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Mom has lived at an ALF for 8 yrs. Her dementia has advanced and we had to find a secure memory care facility. She's only been there 3 weeks, and her dentures have been misplaced 2x's. The first time they were found this second time , not as of yet. Who is responsible for the cost of replacing the lost dentures? (If not found) BTW I texted the administrator on the issue and have yet to receive a reply!

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hopefully you had the dentures on an inventory list when your mother moved to this facility

at my mom's memory care dental hygiene is nearly non existent, and fortunately mom doesn't wear dentures but her teeth are beginning to disintegrate now at 93 1/2 without proper brushing and flossing and I have private aides with her 12 hours a day

what I observe of others with dentures and hearing aides is this:
staff tends to discourage dentures as residents tend to choke on them in later stages

really good nurses at bedtime will remind caregivers to collect both dentures and hearing aides and give to her - now this is a challenge if the caregivers are short staffed or constantly turning over and/or any particular nurse is new and doesn't do the same - I don't know about dentures but hearing aides are very expensive

request a care meeting to go over your mother's needs - meds, meals etc

I have a long list of items that have gone missing from mom's belongings the past year, but have refrained from giving them a bill

When I'm there and her walker or wheelchair are missing then I get nasty and make them find it before I leave - they are clearly marked and are unique and no one should be taking them
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I don't think Medicare or Medicaid pays for dentures.
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When my mother was in the memory care place they lost her glasses all the time. She ended up with someone else glasses at the end. Some of her stuff was stolen or missing. I think this is what happens in NH and memory care places.
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Vonping, I'm sorry for you -- that is a huge hassle and expense! Hopefully it's covered in your agreement with the facility. At my grandpa's facility they had a lock box up at the front desk where they could keep hearing aides (and presumably dentures.) We had to ask for this. When his hearing aides were lost, we were fortunate that the VA paid to replace them.

You may be able to get a supplemental insurance policy (which you would pay out of your mom's social security and then I believe they adjust the Medicaid payment accordingly) to cover dental and/or vision. The person in the business office should be able to give you information on whether there is something like that available. It won't help now but might with the next set.
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vonping, is your Mom in a hospital type bed?  Look under the bed among all the legs, beams and other controls that are there.

I remember I couldn't find my Mom's eyeglasses in the usual places, searched and searched.  Then for some reason I checked under the bed, it was a maze under there, not much light, but sure enough leaning up on the side of footing was Mom's glasses.
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Are you able to visit the facility? You might get further faster in person than by text, perhaps.
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Thank you everyone for your comment's and suggestions. I'm frustrated because no one is getting back to me about the lost dentures. Mom can't walk and is in a wheelchair. It's going to be difficult to get her to and from the dentist.
Does anyone know if Medicare/
Medicaid pay for dentures? All of mom's check goes to facility for rent I pay the difference. There is no $$$ for anything let alone dentures.
Thanks
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I would review your contract and discuss it with the director. The MC that my LO resides told me that they were responsible for all my LO's missing items.

I would also discuss a plan for the care of the new dentures. Care of things like dentures, eye glasses, hearing aids, etc. is very challenging in a MC facility. If the resident is prone to discard the item, it's not practical to keep up with them anymore. Even if the staff put the items away at night and provide them to the resident the next day, the items can be misplaced during the day. The resident can remove them and put them in someone else's drawers, place in trash can, hide in some unlikely place, behind a bed, under a chair, etc. Once my LO's glasses went missing, it was a constant struggle to keep up with them. She would place them all over the place.

I might discuss other options with her dentist or ask if she can receive her dentures for meals and then have them placed in safekeeping after the meal.
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There was also the case, famously, of the bright-eyed enthusiastic young trainee who had the well-intentioned idea of gathering all the dentures on her floor and giving them a really good extra soak in sterilising fluid. The story doesn't say at what exact point she realised that dentures aren't marked with people's names or room numbers.

VonPing, I appreciate how infuriating this situation is, but take deep breaths and deal with the issues one at a time. Issue one is to replace your mother's denture. Issue two is to figure out a way of ensuring the new one doesn't also go missing, and for that you need to work with the staff to understand the unit's routine, not have a go at them. Issue three is to claim back the cost of the replacement denture, if possible (see answers above). I do sympathise.
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My mom's hearing aids were lost, not replaced. Imagine how difficult it would be for a staff to be responsible for each residents belongings. Check into insuring them for loss and breakage, may not be an option. Then there is a way to have the cost of replacement covered.
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Vonping, check over the paperwork that was signed when your Mom first moved into Assisted Living, it should say who is responsible.   Does the Staff remove and put in Mom's dentures or does she do it herself?
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