Q. What are Practical Assisted Living Structures?
A. The Practical Assisted Living Structure, or PALS, has been designed and developed by Ready Living Structures Division of The Rockfall Company LLC to offer the elderly and the physically impaired the ability to remain at home rather than being placed in an institutional environment such as a nursing home or assisted living facility. Loved ones are often institutionalized, either long or short-term, simply because their home, or the home of a willing caregiver, is not equipped with the special needs facilities required for their care. A study completed by the Federal Government in 2008, in connection with The Money Follows the Person Program, found that the number one reason that people have to enter nursing homes is the lack of first floor bedroom and handicap bathroom facilities.
The Basic PALS unit provides those facilities, and thereby offers a person the ability to remain safe in their own home or in the home of a family member or other caregiver and providing a new cost-effective alternative for long term care.
PALS modules are self-contained modular structures that can quickly and easily be annexed to an existing home and are designed to provide the specialized accommodations required by the elderly and disabled. While blending in with or even enhancing the exterior appearance of the structure, the units are designed to provide the living space and facilities required to accommodate special needs that are commonly met only in institutions. As to adaptability, PALSTM(Patent Pending) modules are designed to provide the facilities for either long term living or shorter term rehabilitation needs. The Smart PALS units can be set up for 24 hour a day/ 7 day a week patient monitoring. This includes monitoring of environmental conditions within the unit, to video surveillance, fall monitoring, vital sign monitoring and recoding, medication dispensing and security systems and all can be control remotely by computer or cell phone.
Q. Where did the idea come from?
A. Our Company is a CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist) Company. The CAPS program was developed as a collaboration between the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the NAHB Research Center and AARP. It was developed to address the growing need for home modifications that will allow for continued living in a familiar environment throughout the maturing years. According to the AARP, older homeowners overwhelmingly prefer to “age in place”, which means living in your home safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level. CAPS professionals include designers, architects and health care consultants as well as general contractors that have been certified by the NAHB Research Center.
Because of our background and training we have done a number of home modifications and adaptions to allow people to remain in their homes. Often it would require disturbing first floor areas such as living rooms and dining rooms to create a first floor bedroom and handicap bathrooms. Often time these modifications were very expensive and very disruptive to the family, their living space and their living routine. Then when the modification is no longer needed the process often has to be reversed and again and be costly. My wife, who is a CAPS trained Interior Designer, and my son, who is one of my partners, and I thought there had to be a better and more cost effective way to provide the facilities to keep people at home and out of institutional care. Since we were doing a lot of custom design modular buildings the answer was there in front of us. We used our Modular experience to develop and perfecting our Practical Assisted Living StructureTM (PALSTM(Patent Pending)). For the last two years we have been developing the prototype and submitting the Patent applications and we began marketing the PALS to The public this September.
It was born of the Idea that people should have a choice as to how they should receive long term care and the option to live an independent and dignified life at home in the care of their family.
Q. How common are they across the country?
A They are not common across the country yet. We are the developer and “inventor of the concept. We are seeing some knock-off already – there is a gentleman in VA who has something called Med-cottage that you put in the back yard – has not got a working one in that I know of. We are planning to take our product nationally over the next year. We have rolled out the program here in Connecticut and we have received tremendous response. The use of this product as an alternative to institutional long term care could save the State of Connecticut hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars in long term health care cost. A study prepared by BlumShapiro for Connecticut Regional Institute for the 21th Century, with just a small adjustment to the long term care payout formula the State could save $900,000.00 now. With these kinds of savings the need and demands for this product will grow as will the competition
Â
Q. Clarify how the structures help the elderly remain in their home.
A. As we had discussed above, The study completed by the Federal Government in 2008, in connection with The Money Follows the Person Program, found that the number one reason that people have to enter nursing homes is the lack of first floor bedroom and handicap bathroom facilities. The PALSTM provides those facilities. Each unit is designed built to the needs of the individual user. An in home evaluation is done with each client and their care giver to determine the needs of the client before the final design is approved. All the wall are blocked and ready to receive handrails where needed, the ceiling is reinforced and ready to receive lifts and lift tracks. All light switches are large rocker switches at are illuminated in the dark, low level night lights are standard in all units. The units are all barrier free, with wide door with no thresholds to accommodate wheelchairs or walkers. Bathroom have handicap facilities to accommodate the needs of the individual client. Electronic Monitoring features can be added as desired.
Q. What facilities do PALS add that wouldn’t be found in an existing home?
A. The facilities that PALS adds are:
1.    The first floor bedroom, barrier free and equipped to handle any equipment that would be needed to be brought in know or in the future.
2.    The handicap bathroom designed and built to meet the need of the user
3.    The monitoring systems designed to meet the needs of the user.
Â
Q. PALS are promoted for either long-term or short-term care. How short of a time can they be installed for?
A. The present breakeven point for using a PALS for short term care is about one 11 months. This would be the cost of a basic PALS unit $55,000 Plus Installation Average $8,000 and removal Average $ 8,000 and a home healthcare giver 24/7 average coct $60,000 per year total $131,000 – cost of a nursing home $150,000 per year.
Â
Q. How quickly can a PALS be installed and removed at a home?
A. It takes 6 to 8 weeks from contract signing to have a custom PALS manufactured and installed. And it takes about one week to have a unit removed when no longer needed.
Â
Q.How much space is required for them?
A. The Basic unit is 14′ by 20′ and we are designing units that are 28′ by 40′ so it is up to the needs and want of the individual clients.
Â
Q. Are these structures intended to be temporary like the portable classrooms that used to be popular at public schools strapped for space? Or do they become permanent additions?Â
A. The majority of the units we have installed or have designed to date have been permanent additions put on full foundations. We have some that have been installed on piers and can be remove when no longer needed refurbished and resold. We do expect this removable option will become more popular as time goes on.
Â
Q. How many has Rockfall installed?
A. We have 3 completed as of today, one under construction, one to be delivered, December 15, one in manufacturing, and 3 in design.
Â
 Q.Have PALS become a big part of your business?
A. It is become a bigger part everyday. Now that people are becoming aware that we are here and that there are alternative to the high cost nursing homes we have been flooded with calls. Now people can compare the cost of keep their loved ones safe at home to a allowing them to live an independent and dignified life in the care of their family because they can the facilities need at a cost effective price. We are allowing people options.
Q. What is the typical investment for a PALS from start to finish for a customer?
A. There seems to be no typical investment. We have put in the basic unit which sold for $55,000 plus $7000 installation and we have put in a PALS suite of rooms which cost $120,000 installed
Q. Does your company help customers with zoning requirements?
A. Our company will handle all of the permitting process, including any zoning and zoning variances that are needed.
Q. What are some of the obstacles people might face in having a PALS added to a home?
A. The most common obstacle is zoning issues that require a variance. We have had to get variance one 2 of the PALS we installed. We filled and went through the process and in both cases the vaeiance was granted.
