Information Center

Meals are served restaurant-style in our dining room* and we encourage all residents to attend and socialize. A designated area is provided if you require assistance with eating. You may eat in your room if you choose. We ask that you provide your nurse with sufficient notice prior to the meal so the kitchen may be alerted to your wishes. Meal times are as follows:

Breakfast
7:40 am Atrium Dining; 7:50 am South Dining

Lunch
11:40 am Atrium Dining; 11:50 am South Dining

Dinner
5:40 pm Atrium Dining; 5:50 am South Dining

* Guest meals may be purchased for $2.00. Please allow our dietary staff sufficient notice if you plan to dine in our facility.

Unlike a hospital, we have no set visiting hours. Guests are welcome and highly encouraged to visit. However, medical and personal care of the residents are our highest priorities, so we ask that visits do not interfere with these efforts and take place during typical waking hours only. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Children of all ages are welcome as well, but we ask that they be supervised at all times.

Unlike a hospital, we have no set visiting hours. Guests are welcome and highly encouraged to visit. However, your medical and personal care are our highest priority, so we ask that visits do not interfere with these efforts and take place during typical awake hours only. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Children of all ages are welcome, as well, but we ask that they be supervised at all times.

Additionally, the doors at the front of the building will be locked at 5:00 p.m. for your safety and security. During these times, visitors may enter at the South Hall entrance.

All of our parking lots are unrestricted unless designated by a handicapped sign. Parking is not allowed in the covered areas; these are for drop-off/pick-up and ambulance access. Also, smoking is not allowed within the facility. You and your guests are allowed to smoke in any designated outside seating areas.

Personal items from home are a great idea. Favorite pictures, throw blankets and plants are highly encouraged to help you personalize your room. Some items, however, are too hazardous and are not allowed at all (i.e. candles, throw rugs, hot plates, extension cords etc.). We ask that you check with the Administrator before rearranging any furniture, hanging anything on the walls, or bringing large items such as additional furniture. Also, we would like to remind you that the artwork and decorations throughout the building belong to the facility and should not be removed or rearranged.

Phone connections are available in every room, but it is up to you to make the necessary arrangements with the service provider for their installation and billing. Telephone service connections can be made through AT&T (888-757-6500) or Suddenlink (888-560-1668). If you choose to have a television, we ask that you provide a suitable stand for it or mount brackets to the wall and not place on over-bed tables. If you request a room change, you are responsible for any charges associated with the service relocation. If the facility finds it necessary to move you, we will pay for the transfer. Our Social Services Director can assist with these arrangements.

Televisions are not recommended for our Memory Care Unit because residents with dementia have a difficult time distinguishing between what is on TV from reality. Some television programming can trigger delusions, hallucinations and excess anxiety. The unit will, however, have a TV/VCR/DVD in the common area to be used by staff for supervised therapeutic activities.

Clothing should be suited to the season and/or your personal wishes. Since individual storage space is limited, your family should retain any out-of-season garments you do not frequently wear.

All of your personal effects should be clearly labeled upon admission. Our staff can assist with labeling items as needed. Items brought to the facility after that time must also be marked.

If you have a clinical need for durable medical equipment and have one available, you may bring it with you. We ask that you label the item clearly or otherwise mark it. Electric wheelchairs and scooters are allowed with Administrator approval based on your safety and the safety of others.

These types of gestures are strictly forbidden. If you wish to express your thanks to any of our employees, we ask that you do so verbally or with a thank-you card and let their supervisor know so the individual can be recognized among their peers.

Your mail will be delivered to the facility and distributed to you Monday through Friday. Your mail should be addressed as follows:

Your Name
c/o Lake Charles Care Center
2701 Ernest Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601

If you transfer from the facility, please leave a forwarding address with the Business Office Manager. A change of address form should also be completed and filed with the local post office so your mail delivery will not be delayed.

Our staff will help you perform normal grooming such as fingernail and toenail clipping, shaving and hair brushing/combing. A licensed beautician is available each week for haircuts and styling. Our Business Office Manager can help schedule your appointment.

A non-denominational church service is provided on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Rosary is recited once a week and is denoted on the activities calendar.

The facility provides all bed linens and towels and is responsible for laundering them. This service is also provided for your personal clothing, as long as it is adequately labeled. If your family chooses to wash your clothing, we ask that an air-tight container be provided for your room and that your dirty clothing be picked up every 2-3 days.

We have an excellent activity program and encourage you to participate. There are planned activities daily, a birthday party each month and special events. A calendar is posted in your room to keep you up-to-date with the schedule for the month. The activity and other common areas are available 24 hours a day for your use. There you can find board games, playing cards, reading material, etc. for your enjoyment. You are highly encouraged to let our staff know what sorts of activities you prefer so that we can accommodate your request or find other residents with similar interests.

Our Activities Director operates a volunteer program made up of members of the local community who choose to assist in hosting events, providing entertainment and interacting with our residents. If you know anyone with special skills, talents, or extra time to share, encourage them to become a volunteer.

Our staff is expected to be flexible and honor all reasonable requests you make, as long as it does not endanger you or our other residents.

You are encouraged to participate in the Resident Council, which meets each month with our Activities Director to represent all of our residents’ concerns and make suggestions to the facility staff. Activities and special meals are planned and issues are discussed that need to be brought to the attention of the Administrator or responsible department heads.

Dr. Mir Khan of Lake Charles is the Medical Director of our facility and is ultimately responsible for the care of all the residents at Lake Charles Care Center. He makes rounds in the facility every week to see his patients and is conferred with periodically concerning the health care we provide. You are free to choose an attending physician other than the Medical Director, but they are required to see you at least once every 30 days for the first 90 days after admission and at least once every 60 days thereafter.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are not allowed at bedside until a multi-disciplinary team assessment has been performed to determine whether self-administration of medication is a safe practice. Please inform your nurse of any over-the-counter medications in your possession upon admit or any time thereafter.

Coordination of doctor appointments should be made through our Nursing Staff. If our staff feels that a visit is warranted, we will make the necessary arrangements and notify your family. Lake Charles Care Center provides transportation for all medical appointments. Family members are welcome to provide transportation and are encouraged to attend doctor appointments.

The guidelines Medicare and Medicaid place on you as a nursing home resident are described in our Bed Hold Policy on Page 7. Aside from these limitations, you may leave as often as you like to spend time with family and friends, attend special events, or just take a drive one afternoon. You must, however, sign out with your nurse and check to see if any medication or special attention is required while you’re away.

We supply most personal grooming products, but you are welcome to bring your favorite products as well.  Here’s a list of items that we provide:

• hair hygiene supplies
• towels/washcloths
• comb/brush
• moisturizing lotion
• bath soap
• disinfecting soaps or specialized cleansing agents when indicated to treat special skin problems or to fight infection
• tissues
• cotton balls
• cotton swabs
• deodorant
• hospital gowns
• razors
• hair & nail hygiene services
• shaving cream
• bathing
• toothbrush/toothpaste
• denture cleaner
• denture adhesive
• dental floss
• basic personal laundry
• sanitary napkins & related supplies
• incontinence supplies
• incontinence care

You may request and the facility may provide non-routine services and/or supplies; however, you are financially responsible for any additional charges not covered in the Basic Daily Rate or by a third party payor (e.g., Medicare or Medicaid).