What to Do when the Assisted Living Community Doesn’t Accept Pets

June 15, 2015 by ·

Assisted Living in Fairhope AL

When Mary had agreed to move into an assisted living facility, she never even considered that she wouldn’t be able to bring along her beloved cats. She had two and they were eight and nine years old, and she had them since they were kittens. She had grown so attached to them through the years that Assisted Living in Fairhope ALthey felt like part of her family. In fact, they were.

When it came to moving in, she had her cats in carriers and her adult children were moving her into her new apartment. When they walked into the lobby and headed for the elevators, one of the alert administrators at the welcome center noticed the cat carriers and immediately intercepted them. This individual politely instructed them not to bring the cats upstairs because they weren’t permitted in the facility.

This was absolutely devastating for Mary. After all she had gone through in her life and the various health challenges she was still dealing with, she couldn’t even consider the prospect of parting with her beloved animals. Her youngest daughter only lived a few miles away and volunteered to take those cats in, even though she wasn’t what one would consider a ‘cat person.’

Mary couldn’t even consider the notion of not having her cats with her. She assumed that even if her daughter took the cats in, she wasn’t going to see them very often. Her family was extremely busy, which was one of the reasons why she considered assisted living in the first place. Mary had to take some steps and determine what she was going to do.

One of the major problems was that she had signed an agreement to move into this facility. If she were to break the contract, she was going to be exposing herself financially to some significant penalties. She didn’t want to do that, either, because she only had a limited amount of financial resources.

The administrator at the facility began calling around to some other assisted-living communities and they managed to find one relatively close by that accepted pets and had an opening. They worked out an arrangement between them that allowed Mary to choose to move to that other facility where she would still be able to keep her beloved cats.

For somebody who has pets and is considering moving into an assisted living community, it’s important to understand what they allow with regard to pet ownership. It’s better to be diligent before signing a contract than to regret the decision later on.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living near Fairhope, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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