Kay's Concierge Service

When we pay good money for our clothes, we take good care of them. We would assume that when we pay good money to live in an assisted living center that the staff would launder our clothes with love and care. Well, that is not the case. I work in several different centers and it is aggravating to see how laundry is handled or, let’s be blunt, not tended to properly.

I have a female client who has clothing items returned from the laundry with obvious food stains left on. Hm? It makes you wonder, did this get thrown in a pile or thrown in the washer? Many times clothing has been put in the drier when the label clearly states “no tumble dry” or “hang dry”.   I cannot tell you how many of her beautiful clothing items have gone to Goodwill (or worse yet, the trash) because of sloppy laundering practices. It is maddening because many of these items have sentimental value. They might be a reminder of a particular event or maybe the clothing was a gift from a family member or friend. I have found in my client’s closet many sheer shirts that look more like an accordion. Luckily, I have been able to salvage several by bringing them home to rinse and hang dry. I am not sure if other caregivers do this, but I feel it is the right thing to do. The bigger issue here is: Why do the assisted living center staff think it is OK to treat people’s clothing (whether expensive or not) in this manner? It is not right.

Therefore, be sure to take time to check out the way clothing is laundered when looking for a facility for your parents or other family members. Ask how many times a week each person’s clothing are taken, laundered, and delivered back to the room. Also, ask whether items are dry-cleaned and ironed. Are there extra charges for this? And, I cannot stress enough, be sure to CLEARLY mark all clothing items. If you do this, it will help you and the facility keep track of items. At the very least, you will feel like you made the effort. Even though you mark the items, prepare yourself, because things will “disappear”.

Next week, I will share pictures that will demonstrate how to mark your loved one’s clothing items.