency Plan, elders who are capable of independent living are able to enter Doolittle Home for a monthly fee. The Residency Plan enables residents to enjoy the safety of medical supervision and the social aspects of the home in addition to a comfortable room and all meals in the dining room. Loved ones are now able to ensure care of their elder in the elegant surroundings of Doolittle Home with our attentive staff for less than the cost of other extended care or assisted living facilities.
Under the Residency Plan, residents can remain in the Home as long as their health and finances allow. Unlike other facilities, residents in the Home under the Residency Plan are not charged any additional fees for assistance required. They enjoy the same facilities and meals as the residents on Life Care and they also receive supervision of their medications. If additional assistance is needed to perform personal care routines or to participate in activities, it is part of the Residency Plan - not an additional fee for those residing in our retirement unit. The Residency Plan includes 14 days per year, non-accumulative, on the Nursing Unit on a space available basis.
According to Doolittle Home President Joanne Pratt, "The national economic
crisis encouraged the Board of Trustees to consider admissions options for those
who want and need the comfort and security of Doolittle Home in their later
years but may not be able to afford the full Life Care option. The Residency
Plan is the perfect opportunity to reach another segment of the senior community
with our high quality services. This will enable more seniors to experience
retirement with a difference - the Doolittle difference."
Flexibility to Meet your Needs
Other entry options are available to meet your unique needs. Call Doolittle Home to discuss your particular situation.
On-site Nursing Care
Doolittle Home has a fully accredited nursing unit on-site which is staffed by licensed personnel 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Residents may have to go to the hospital when medically necessary, and doctors frequently discharge them to a rehab facility temporarily. If Doolittle Home can provide those same services in-house, we opt to bring the resident back here into familiar surroundings for their rehabilitation. All other care is provided at Doolittle Home under the Life Care Plan. While in the nursing unit, residents are cared for by staff members they know and, when able, continue to eat their meals in the dining room with their friends and participate in appropriate activities. If a resident is hospitalized, they may be referred to a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility upon discharge. Their space at Doolittle Home remains open in anticipation of their discharge and they are able to return to the Home where we continue to provide for their needs. Care is provided for the life of the resident under the Life Care plan, regardless of their changing medical needs. Under the Residency Plan, residents also enjoy supervision of medication and ongoing care. Nursing Unit services are available under the Residency Plan for 14 days each year as space is available.
"We were blessed to have both my parents still with us at an advanced age but at that stage of their lives, after more than 65 years of marriage, our priority was to keep them together. It is comforting to know that they are both under the same roof and changes in health for either one of them did not force separation at Doolittle Home as it would in other facilities. When my father needed to be in the nursing unit, mother was still able to visit every day. It means so much to know they were still together until mother’s passing."
-- Joanne, about her parents Jane and Bob. Bob remains a Doolittle resident.
