We anticipate our families to have many questions and we do understand.
Here are some of these often asked questions:

- Are you a Medicare/MediCal certified skilled nursing facility?
Yes, we are a 152 bed Medi-Care Medi-Cal certified skilled nursing facility.

- What can I expect from nursing?
We have nurses on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our nurses have to meet standards set by the State of California's Board of Registered Nurses for licensure. The charge nurses supervises a staff of certified assistants (CNA's) who help patients with bathing, dressing, and meals. In addition, the CNA staff take vital signs; i.e., blood pressure, temperature, and pulse and report these to the charge nurse. Family members may also call the charge nurse at any time for a status report on a patient's medical condition. We are here to assist with the family's concerns as well as the patients.

- How many days per week do Residents receive therapy?
All therapies require a physician's order. In the case of an HMO, therapy must also have authorization for treatment from the HMO's case manager or utilization manager. The amount of therapy received by a patient is dependent on how much progress the patient makes. All therapists need to document significant progress to keep a patient on a caseload. Further information is available from our facility rehabilitation director and our building administrator.

- Who does the patient's laundry?
Our facility offers laundry services or a family may elect to do a patient's laundry at home.

- How much clothing should be provided for each patient?
We would like families to provide at least seven days of clothing including 2-3 warm sweaters, slippers, and a robe if possible. Clothing should be comfortable and easy to put on and take off. Please use a permanent marker to put the patient's name on each article of clothing.

- What are the visiting hours?
We have established visiting hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. We understand that most of us work and have difficulty visiting during the daytime. We ask that families use their best judgement in regard to the length of stay per visit and the time of the visit.

- Is there a hairdresser available?
Yes. The hair salon is open Tuesday and Friday. Our hairdresser will see both male and female residents by appointment. Please see the Receptionist to find out how to make an appointment for your family member (or friend).

- How often does the doctor see the resident?
Physician's are required to see patients before they are admitted or shortly after admission. However, the charge nurse does contact the doctor at the time of admission for medication orders, dietary requirements, and other considerations. Doctors are only required to make a monthly visit for long term care patients but will come in if a patient is experiencing a change of condition in medical status.

- What if the patient needs a consultation for other services?
We contract with many ancillary service providers including (but not limited to) the following:
Audiology
Psychiatry
Psychology
Dentistry
Orthotics & Prosthetics
Podiatry
X-ray services
Optometry
Opthamology
Respiratory Therapy

- Who do I contact regarding insurance and billing questions?
Our business office manager should be able to help you with most of your questions and concerns. If you have a HMO, you can discuss any concerns with the case manager assigned to the patients.

- Who do I see if I have dietary concerns?
We have a dietary supervisor that is available to discuss patient preferences and needs with the patient and/or family. We also have a registered dietician that monitors each patient's dietary requirements, weight gain and/or loss, etc.. In addition, our speech therapist is available to discuss special concerns due to a patient's inability to swallow safely. We ask family members to please do not bring in food from home unless the charge nurse hasindicated that it is all right to do so.

- Who will make transportation arrangements for patients who have appointments outside
- Los Altos Nursing Center?
Social Services makes all transportation arrangements.

- What types of activities do you provide?
We post a monthly calendar which shows each day's schedule of activities for our residents, this calendar is also included in the monthly newsletter. These activities include, (but are not limited to), the following: Petting Zoo, Speakers, Physical Fitness, The Daily News, Church Services

- May I take a patient out of the facility?
Yes, but only if there is a written physician's order. Residents need to be signed out by the responsible party at the nurse's station.

- Which languages are spoken in the facility?
In addition to English, we have speakers of multiple Filipino dialects, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Hindi, African, Vietnamese, Andhra, and Farasee. In the case of less common languages, We ask family members to help us develop a word bank in the patient's native language to provide a communication system. We also are in contact with community resources that assist us with establishing communication. Sometimes we use pictures, (called communication boards), for our nursing staff in understanding how to meet patient needs.

- May we bring family pets in to visit?
This is usually not a problem but please check with the charge nurse first.