Finding Care Solutions: How One Family Navigated Assisted Living and Mobile Dentistry

Описание: Andy and Jill Spivak share their experience helping Andy's mother transition to assisted living and discovering mobile dentistry services. When the pandemic accelerated their mother's need for care [1:09], the family initially tried managing with their "army of people" but found it increasingly difficult despite having multiple siblings and Jill's background as a nurse practitioner [2:00]. They found a great assisted living facility just 5-7 minutes away where their mother has thrived and become an ambassador [2:42].

The family discovered mobile dentistry through their assisted living facility, which mentioned that Dr. Dubin's service was already visiting the center [8:34]. Previously, they had been taking their mother 25-30 minutes away to her longtime dentist in Silver Spring, which was time-consuming and challenging [7:27]. As busy caregivers managing dependents "on both sides" with three children of their own [8:10], they needed a more convenient solution.

Dr. Dubin and his team, managed by his wife Chelsea, provided exceptional service by coming directly to their mother's room with portable equipment [9:55]. During the visit, Jill observed the thorough examination where Dr. Dubin used "old fashioned clinical assessment" to inspect every tooth while their mother sat comfortably in her own chair [11:58]. The dentist was able to clean her teeth and address her concerns about loose teeth [12:39]. The team travels up to an hour in all directions and demonstrates a personal commitment to serving those who need care [13:35].

The mobile service eliminated the anxiety of taking someone with memory issues to an unfamiliar, sterile dental office [14:41]. Instead of using outings only for medical procedures, families can save those trips for enjoyable activities [14:59]. The service also enables more frequent preventive care when needed, which can prevent larger problems and improve quality of life [17:20].

Andy's key advice for other families is that "the sooner the better" when considering assisted living transitions, as waiting too long can create serious problems for everyone's mental health [19:16].