Senior Living Information Blog

Alzheimer's Association Action Summit 2010

Yesterday, more than 600 advocates from around the country marched on Capitol Hill to advocate for vital Alzheimer issues. Amplify their VOICE by e-mailing your members of Congress to urge them to make the disease a national priority.

Will you help them? Write Congress now!

Tell them to pass:

The Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2009 (S. 1492/H.R. 3286), authorizing $2 billion in research funding for Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's Detection, Diagnosis, Care and Planning (ADD-CAP) Act, which will provide Medicare reimbursement to increase detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

The National Alzheimer's Project Act (S. 3036/H.R. 4689) that calls for an integrated federal campaign to overcome Alzheimer's disease.

Now is the time to act. Contact your members of Congress today, then forward this message onto others concerned about Alzheimer's.

Iconic Chicago Architect Dies of Alzheimer's Disease

Luckily his beautiful buildings live on making our skyline so recognizable. 

Bruce Graham, 84, the architect behind the Sears (OK Willis) Tower and the John Hancock died in his home due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.  You can read the article about him and his accomplishments in the Chicago Tribune.

Alzheimer's Association 2010 Family Forum - April 10

Please consider joining the great people at the Alzheimer's Association for a half day event for those affected by memory loss.

This great event includes a session that will update you on today's current research in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.  The second session is a presentation focused on providing caregivers with a framework for negotiating difficult circumstances in order to relive stress and maintain important relationships with those with memory loss.  The final session of the day will look at different personality types and their impact on our everyday lives.  Effective communication to compliment personality types within the family (to prevent caregiver burnout!!) will be explained and discussed.

In addition there will be Breakfast included and a resource fair going on through the day.  I have participated in this event in the past and the feed back from those who have attended is so positive.

Please consider attending if you are a caregiver of someone with the disease.

Date: Saturday April 10, 2010

Location: Harper College, Wojcik Conference Center, 1200 Algonquin Rd, Palatine IL 60047

Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 om

Registration:  To register call 847-933-2413 or visit http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/comm_education/prog_sign_up.asp?ProgramID=425

There is a $25 registration fee and I believe it is worth every penny and more.

Alzheimer's - There's an app for that.

Apps for All recently released a new app for iPhone, iTouch and iPad to those with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.  It helps to identify apps that will improve the quality of life specifically those that will calm, lift spirits or engage the user.

According to the description, "The goal is to leverage these app-inspired activities resulting in an improved interaction with caregivers and visitors. Grandchildren, for example, can find familiar music, games, or activities in apps that can be enjoyed together perhaps stimulating discussion by one who is normally less communicative."

The app is .99 cents and you can read more about it or purchase the Alzheimer's App by clicking this link!

P.S. Follow Senior Living Experts on Facebook!

Money raised for the Memory Walk, where does it go?

November is still National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month so I thought I would share with you some information about where the money raised from Memory Walk goes and how it helps in the community.  I also want to take this opportunity to re-thank everyone who donated to our Memory Walk team this year and every year past.

There is still time to donate before the year is over, so if you would like to you can click here to go to our fund-raising page.  Remember your donation is tax deductible!

Where does the money go? The funds raised through Memory Walk go toward the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Here are a few specific examples of what your donations can do:

$10 enables the Alzheimer's Association to provide a 15 minute information and referral call.

****24/7 hot-line # is 800.272.3900*****

$200 enables the Alzheimer's Association to provide a care consultant overnight to assist a caregiver in distress.

$250 enables the Alzheimer's Association to distribute language and culturally appropriate materials to a community audience.

S1,000 sponsors an Early-Stage Advisor to speak at a national or local conference so they can share their experiences with the disease and coping strategies they have adopted.

$1,500 enables the Alzheimer's Association to translate the Brain Tour – a Web site that takes visitors inside the brain to view the effects of Alzheimer’s -  into another language.

Guiding principles behind the AAHSA Idea House

Technology, universal design and aging in place all come together at the Idea House at the AAHSA 09 conference.

When you are touring the home you can see all three of these principles in every corner.

I am going to start with sustainable design.  "Green" design is important not only to the environment but to the health and wellness of the occupants who live in the home.  The healthier the environment, the longer they can remain in their home whether that be and actual home, apartment or senior living community.

The house was designed to be oriented with the courtyard having an exposed southern exposure.  This is important because it allows for optimum natural light.  Also the light will come in during the winter and help to heat the home.  In the summer when the rays are more direct, the louvers are designed to shade the windows.  The home has windows on all corners allowing for additional light and shades that work at the touch of a button allow for privacy.  The orientation of the home also allows for maximum ventilation. The roof can support solar panels (maybe we will see these next year when the show is in California..) and they can be moved to face the sun and help to heat the home.

The home also includes a green roof (imagine growing your garden right on your roof...).  In addition the home is loaded with recycled products as well as water and energy saving devices.

This leads me to the second principle, technology.  There were monitoring systems that can tell a caregiver what the temperature of the home is - that way if mom had not turned on her heat or air conditioning in a time when maybe they should have, something can be done about it sooner rather than later.

Some of the devices showcased can monitor motion (record average footsteps and gait), moisture on the floor, medications and weight and vital statistics.  All of this information can be web based, again allowing for a remote care giver or a doctor to monitor the senior.   These technologies are also currently used in many senior living communities as well.

You can also connect socially to family and friends through technology.  There were multiple examples of software programs to run on a computer that allows a senior to easily stay in touch.  You can even join a Wii bowling league and bowl against someone in a another state... But more about all these new technologies in another post.

Finally, aging in place or universal design.  It allows any homeowner and their family members to have the confidence that the home will adapt to the future physical needs and allow them to stay at home as long as possible.  Or if you already live in a senior community, it could delay a move to a higher level of care which can be very stressful.

The home is modular and could be used as a large group home instead of just a home for an individual or a family.  It could be used as a home and an adult day care.  It could also be added on to and become a home for a large group of individuals with private rooms and large inviting social areas.  I saw computer graphics showing the home built out as well as up.   I will talk more about this when I write about my interview with Eric Krull from THW design later. 

There is still time to see the home for yourself.

McCormick Place Lakeside Center

Exhibit Hall Lobby, Level 3 - register on 2nd floor, they will give you a pass for just the Idea House

When:

Tuesday Nov 10 noon - 3:30 pm

Wednesday Nov 11 noon - 3:30 pm

Touring the AAHSA Idea House

This morning I had the opportunity to venture over to the McCormick Place and tour the Idea House that was built right inside for the AASHA Annual Meeting.

When I initially arrived, the media was touring the home and I got to stand back and take a look and really appreciate how many people could comfortably stand inside the home and socialize.  And socialize they did, as there were many vendors demonstrating some of the latest and greatest technology available to us today to help us age in place. 

I walked into the open courtyard area and tried to decide which section of the home to explore first.  A few hours later I have to say I was almost on information overload.  Some of the built ins and products were to be expected, and some were hard to even imagine existing.  Over the course of my next few posts, I am going to talk about some of the things I learned and some of the products I learned about.  I even had the opportunity to interview Majd Alwan, the Director of CAST and Eric Krull, the AAHSA Idea House Designer.  It was hard not to see the excitement in their eyes as they talked about the project and the possibilities to come.

It was inspiring to see how architects, designers, aging services providers, and technology can all come toghether and create safe, beautiful functional spaces for the rest of us.  Stay tuned, more to come..

Free evening programs highlighting HBO's "The Alzheimer's Project"

The Alzheimer's Association Greater Illinois Chapter, Lexington Healthcare and Alexian Brothers Neurosciences Institute are hosting two evening programs this month highlighting segments of The HBO Alzheimer’s Project featuring a panel of experts with their personal and scientific perspectives on Alzheimer’s disease.

The first evening is the Wednesday, Nov 11 and they will feature Part I: Personal Perspectives on Living with Alzheimer’s Disease

The second night, Wednesday, November 18 will feature: Part Two: Scientific Perspectives on Alzheimer’s Disease

Both evenings check-in and appetizers at 5:30 p.m and program begins at 6:45 and ends at 8:30 p.m

Where:

Heron Point Conference Center
665 W. North Avenue, Lombard, IL 60148

There is no fee to attend, but seating is limited so please RSVP by  Tuesday November 10th to Cheryl Dawson at (847) 324-0377 or register at www.alz/illinois and click on “Education Programs”

Someone that I used to work with, Rachelle Blough is now the Director of Memory Care Services at Lexington and if you get a chance to talk to her while you are there, you will not regret it.  She inspired me to learn as much about the disease as I could and she continues to touch the lives of many employees and families all over the Chicago area.

As they say on the documentary - there currently is no cure, but there is HOPE.

Advances in Parkinson's Disease - Free update/discussion

The Community Health and Education Department at St. Joseph Hospital and The Hallmark presents:

Hilliard Slavick, M.D., Section Chief, Neurology will discuss the progress in identifying risk factors and causes as well as new developments in medicine and surgical approaches for Parkinson's Disease.  Complimentary valet parking and reception will be provided.

When:  Thursday, Sept 10 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Where: The Hallmark, 2960 N. Lake Shore Drive, The Kellogg Room

Fee:  FREE!

Please call 877-737-4636 to register and reserve a spot.  Registration required by Sept 3 and space is limited!

Assisted Living Building Wins "Green" Award

Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the health care community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices recently announced their 2009 Environmental Excellence Awards.  These are given to institutions for programs that reduce the facility’s environmental footprint.

Youville Place Assisted Living Residence, in Lexington, Massachusetts, recently received a Partner Recognition Award from them.  The Partner Recognition award is for healthcare facilities that have begun to work on environmental improvements, achieved some progress, and have less than 10% recycling rate for the total waste stream.

Locally, Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers – Evergreen Park, IL also recieved Partner Recognition.

In the past, Youville Place Assisted Living paid $85 a ton to dump the coffee grounds and other scraps into the landfill. It now pays $172 a month to compost three tons of waste a month.  This and other changes such as using low VOC paint, buying food from local farmers, and cleaning with environmentally friendly products are some of the other green practices at Youville.  You can find the complete article here.

Its just a matter of time before you hear about more "green" senior communities.  I am imagining green roofs (at least here in the city!) as well as reduction in paper use & packaging.  They could also reduce their use of water with low flow toilets and faucets.  Many already use the new longer lasting light bulbs.  They could also use carpets made of natural fibers (or perhaps those carpet tiles - where if one gets dirty you can pull it up and replace it.)  Maybe even organic bedding and use of cloth napkins & tableclothes.  Washing most everything in cold water and using environmentally friendly detergents.

The idea of purchasing 'nutrient rich' food from local organic farmers is one of my personal favorites.  It certainly cost more to buy, but the benefits of the vitamins, minerals, and less pesticides is un-measurable in its impact on seniors health.

Any other ideas on how senior communities can green up?