Senior Citizen Assisted Living Care Blog

Not Your Grandmother’s Assisted Living

Seniors — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:42:11 +0000

Retirement

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3/07/2012 @ 10:21AM |298 views

Not Your Grandmother’s Assited Living Facility

Assisted living and other residential care facilities are looking more and more like nursing homes. About one in four provide skilled nursing services, between half and two-thirds offer case management, and– at least among larger facilities—two-thirds offer their residents physical or occupational therapy. More than one-third of residents will make an emergency visit to the hospital and more than one in four will be admitted to a hospital during the course of a year.

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Almost 42 percent of facility residents have some form of dementia, and about one-third of them are being cared for either in specialty homes or in designated units of larger institutions. One-third have heart disease and half suffer from three or more chronic illnesses. These are just some of the findings from a recent study by the federal National Center for Health Statistics.

For consumers, this trend significantly expands their care options beyond moving to a nursing facility or staying at home. But it also means they need to be very careful in their choices: If they move into a residential care facility expecting high levels of assistance, they need to be very sure the operator is equipped to deliver that service. Wood paneling and flowers in the lobby are not enough.

Likewise, owners of care facilities need to recognize that a new generation of residents needs more assistance with activities of daily living and greater medical support. The days when assisted living facilities were run like hotels for old people are long over. However, operators must find a way to provide these additional services without slipping into the kind of medical model that consumers resist.

Finally, Medicaid, which has been reluctant to finance stays in residential care facilities, needs to start thinking more creatively about the niche they serve. And government needs to find a regulatory middle ground that allows these facilities to operate creatively while protecting increasingly vulnerable residents.

The new NCHS study looked at a wide range of facilities, from small homes with 4-10 beds to large 100+ bed institutions. In 2010, about 31,100 facilities owned about 972,000 licensed beds. However, they served only about 733,000 residents, for a vacancy rate of about 25 percent.

Until recently, these care homes have been largely financed by individuals paying out of pocket. But the recent expansion of Medicaid home and community based waiver programs is changing that mix. The study found that about 20 percent of residents are receiving Medicaid assistance for their long-term care services (but not for room and board).

About half of the care homes have 10 residents or less and only about 2,100, or 7 percent, have more than 100 beds. However, almost a third of all assisted living residents live in those big facilities. Residential homes are overwhelmingly for-profit (about 82 percent) and about four in ten are run by large chains.

With average fees running about half that of nursing facilities and with an environment that is often more attractive to seniors (and to their adult children), residential care facilities are become a more popular choice for consumers. But as their population of sicker residents in need of more assistance grows, operators must find ways to adjust their models of care. And consumers must learn what services these facilities can, and cannot, offer.

Long Term Care Options

Seniors — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:34:06 +0000

When people hear the words long term care, often a feeling of discomfort arises. What does long term care mean in Durango, Colorado? How can I afford it? These are just a couple of the questions people have when considering their long term care options.

It is no surprise that most people want to stay in their home for as long as possible. Our homes are where we are most comfortable. Many seniors have lived in there for decades and that is where they would like to stay. However, as people age, their homes often times are not a safe option of living. They may be too large to manage. Also, stairs become a challenge, as well as, a safety hazard. Also if a person requires more care, it may be too costly to have in-home care.

When staying at home is no longer a safe option, assisted living or nursing care come into play. While nursing homes are necessary for some people, there are now many levels of care that allows a broader scope of options for our aging loved ones.

Assisted Living, like Sunshine Gardens in Durango, Colorado, offers 24 hour oversight and care. Most facilities provide showering, dressing, medication management, oxygen assistance, and many more services. Assisted Living facilities tend to embrace more of a “home-like” environment where there are many activities, food choices, and social programs to keep our loved ones vibrant. Although assisted living facilities have been around for several years, they are becoming more main stream and the choice of care for seniors who are looking for a “non-institutional” choice of living.

Fortunately, there are many services offered in the Four Corners that allow assisted living facilities to broaden their scope of care. They partner with local home health, palliative, and hospice agencies. If a person requires specific nursing or physical therapy services, home health care agencies can provide those services in the assisted living setting. A bonus to this is that most of these services are covered under Medicare insurance for a certain period of time. This allows people who otherwise may not be “appropriate for assisted living” to stay in the facility and receive quality care.

People also want to “age in place,” and palliative and hospice care permits assisted living facilities to help people with this goal. Palliative care is a service where a qualified medical professional, usually a P.A. or M.D., evaluates the resident and determines the care plan that is most appropriate for that person’s future. Sometimes this includes changing medications, prescribing more services including home health care and/or physical therapy, or moving towards hospice and end-of-life care.

Hospice care provides comfort measures for residents in assisted living facilities. The range of services that can be provided expand once a person is on hospice care. An example is people who are non-ambulatory, need constant supervision, or those who may be bed-ridden. The goal is to provide the ultimate scope of care services in a setting that is familiar and comfortable. Most hospice services are also covered under Medicare.

There are many advantages of living in an assisted living facility like Sunshine Gardens in Durango, CO, while utilizing the local service options. For one, people can enjoy a beautiful, non-institutional setting, without compromising the quality of care. Also, assisted living facilities, on average, are thousands of dollars less per month than a nursing home. When a person lives in an assisted living facility, they will pay the base rate and necessary services or levels of care. Home health, palliative, and hospice care services are covered under Medicare and supplement what the assisted living facility provides. This saves the resident personal dollars they would be spending in a nursing facility.

Overall, there are many options of care for long term needs. It is important that you research the options in your area. Visit multiple facilities and compare the level of services, as well as, costs. If you manage it right, you or your loved one can find a beautiful facility and receive all the necessary care and services that are required.

Trisha Kellogg

‘The Talk’ With Mom and Dad

Seniors — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:28:25 +0000

re: the Wall Street Journal release dated: February 23, 2011
respecting their editor… Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@wsj.com

When the time came for Kathy Peel’s mother and father to consider moving into an assisted-living facility, Ms. Peel tried reasoning with them, citing examples of friends who were happy they had made the move.

Morris and Kathryn Weeks helped write a ‘strategic plan’ before deciding to move to a senior-living community in Memphis.

When that didn’t work, she took a business approach. Ms. Peel and her husband Bill convened a conference at her parents’ kitchen table in Memphis and helped them write a three-page “strategic plan.” Her parents, Morris and Kathryn Weeks —both retired businesspeople in their late 80s—joined in, talking about their goals and helping list dozens of pros and cons to staying in their home.

Among the pros the family agreed on were the Weeks’ “positive attitude” and desire to share care for each other. But the cons loomed large, including the fact that no family members lived nearby to provide emergency care in a crisis.

Ms. Peel had been forced to make 10 trips to Memphis from her home in Dallas in 2009 to help her parents with health problems, from her mother’s heart ailment to her father’s failure to notice her bout with dehydration. Ms. Peel printed the plan, and after mulling it for a few weeks, the Weeks agreed to move to a senior-living community in Memphis.

It’s an agonizing discussion for adult children: whether elderly parents can no longer live on their own. Some 42% of adults between ages 45 and 65 cite the topic as the most difficult one to discuss with their parents, according to a 2006 survey of 1,000 people by Home Instead Inc., an Omaha, Neb., provider of in-home care. And 31% said their biggest communication obstacle is getting stuck in the parent-child roles of the past.

“We take on old family roles,” says Paula Spencer, a senior editor at Caring.com, a caregiving website, and a speaker on elder-care issues. “We don’t want to rock the boat. We’re concerned about parents’ privacy, worried about the consequences, thinking, ‘Maybe Dad will hate me if I move him to assisted living.’ ”

Talk with Mom and Dad regarding Assisted Living in Colorado

While many seniors do fine at home, others need long-term care facilities or a home aide. It’s good to start such conversations early, says Paul Hogan, chairman of Omaha-based Home Instead Senior Care, which provides in-home caregivers. A good principle is “the 40-70 rule; if you are 40, or your parents are 70, it’s time to start talking,” he says.

Make time to discuss issues without rushing. Research shows adult children who feel hurried during conversations about their parents’ changing care needs may tend to push them toward the most efficient option, such as getting more help or moving to an assisted-living facility prematurely, rather than taking the time to encourage them to work on staying independent as long as possible.

About 70% of people over 65 are expected to need some long-term care services at some point in their lives, such as help with dressing or bathing, in-home services from an aide or nurse, or care in an assisted-living facility, according to 2008 federal data. More than 40% will spend time in a nursing home. While the average time seniors need help is three years, 20% are expected to need long-term care services for more than five years.

Take time to assess a senior’s entire situation before jumping to conclusions about their weaknesses or desires, says Jake Harwood, a professor of communication at the University of Arizona, Tucson. A parent whose husband dies may suddenly seem unable to care for herself, failing to clean the house or keep up with bills. But the bereaved spouse may simply need more contact with friends and social support to get motivated again.

Also, adult children sometimes misunderstand parents’ reluctance to move, says Kenneth Robbins, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. “They may resist leaving the house because they think their kids and their grandkids are going to miss the house,” or they fear that a close neighbor will be left alone, says Dr. Robbins, who is also a senior medical editor at Caring.com. Seniors also may fear having to leave cherished belongings behind or being unable to make friends in a new setting. And some see leaving their homes as an acknowledgment of their increasingly frailty—and mortality.

Robin Joy, of San Francisco, says she helped her widowed mother Gail, 77, hire a professional organizer after figuring out that cleaning out the family’s Evanston, Ill., home of 30 years was an obstacle to her moving. Gail says she put her name on a retirement home’s waiting list, but passed up a couple of opportunities to move in because the need to sort through all the papers and belongings “seemed overwhelming.”

Assisted Living

The organizer has since helped Gail get stacks of papers and stuff under control, and she is planning to move soon.

Dementia, of course, raises added issues. People with dementia may “no longer be able to make decisions in their own best interests, and they begin to misinterpret what other people are trying to do for them,” Dr. Robbins says. Seniors with dementia may become paranoid, depressed, or so confused that “life becomes a minefield of dangers,” he says.

Appealing to a parent’s values can help in such cases. Barbara Meltzer of West Hollywood, Calif., says that when her father died several years ago, her aged mother, who was living in Florida and had dementia, resisted Ms. Meltzer’s plea to bring in a home health aide. The aide “would call and say, ‘Your mother sent me home,’ ” Ms. Meltzer says

So she turned the conversation with her mother to, “Please do it for me, Mom, because I’m worried about you.” She also mentioned to her mother that allowing the aide to stay helped her by providing a job. “That worked, because my mother was a giver. She was Mother Earth. With her, it was always about helping somebody else,” Ms. Meltzer further says.

Eventually, she used the same approach to persuade her mother to move to California to live near her and other family members. “We love you so much and it’s important to us that you’re here,” Ms. Meltzer says she told her. Her mother lived nearby for several years before dying last year at the age of 93.

Meanwhile, Kathy Peel’s parents have moved into Town Village at Audubon Park, an independent senior living community in Memphis. The pros and cons in the plan they compiled with Ms. Peel and her husband have proven true. Ms. Peel travels often to see them, and the Weeks are considering moving again in the future, to Dallas, to make it easier for the Peels to help them out. “They have realized they really do need us,” Ms. Peel says.

Write to Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@wsj.com

Assisted Living- A Choice, Not a Requirement…

Seniors — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:06:01 +0000

Assisted living is not an end-all decision that is forced upon people in every single situation. In many cases, it is actually a choice that is embraced because it offers so many different advantages and benefits to living alone in the later years of life. Too often, children feel like they are forcing their parents into a situation where they don’t want to be if they bring up the topic of assisted living facilities. The reality is that many older adults actually have a desire to become part of these communities because it gives them a better way to enjoy their later years.

When it comes to choosing the right path, you have to think about a few things. Here are some considerations to help you determine whether this is an option and if it is the right one for your loved one:

-What do they want? This is the most important element in the entire conversation. Obviously, if a physical or mental impairment impedes your loved one’s ability to make the proper decision or stay on their own, you will have to keep that in mind. However, in most cases, your parent or loved one will understand their situation and be capable of choosing the option that they would most prefer.

-What is keeping them from living independently? Many like the sense of community and the environment of assisted living. It is an appealing situation, after all. People can enjoy socializing, hobbies, and traveling while their basic needs are taken care of by the staff. If your parents are feeling isolated, this can often be the best solution.

-Is living with you an option? For many reasons, children often don’t want to give up their independence. At the same time, many parents balk at the idea of becoming the child by moving in with their own children. Assisted living provides the interaction, community, and assistance that your parents need without compromising anyone’s independence or putting a strain on your relationship.

You really need to weigh the options and see what is best for your parent or loved one. For some people, it’s a question with an easy answer. For others, it might take some time to consider the benefits of each situation and discuss which is truly best. Ultimately, the decision will depend on the circumstances of your parent. There are some situations where assisted living is not an option, but this is rarely the case. For the most part, many older adults enjoy the assisted living environment because it gives them socialization and the freedom to enjoy their retirement while all the basics are taken care of for them.

Contributed by Mary Albert, a blogger for a senior lifestyle and senior health web site that provides advice for the 55+ age group as well as information on medical alert systems.

My Loved One Needs More Care: Longterm Care Options . . . part 4 of this 4-part series-

Seniors — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:54:45 +0000

Many people have a negative perception of nursing homes. They envision an institution where the residents are drugged-up and drooling. Such facilities are a thing of the past. Increasing state regulation and demand for quality care has shifted the industry to make it more inviting and tailored to meet the needs of the patient/resident.

Nursing homes offer 24 hour skilled nursing and medical care. Most often, physicians and nurses oversee the care of the resident. Many facilities also boast a physical therapy that will provide temporary or long term rehabilitative services. Nursing homes, such as Four Corners Health Care Center in Durango, CO, can offer a wonderful quality of life.

It is important to keep in mind that nursing facilities can be costly. According to a 2004 Metlife survey (more than 5 years ago), the average cost of a nursing home room for a private room was $192 per day and $169 per day. These averages cost thousands of dollars more compared to the cost of assisted living. In fact, the average private room at Sunshine Gardens Senior Community in Durango, Colorado, costs less than $120 per day and a semi-private room $86 per day. (2010 average costs). Sunshine Gardens also offers many amenities including a physical therapy and salon. It does not, however, offer the skilled nursing that a nursing home provides. Sunshine Gardens sister facility, the Country Home, costs $132 per day and offers many of the services of a nursing home, but not skilled nursing.

If the goal is to keep your loved-one at home or out of the nursing home as long as possible, it is important to recognize when they need more help or oversight. Providing healthy, nutritious meals, eliminating falls risks (stairs, bath tubs, loose rugs), and offering social stimulation are crucial to the overall well-being of your loved-one. Often times, this will mean moving them into a community home or an assisted living facility that is senior friendly, such as Sunshine Gardens in Durango, Colorado that offers safety and care. Prevention is key and although implementing change can be difficult, it may ensure a better quality of life for your loved-one.

My Loved One Needs More Care: Long Term Care Options

Seniors — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:27:44 +0000

… part 3 of this 4-part series -

When you recognize that your loved-one’s elderly safety may be compromised at home, independent or assisted living is next on the radar.

Research what types of facilities are offered in your area. Some may be smaller group homes, while others have a resort feel to them. Find out what services are offered and what Nursing home levels of care are available.

For example, Sunshine Gardens Senior Community offers independent and assisted living. If residents need additional services, the sister facility called the Country Home, offers more care. Many independent and assisted living facilities provide 24 hour oversight, offer meals, activities, and services.

However, make sure they include nursing care. Home health agencies may be used to again fill the gaps by providing some nursing care and physical therapy. Independent and assisted living options vary between each facility. Some independent facilities offer only meal options and services such as house keeping and laundry; others, including Sunshine Gardens Senior Community in Durango, Colorado, offer bathing, dressing, and medication assistance.

It is important to research the amenities and services offered at each respective facility. Find out what is important to your loved-one and what needs they have. Match the facility with the best overall fit for your loved-one.

If your loved-one still requires more care, extended assisted living may be the best choice for them. If your interested in a local facility, consider Durango’s Country Home that is tailored to meet the needs of those with increasing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or may need help transferring, feeding, or grooming. Other services include toileting schedules, hydration stations, and blood pressure/oxygen checks.

Nursing care is not available at this stage of senior care. If home health agencies, in conjunction with the assisted living facility, are unable to provide the additional services, they most likely need a nursing facility.

My Senior Citizen Loved-One Needs More Care: In Home Assisted Living Health Care

Seniors — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:21:33 +0000

… part 2 of this 4-part series -

Risk factors for seniors living at home range from leaving the stove on to calling 9-1-1 proclaiming they lost their car keys. Not so funny, dementia or daily “forgetfulness” is very common with the elderly. The degree of the memory issues should be evaluated carefully. Does it pose a health or safety risk to your loved one or others around them? If the answer to this question is yes, then steps need to be taken in order to ensure their overall well-being.

If you live in the same community as your senior loved- one, you may work out a schedule that includes checking-in on them. You’ll probably want to have other family members, friends, or neighbors help with this. The downside is that you can not always be there in the event of an emergency and it can certainly get very wearing on your personal life. Keep in mind; this also may be a short-term remedy as your loved-one continues to age.

Senior home health care agencies may be your next option. The Durango area currently has three agencies, Mercy Home Health, Alpine Home Health, and San Juan Basin Home Health. They can help your loved-one with medication, housekeeping, bathing, and many other services.

One thing to note, however, is that home health care does not offer 24 hour supervision and your loved one may be at risk when they are not there. Also, caregivers have one of the highest turnover rates in the nation.

Your senior citizen loved-one may have several caregivers who will need to be brought up to speed and sometimes scheduling conflicts can become an issue. Home health care agencies do a good job filling in the gaps and can help keep them at home. However, if safety is in question when your loved-one is alone, you may need to explore long term elderly care options.

… part 3 will discuss issues surrounding, long term independent assisted care options.

Trisha Kellogg
Sunshine Gardens Senior Community

http://www.sgwseniors.com/

… feel free to contact me here:
kelloggt@durango.net
970-385-4090

My Senior Citizen Loved-One Needs More Care: Where To Start With Assisted and Independent Living?

Seniors — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:04:04 +0000

… part 1 of this 4-part series -

Watching your senior loved-ones age is never easy. They may struggle to get around, forget names, skip meals, and even forego personal hygiene. What do you do? What is the best choice for mom or dad? There are nursing homes, assisted living, independent living, long term elderly care, and home health care options. These choices may seem overwhelming and endless. In fact, there are hundreds of Colorado nursing homes and assisted living facilities in your own backyard.

Step back and evaluate the situation. What are the risk factors facing your senior loved ones? Many include: falling, mismanaging medications and nutritional deficiencies. Seniors are at risk… and if ignored, will end up in a dangerous situation or even in a long term senior citizen assisted living facility or a nursing home before their time.

Now’s the time to gather your family, friends, and other support systems and set up a meeting.

Research the local senior living options in your area. Turn to (in this instance) the local Durango Chamber of Commerce and other social communication website(s) like… Buzztown.com, which are excellent examples to find Durango senior living facilities, senior home health care and nursing homes surrounding Durango and the Four-Corners.

Visit all of the facilities, talk with the professionals and their facility’s staff members, ask a ton of questions, and evaluate the best options for your loved one. It is important to involve your senior loved-one during this process, as they will be the one receiving the ultimate care.

Keep in mind, however, the senior citizen may be reluctant to accept help or move from their home. These emotions are very common and need to be recognized.

The process from here can get “tricky” if you have determined your senior loved one needs extra help or should move to a senior care facility. Your next step is to weigh the risk factors versus their personal desires.

… part 2 addresses issues surrounding, at home assisted living health care.
Trisha Kellogg
Sunshine Gardens Senior Community
www.sgwseniors.com
… feel free to contact me here:
kelloggt@durango.net
970-385-4090

Memories as the Elderly Caregiver…

Seniors — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:09:34 +0000

Are you finding yourself on a journey of providing more and more care-giving for your elderly parent or senior friend? It might even be an everyday part of your current life…

If so, you’ve no doubt enjoyed having the bragging rights about your mother’s, father’s or friend’s health and mental clarity. They’ve always been independent and always cared for themselves. Now, you may find that things are slowly beginning to change as the wheels of time move ever more further forward.

Are you noticing the factors that are affecting your communications, not the least of which could be your elderly loved one(s) memory lapse along with their hearing loss? Like, maybe your mom is forgetting that on Mother’s Day you always exchanged gifts and cards. Or, maybe your father just called you to ask when your birthday was. Or, your elderly friend is forgetting when s/he had their last meal.

As a sibling, you may be noticing the struggle with your “new” mother/father, as you find yourself desperate for the return of your “old” parent… which was the walking family story teller, the best cook in the world, and the fiercest scrabble competitor on the planet.

Are you spending more and more time assisting your elderly loved one around their home?… Or, might you be finding yourself driving to and from appointments, which previously were errands that they handled easily by themselves?

Feelings of sadness that come with past parental reflections can be one of the most powerful of emotions for anyone to negotiate. As well as, dealing with new surroundings… like, a parent that can’t grasp a fork and a knife in their arthritic hands, or, your senior finding it ever more difficult to negotiate simple tasks. Feelings of despair for one-self and sympathy for your elderly loved one is a tough situation to find yourself in, indeed.

As a caregiver, (and in order to cope) you may find it difficult to reach-out and ask for some advice from others that are going through the same concerns and experiences for encouragement, along with the experts, which can provide insights. But reaching out you must in order to comfort your soul.

Remember to also keep in mind ‘who’ your parent’s/friend used to be and cherish those memories no matter what. Cry, rejoice and live the moment of the beauty that life gave the both of you. If you’re that care-giving son, daughter or friend… these times can be certainly confusing. You may never get over seeing such radical day to day changes. But, you’ll certainly want to appreciate ‘with gratitude’ the bountifulness that comes with your wonderful memories.

Yes indeed, be good to yourself as that ever important caregiver!

Trisha Kellogg
Sunshine Gardens Senior Community

www.sgwseniors.com

… feel free to contact me here:
kelloggt@durango.net
970-385-4090

Hydrating the Dehydrated Elderly…

Seniors — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:24:06 +0000

The Dehydrated Elderly

Believe it or not… Dehydration is one of the most frequent causes for hospitalization in our older population. Not only do warm temperatures contribute… but, dry indoor living conditions also increase body heat that forces them to excrete fluids in order to stay cool, thus creating a need for more hydration.

In fact, the elderly need up to 10 percent more fluids. On average, the adult elderly person should intake at least six, eight-ounce glasses of water per day.

Some of the signs and symptoms that dehydration is taking place include… dry mouth, light-headedness or dizziness, darkening of urine, increased weight loss and muscle weakness. Dehydration can lead to kidney failure and even death if not recognized and treated.

To prevent dehydration, make sure fluids are easily available. Set up a hydration schedule offering fluids every couple of hours. It is also wise that the elderly eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in water such as broccoli, tomatoes, oranges and such.

When you suspect that dehydration has already set-in, contact a medical professional immediately. Fluid and food in-take should continue if tolerated. The World Health Organization in the 1960’s approved an oral solution that helps the absorption of water and electrolytes.

Now, I’m not a doctor, but the recommendation by the ‘WHO’ is still used today and may be considered for elderly persons in remote areas or who cannot access a medical professional. The solution is as follows:

¾ Teaspoon of Table (preferable ‘sea’) Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
4 Tablespoons Orange Juice
1 Quart/Liter Water

As we age, our body composition has less water in it, which makes the elderly more susceptible to dehydration. Younger people have 70 percent water content in their bodies, while elderly adults only have 60 percent or less (According to Ransky Law). Other contributing factors for dehydration in the elderly include a lowered thirst response, swallowing difficulties. The elderly also have more health problems and when sick, people need even more fluids to stay healthy, making it extremely important to keep up with water (fluids) intake.

Trisha Kellogg

Sunshine Gardens Senior Community
www.sgwseniors.com

… feel free to contact me here:
kelloggt@durango.net
970-385-4090