Senior Living Information Blog

Alzheimer's Reading Room, a great resource

Just read another short post on Bob DeMarco's fabulous blog, the Alzheimer's Reading Room.  This one was about how one of the first signs you might look for when someone has dementia that you might not think of is their feet!  Shuffling the feet could be a sign of early cognitive development.  Having worked in an assisted living community with a wonderful section just for those with dementia, I can attest to the fact that many of the residents did shuffle their feet.  It was if they were walking with out lifting their feet.

Anyway, that is just one of the many informative things I have learned or thought more about since I started following Bob on Twitter (@ALZHEIMERSread) and reading his blog.  Bob always sends out very informative tweets with links to various articles around the web and I feel like I am always learning (or finding!) something if I follow them.

When is it time to consider assisted living?

I have many blog posts on this topic on this blog - easy to find.  But I just heard it best when I heard that you should move to assisted living before it is a "have-to".  At that point, assisted living (or an independent retirement community) may no longer be an option. 

Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women – oh, and a good sense of humor.

Just wrote that article about Walter, the oldest MAN in the world. Let me clarify that he is the oldest man, there are 13!! ladies in the world older than him.

I just found an article about Henry Allingham who previously was the worlds oldest man at 113.  The quote above is his secret to a very long life.  And jellied eels.  Whatever those are.  Here is a picture of Henry (because was so darn handsome) and the additional information I found at seniorjournal.com

When an elderly relative being cared for at home can't go on vacation, what's a caregiver to do?

Respite care!!

Many assisted living communities have openings and have space available for short term respites - 1 week or so.  You don't even technically have to GO on vacation, just take a vacation and take care of yourself.  Some of the local area agencies on aging will actually give you information on FREE respites in local nursing homes.  To find your local area on aging, visit http://www.eldercare.gov and enter in your zip code.

USA Today had a great article "Caregivers, too, need time away." which is about some respite options in assisted living, an option many people often do not think of.  If you are a caregiver or know one, you may want to forward the article to them!

"If they don't send me a stamp, they don't get a response."

And at .46 a stamp I can relate!!

I read these articles about these seniors who are so old, and have so much advice to offer and just the most wonderful quotes ever.

This came from Walter Breuning, who at 112 years old is officially the worlds oldest man.  He lives in an assisted living community in Great Falls, Montana.  (What a beautiful state by the way - all that fresh air might have helped!) 

He is so swamped with requests for interviews, that the assisted living home requests that those who would like to talk with him to to call and schedule ahead of time.

Apparently Walter doesn't have time for some of the stupid questions.  The man is old after all he should be able to decide what he wants to answer and what he doesn't

"Walter wants to answer the more intellectual questions, not whether he has a girlfriend or what being the oldest man in the world means to him — because living a long time means much less to him than living a good life," said Tina Bundtrock, the communities life engagement manager in the article I read in the Great Falls Tribune.  You can read the whole article," Oldest man has hands full with media" here.

The wise old man also turned down the Tonight show because he doesn't want to talk to people who make fun of other people, it just offends him.  Hmmm.  Maybe if someone learns to ask the right questions we will all be the wiser!

(Photo by Ryan Hall for the Great Falls Tribune)

When is it time to move a loved one to assisted living?

Patricia Grace is one of the many passionate elder care advisers that I follow on Twitter.  I recently ran across this article of hers and had to share as it is such a common question I get when people find out what I do. Here is the beginning of the article:

Making the decision to move a parent or loved from their home into an assisted living, retirement or nursing community is never an easy decision. If you find yourself questioning the safety of your parent(s) living alone then perhaps you and your family should consider the following:

• Are you concerned your loved one might wander off and not find their way home?
• Are you unable to provide daily social interaction with your loved?
• Are you getting frustrated and angry caring for your loved one?

If you answered yes to these questions then the time might be right to move that elderly person to a senior housing community. Although making the decision to move a loved one can be very emotional and difficult, once it has been accomplished it can lead to an improved quality of life for everyone involved.

You can read the whole article here: Moving your loved one, when is it time?

Fun fundraiser for Rainbow Hospice Aug 28th

Rainbow Hospice will be hosting an event at the end of the summer in support of their Good Mourning Program for children, teens and families.  The Good Mourning Program is the most extensive family-focused children’s bereavement program in the Chicago Area.  They have been supporting children of all ages for more than 20 years and have helped thousands of families.
 
Their event, dubbed Lake Effect, will be held on August 28th, 2009 from 5:00pm to Midnight at the Palmer House Hotel in downtown Chicago.  Lake Effect will be a fantastic evening and an even better value with the ticket price of $75.  The night is geared for anyone in their 20’s to 50’s and will include multiple entertainment venues (Headlining is the Plain White T’s!!!!!), an amazing array of food, open bar, and more.
 
I hope you will be able to make this event even better by supporting the children of Good Mourning and helping us spread the word about Lake Effect to your staff and members.  Attached is a digital poster that can be used to promote the event.  You can also help by encouraging people to visit and connect on our website, www.lakeffectparty.com
 
Lake Effect is a great event for a great cause.  Please help us raise a little ruckus for a Good Mourning!
 

How do I know what type of help my aging parent needs?

LifeBridge Solutions, a Florida company that provides family transition coaching recently published a blog post asking six questions to determine what help your aging parent needs?

The 6 questions they came up with were:

1. What is my parent's physical condition?
2. What is my parent's emotional condition?
3. What is my parent's cognitive level?
4. What financial resources are available to pay for help?
5. What human resources are available to provide help?
6. What input has my parent given on the entire topic?

It is a great article and you should check it out by following the link above the questions!  Their site is also full of other great articles and resources including a free "household transitions" resource guide! 

Life begins at 80!

If there is one thing that everyone in the Senior Living industry agrees on, it is that the industry will undergo an overall change to prepare for the next generation -- the Baby Boomers.

Just read an article online by Renato Alesiani is the executive director of Áegis at Shadowridge an assisted living community in California.

I found it interesting because he talks about the needs (or demands or wants) of the baby boomer generation is different than those of their parents - the WWII generation.  There will be a higher demand for luxury and hospitality.  Anyone who operates an assisted living community might be interested in the article so I have attached it here: Senior Living - The Next Generation

100 Charitable Activities You Can Do With Your Family

A reader named Suzane emailed me about a post on her blog called 100 Charitable Activities You Can Do With Your Family.  Since I get emails all the time about volunteering in local nursing homes and assisted living communities I knew I had to share it.  Lots of great suggestions on there. 

It also helps us answer the call to action from President and Mrs. Obama to give back!

One of my favorite's is the first one because I know they can match up some opportunities with seniors.  Volunteer Match - with over 65,000 participating organizations, this site has many opportunities to choose from. Just type in your location and interests and VolunteerMatch will find many options for charitable families.

Have fun and feel good!

If anyone else has suggestions of valuable articles - please feel free to email me directly.