What we do
An outside set of eyes on your parent, working for you
Every visit works the same way. We show up unannounced and spend real time with your parent, and you get a written account of what we found.
What we do
Someone independent goes and looks, then tells you what they saw
Unannounced drop-in visits
A visit in person, at a time nobody has been told about, in assisted living, memory care, a nursing home, or their own home.
- We visit at varied times, including evenings and weekends. In a facility that's when staffing thins out; in a private home it's when a bad day is least likely to have been tidied up before we arrive.
- We sit with your parent, talk with them, and notice how they are: alert or drowsy, comfortable or in pain, groomed, eating, talking.
- We check them the way a nurse checks someone: weight, vital signs, skin, mobility. That way there's a real record and not just an impression.
- We look at the place the way you would if you could be there. Laundry, linens, water within reach, the call button somewhere they can actually press it. In a house, it's whether the walker path is clear and there's food in the fridge.
Written reports to the family
Plain-language notes after each visit, sent to you, not filtered through the people being observed.
- What we saw, in ordinary words, with the date and time of the visit.
- Their weight and vitals, taken the same way every time, so a change means something.
- Anything that's changed since the last visit.
- Specific questions worth asking the facility, or their doctor if they're at home, so you have something concrete to raise.
An outside second look
They already have people who see them every day. What they don't have is anybody outside to verify it.
- Facilities do their own charting and their own quality reviews. That's the same organization checking its own work.
- We have no relationship with the facility, no referral arrangement, and nothing to protect. You hire us and we report to you.
- If what we see is fine, that's what the report says. A quiet report is a real result, and it's the one most families are hoping for.
Someone there when you can't be
For families who live somewhere else and can only get to San Antonio a few times a year.
- A phone call with your parent tells you how they sound, and not much about whether anyone helped them shower this week.
- We go in person, on a schedule that suits you. Regularly, or after something specific has you worried.
- You get the report wherever you are, in whatever time zone you're in.
What we're looking at
What we check for
People ask what happens on a visit. This is the list we work through every time, whether your mother is in a memory care unit or still in her own kitchen. All of it ends up in your report.
How they are
- Their weight, every visit
- Losing weight slowly is one of the easiest things in the world to miss, because nobody who sees them daily ever watches it happen.
- Blood pressure, pulse, temperature
- Taken the same way each time, so when something changes you can see roughly when it started.
- Their skin, including where nobody thinks to look
- A bed sore starts well before it's a wound, as a patch of skin that's red, warm, or painful when touched. Caught there, it's a far smaller problem than it will be in three weeks.
- Their mobility
- Whether they're walking the way they were last time, or reaching for furniture they didn't used to need.
How the day is going
- Whether they're up
- Out of bed at the times of day people are normally out of bed. Sometimes you walk into these places and somebody's lying down in the middle of the afternoon who should be sitting up in a chair. It isn't a medical finding, but it tells you a lot about the place.
- Whether they're clean and dry
- Whether they're getting help to the bathroom in time, and how they are when we arrive.
- Whether somebody helped them wash and dress
- And whether it was done properly rather than quickly.
- Their mood, and whether it's normal for them
- A flat afternoon means one thing in someone who's always been quiet and something else entirely in someone who wasn't.
- Whether they're still the same person we sat with last time
- Not a test. Just whether they're following the conversation the way they were, or repeating things in a way that's new.
What's within reach
- The call button
- Any room has one. What matters is whether they can reach it from where they actually spend the day, and press it with the hands they actually have.
- Water
- Within reach and poured. A full jug on a table across the room isn't water they can drink.
- The room itself
- Linens, laundry, the floor, the bathroom. Whether it smells like anybody's been in there today.
On any one visit, most of this looks like nothing much. That's why we check the same things in the same order every time, so that over a few months you can see which way your mother is heading.
How it works
Four steps, and you can stop after the first one
- 01
We talk first
You tell us about your parent, where they are, and what's been nagging at you. No medical details needed over email. We can cover that on the phone.
- 02
We go, unannounced
We show up, and whatever we see, we let the family know. We spend real time there, not five minutes in the hallway.
- 03
You get it in writing
A written report in plain language, sent to you directly, with what we saw and what we'd ask about next.
- 04
You decide what happens next
Some families want one visit and nothing more. Others want us in there twice a month, or four times. That's your call, and it can change.
Before you call
FAQ
Are you connected to the facility in any way?
No. We're not employed by, contracted to, or paid by any facility, agency, or care provider. We're hired by the family and we report to the family.
Do you need the facility's permission to visit?
In a facility we visit as guests of your family, the way you would. Visiting rules vary, and we'll walk you through how that works for your parent's situation when we talk. If they're in their own home there's nobody to ask. You and your parent decide, and we come when it suits.
My parent is still in their own house. Is this for them?
Yes, and for a different reason. In a facility there are people checking on them. They're just the same people being paid to provide the care. At home there's often nobody checking at all between your phone calls. Either way we come in, look properly, and write down what we found. Staying in their own home is theirs to decide; we're not there to talk them out of it.
Do you examine them, or do you just look around?
We examine them. Every visit is made by a registered nurse, so we take their weight and vital signs and check the things a nurse checks: skin, mobility, appetite, pain. What we don't do is take over their care or change anything their doctor has ordered. We assess, write it down, and tell you what we'd ask about.
Does that replace their doctor or their home health nurse?
No. They keep the people they already have. We're the ones checking that what those people are supposed to be doing is actually happening, and telling you straight if it isn't.
What if you find something wrong?
We tell you, specifically and in writing, and we tell you what we'd ask about. What happens next is your decision. You're the one with standing to raise it, and you'll have facts and a date to raise it with.
I live out of state. Does that make this harder?
It's most of our work. Your parent is in San Antonio and you're not, and the report reaches you wherever you live.
What does it cost?
It depends on where your parent is and how often you'd like visits. Call or send a note and we'll give you a straight answer for your situation.
Not sure whether something's wrong?
That's usually the right time to call. Tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you honestly whether a visit would help.