Frequently Asked Questions

During the admission process, you will be evaluated by our facility staff and your physician to determine which level of assisted living care is right for you.  Residents are regularly assessed on an ongoing basis should care needs change and a higher level of care needs to be provided.

Anyone that may need assistance with ADL’s (activities of daily living), meals, laundry and housekeeping, medication management or socialization is appropriate for assisted living.  

An assisted living facility can do just that- assist our residents in their daily activities including reminders with daily grooming needs, morning and/or evening care, occasional redirection or prompting reminders, showers, medication management, activities, housekeeping, laundry and 3 meals a day.  A nursing home is for someone that needs daily medical and/or physical care and supervision. Our assisted living facility is a social model and a nursing home is a medical facility.

An independent living facility does not require 24/7 staffing and does not have clinical staff to assist with ADL’s (activities of daily living) for their residents.  Limited meal service and some housekeeping services may be provided at an additional cost, but other services offered by assisted living facilities are not.

 Our enhanced level of care is an added service available for residents that need more assistance but not quite nursing home level.  Enhanced residents receive more physical assistance and/or reminders and gives them the ability to Age in Place in any room in the community. Additional personal care services can include assistance with daily grooming needs, morning and or evening care, daily toileting schedules to manage continence, escort/assistance of staff person to/from meals, chronic assistance of one staff person to transfer to/from bed to chair, chronic assistance with re-direction and/or supervision of tasks, or assistance of another staff person to manage durable medical equipment (DME).

Our specialized memory care offers the safety, supervision and added hands-on care that our cognitively impaired residents often need. Secure and specially designed spaces create a serene, comforting environment with activities to encourage creativity and contribute to a sense of calm.  Staff certified in dementia care are specially trained to address behavior changes related to dementia, while family training and support group programs help everyone adjust to the changes resulting from Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.  

If you need more care than we can provide at the enhanced assisted living level, our Case Manager will assist you in finding a facility to meet your needs (i.e. a skilled nursing facility) based on your desired location, medical needs and financial situation.

 At Heathwood, we offer private rooms, studio apartments, suite apartments, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments (for couples) at Williamsville and studios, and 1-bedroom and 2- bedroom apartments at Penfield.   

Yes!  As part of the admission process, we will evaluate your finances, room availability and physical need and will review with you the options available to you based on those criteria.

Your monthly (all-inclusive) rate for most residents will cover all costs and includes rent, meals, housekeeping/laundry and medication management.  There is an added cost for the enhanced program if you need added physical care or supervision and/or for the specialized memory care program.  Additional charges for diabetic testing or extended medication management may also apply. 

Please look at our monthly calendar to see all of the activities that are offered in a typical month.  We offer live weekly entertainment, outings, bingo, daily exercise programs, card games, board games, movies in our theater, church services, crafts and so much more!  Activities are offered 7 days a week.

Due to licensure issues, our requirements are different at Penfield and Williamsville.  

• At Penfield we supply a refrigerator and a microwave.   Under New York State Department of Health regulation, we are not able to allow “any heat-producing appliance, like a hair dryer, that has the ability to be left on without any automatic shut-off” or microwaves, coffee makers, stoves, griddles, crockpots, etc. 
• At Williamsville  we supply a refrigerator in resident apartments (residents are able to supply their own fridges in private rooms).  Under New York State Department of Health regulation, we are not able to allow “any heat-producing appliance, like a hair dryer, that has the ability to be left on without any automatic shut-off” or microwaves, coffee makers, stoves, griddles, crockpots, etc. 

Yes!  Heathwood has a Medicaid spend-down program for our residents and does have a limited number of Medicaid-approved rooms.  Residents who eventually qualify for Medicaid must first start at Heathwood as private pay residents.  Additional financial and clinical requirements also are required to qualify for Medicaid residency.

Your monthly rent will include 3 meals daily, weekly housekeeping/laundry,  medication management, activities and entertainment, and 24-hour staff availability.  In addition, we do have a hairdresser on site (at an additional cost) as well as medical services that would be covered through insurance.  

Heathwood only provides transportation to facility-sponsored activities.  We are, however, able to assist in making transportation arrangements (either covered by your insurance or at a private pay rate) for doctor’s appointments.

Yes!  Provided you have a valid driver’s license and are medically cleared to drive your car.  We have ample parking onsite for residents in our parking lot.

Unfortunately, pets are not allowed to live at the facility however we welcome pet visitors at any time.  Pet owners will need to complete paperwork for the ‘pet pass’ and then pets can share the love.

Our facility is fully sprinkled; equipped with back up generators in case of power loss; has a wander guard system in place for cognitively impaired residents; all exit doors will armed with an alarm to prevent unauthorized entry/exits; hand rails are located throughout the facility; bathrooms are equipped with grab bars and other safety devices; a resident call system with pullcords

Yes!  Our facility is equipped with backup generators that kick in automatically in case of power loss and provide power to all essential services at the facility.  In addition, we also have arrangements with other facilities through our Mutual Aid plan which provides temporary living arrangements if any residents should ever have to be relocated in the rare event of a disaster at the facility.

Normal visiting hours are 8:00am-8:30pm however arrangements can be made at any time if a resident would like to have a visitor.  We don’t restrict any residents from having visitors- even if they are in Covid isolation- however we do ask that visitors do not come to the facility if they aren’t feeling well.  Covid tests are not required prior to visitation.  Our visitation hours and policies are subject to change if regulatory requirements change or if changes are necessary to protect the health of residents in the community.

Heathwood contracts with a local physician group to provide medical services.  Overseen by Medical Director, residents are seen by Nurse Practitioner who comes to the facility weekly to provide care to residents onsite.  Our MD and NP are also on call 24/7 to meet the needs of our residents

Our facility contracts with podiatry services to provide on-site podiatrists for routine nail trimming and foot care and we also contract with a local dental provider (at Williamsville only) to provide on-site routine dental cleanings and care.

Residents are not required to have advanced directives upon admission however it is strongly recommended that a resident has designated a Health Care Proxy and Power of Attorney to advocate on their behalf should the need arise.  Case Management staff can assist in completing a MOLST and/or proxy upon admission if the resident has the capacity.

As soon as you notice that daily activities are getting to be too much, taking too much energy or effort, give us a call.  If you notice your loved one withdrawing from their usual interests, or lack of socialization, that’s the time to start making calls and taking tours. Our goal is to help our residents thrive and continue to enjoy life so call us sooner than later so we can start the relationship!

Yes!  We welcome couples to live in our one- or two-bedroom apartments together.  We are happy to take on the ‘caregiver’ role to the spouse in need so that the caregiving spouse can go back to being the loving spouse and partner.

Heathwood prepares and serves 3 restaurant-style meals daily in our main dining room and also provides an evening snack for residents to take back to their apartments.

Residents are required to attend at least 2 meals per day in our main dining room.  Residents are able to eat the 3rd meal in their apartment however meals will not be delivered from the dining room unless a resident requires a sick tray due to a temporary health condition.