Education

The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services- Senior Services offers free one-on-one counseling, support groups and family mediation for Individuals Caring for their older loved ones. Caregivers are eligible for up to 9 sessions of one-on-one assistance and unlimited support groups.

FREE RESPITE is available to have someone come care for their loved one while they attend counseling or support group.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT CDFSS-Senior Services I&A at 312/744-4016

Please join Belmont Village Assisted Living at Geneva Road&Elderlife Financial Services for a presentation on "Solving the Financial Puzzle"Worried about finances? Not wanting to tap into your assets? Waiting for VA benefits to kick in? Waiting for your home to sell? These are common scenarios that we come across every day with the families we work with. They need assisted living and want to move, but have to wait until the sell the house because the assets from the home is going to pay for assisted living... this is just one example....Bridgette Duber, PhD from Elderlife Financial Services is going to talk about a special "senior living" line of credit for families looking for a short-term solution to bridge a financial gap.Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served.WHEN: Thursday June 10 - 5:00 PM - 7:00 PMWHERE: Belmont Assisted Living at Geneva Road, 545 Belmont Lane ( on Geneva Rd, 1 block east of Schmale) Carol Stream IL 60188RSVP: (or for more info) call Kerri Carney 6630-510-2521

Have you or someone you know experienced what it is like to be unable to recall things which were once so simple to remember? An estimated 5.3 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s, and every 70 seconds another person develops this disease!On behalf of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), we encourage otherwise healthy adults with early complaints of memory problems to participate in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity (ADNI GO). ADNI GO will build on the unprecedented momentum and success of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a landmark study to find more sensitive and accurate methods to detect AD at earlier stages and track its progress through biomarkers.By being able to recognize changes in the brain, scientists hope to treat memory loss and other symptoms of AD before they appear, but the only way to recognize what these changes are and learn more about who is at risk is through the participation of volunteers. “We cannot end this terrible disease unless we know more about it,” says Dr. Paul Aisen, M.D., director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS). “That is where the amazing volunteers, their friends and their families can make the difference in our success.”Dr. Maya Angelou - the eminent poet, author, educator, historian and professor at Wake Forest University - is working with researchers to ask volunteers like you to be part of the ADNI GO study that may help bring us one step closer to finding a cure. Click here to hear from Dr. Maya Angelou.If you are between the ages of 55 and 90 years old and experiencing early signs of memory loss, you may be eligible to participate in this groundbreaking ADNI GO study. Please visit https://adcs.org/Studies/ImagineADNI.aspx or call the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center at 1-800-438-4380 for more information on study sites in your area.

Today's informative post comes from a guest blogger, Rick Rodgers, Certified Retirement Counselor who just published a new book about planning smart for your retirement. His contact information is below the post, enjoy!Caregiving for elderly parents can quickly expand to financial management. There are some important steps to take before you find yourself in this situation to ease the transition. Some people are uncomfortable talking about finances - especially the World War II generation. However, being prepared is always a prudent step in the matter of finances. Here are a few steps to take while your parents are still involved:Take Inventory –Where are the bank records? Brokerage statements? Insurance policies? Etc. I would recommend downloading one of the free financial organizers available on the internet and helping your parents fill it out. You can find several of them at Today’s Seniors website (www.todaysseniors.com/pages/Organizers.html). You will want to keep one copy for yourself at your own home. Make sure it is updated at annually and verify that all of the documents are still kept in the same place. A more extensive checklist can be found in a book by Dan Taylor, "The Parent Care Solution".Verify all Legal Documents are in Order –Your parents should have a Will and a Durable Power of Attorney (POA). The POA allows you to step in to handle their financial affairs without the need to have your name on the accounts. You will want several original POAs. Some financial institutions will only accept an original. It would be a good idea to get the POA to the financial institution ahead of time and obtain their acknowledgement that everything is in order. In some circumstances it may be better to have a living trust set up for your parents and have all assets held by the trust. You handle their affairs in this way by serving as a trustee. You should consult an attorney specializing in estate planning or elder law to determine if this is applicable to your parent’s situation.Healthcare -The Privacy Rule in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 took effect on April 14, 2003. The HIPAA Privacy Rule regulates the use and disclosure of information from health care providers, employer health plans, health insurers, and other medical service providers. You will need a medical POA that complies with HIPAA regulations to have access to your parent’s medical information. This could be a separate document or the language could be included in your durable POA. An Advance Healthcare Directive is yet another form (also known as living wills, advance directives, or advance decisions) that provides instructions specifying what actions should be taken for their health in the event that they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or incapacity This document names a surrogate to make care and treatment decisions on their behalf, and give instructions about their health care wishes. Your attorney may include this language in the medical POA.Talk to your Siblings –Keep you siblings informed with of your progress. I have seen many families split over financial issues involving their parents. Ask for their input and provide periodic updates. Rather then allow financial matters to come between you, use them to bring the family together.Finally, don’t hesitate to get professional help if you need it. It would be a good idea to have an attorney review the will and POA to make sure everything is in order. Especially if the documents are more than five years old. You may want to bring in a financial planner to review their investment holdings. Consider keeping them on retainer if you are uncomfortable managing investment accounts on an ongoing basis. You can find a fee-only planner through the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors website at www.napfa.org.Rick Rodgers, CFP®, is President of Rodgers & Associates in Lancaster, PA and author of “The New Three-Legged Stool™ A Tax Efficient Approach To Retirement”. He can be reached at rick(at)rodgers-associates.com.

WASHINGTON—On Tuesday morning, June 8, President Barack Obama willparticipate in a national tele-town hall meeting at the Holiday ParkMultipurpose Senior Center in Wheaton, Maryland with senior citizens todiscuss the Affordable Care Act and efforts to combat senior scams andfraud in advance of the first mailing of the $250 “donut hole” rebatechecks. In addition to attendees at the Senior Center, seniors acrossthe country will be able to participate in the town hall meeting byphone. The President will be joined at the town hall meeting by HHSSecretary Kathleen Sebelius and representatives of the followingorganizations:

AARPAFL-CIOAFSCME RetireesAlliance for Retired AmericansAmerican Association of Homes and Services for the AgingAmerican Federation of Teachers Program on Retirement and RetireesAmerican Postal Workers Union Retirees DepartmentB’nai B’rith InternationalCenter for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.Communications Workers of American Retiree DivisionEaster SealsFamilies USAInternational Union of Painters & Allied Trades – IUPATMedicare Rights CenterNational Academy of Elder Law AttorneysNational Association of Area Agencies on AgingNational Association of State Units on AgingNational Association of Nutrition and Aging Services ProgramsNational Association of State Long Term Care Ombudsman ProgramsThe National Caucus and Center on Black AgedNational Committee to Preserve Social Security and MedicareNational Council on AgingNCCNHR – The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term CareNational Gay and Lesbian Task ForceOWL- The Voice of Midlife and Older WomenSEIUService and Advocacy for GLBT EldersWorkers United

These organizations – which together represent over 40 millionseniors across the country -- will be organizing satellite town hallmeetings across the country to dial in and participate in thePresident’s event, which will be broadcast live on C-SPAN.Tuesday, June 8 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (eastern time zone) Please note the slightly earlier start time: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will take questions from the audience until the President arrives closer to 11:30 a.m.Individuals interested in asking a question of President Obama or Secretary Sebelius can call in during Tuesday's town hall at 1-800-837-1935, pass code: 80272058.Website to View Town Hall: https://www.whitehouse.gov/live

Mark your calender for next Tuesday night. Willow Falls senior living community is hosting a panel discussion and presentation on caring for seniors.The expert panel will include:

• physician
• nurse
• attorney
• social worker
• Alzheimer's professional &
• financial planner...

The topics to be discussed:

• caring for yourself and or a loved one
• caring for your parents
• Alzheimer's and memory loss
• advanced directives
• nursing homes, rehab, assisted living, independent living and home care options
• veteran's aid and attendance benefit
• paying for care

WHEN: Tuesday, June 15th at 6PMWHERE: Willow Falls Senior Living Community, 1691 Willow Circle Drive, Crest Hill, ILRSVP: 815-725-5868

FROM ROGERS PARK COMMUNITY COUNCIL:

FREE HOME REPAIR FOR SENIORS THROUGH ROGERS PARK COMMUNITY COUNCIL
The Small Accessible Repairs for Seniors (formerly H-RAIL) program provides free home repairs including safety, security, and accessibility improvements that better assist seniors to remain in their homes.

Home repair program participants must meet income limit restrictions and must be at least 60 years of age.

Contact Carol Goldman at 773-743-1752 or cjgoldman@ameritech.net

FROM EDGEWATER COMMUNITY COUNCIL:

FREE HOME REPAIR FOR SENIORS THROUGH EDGEWATER COMMUNITY COUNCIL
The Small Accessible Repairs for Seniors (formerly H-RAIL) program provides free home repairs including safety, security, and accessibility improvements that better assist seniors to remain in their homes.

Home repair program participants must meet income limit restrictions and must be at least 60 years of age.

For additional information please contact:
Merita Mila at 773-381-1346 or merita@edgewatercommunitycouncil.org.

Join the Alzheimer's Association in raising money the easy way June 28th & June 29th at Houlihan's located in the Shops of Uptown in Park Ridge!20% of all food sales (dine in or out!!) will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association!Download Houlihans flyer for Alzherimer Assoc so they get credit!Houlihan's is located at 550 W. Touhy in Park Ridge, phone 847-692-6205

We recently received this message from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigans office. I also posted an article in the Chicago Sun Times about it on our facebook page. (Photo from the Sun Times article)How does the Medicare scam work?The recent mailing of $250 rebate checks to participants in Medicare’s drug program has givenscammers a new opportunity to take advantage of seniors and other Medicare recipients. In this latestscam, Medicare recipient receive a call from a con artist claiming to be a Medicare representative. Thescammer then tells each recipient that they need to provide personal information, such as their SocialSecurity number and bank account number, in order to receive their rebate check. In reality, thescammers need this information to gain access to the recipient’s bank account and empty it.What are the rebate checks?The $250 Medicare rebate checks are part of the recently enacted health care reform package, and areintended to help close the coverage gap (or “doughnut hole”) in Medicare’s prescription drug program.The checks are mailed automatically—you do not need to provide any personal information to receivethem. The first of these tax-free checks were mailed the second week of June. Additional mailings arescheduled to go out as more recipients hit the doughnut hole, so remain alert in the months ahead!What should you do?Never give out personal information over the phone, unless you initiated the call and you know theperson with whom you are speaking. Remember—con artists will stop at nothing to steal your personalinformation, and often devise new scams to exploit the confusion surrounding changes in publicbenefits programs.If someone posing as a Medicare representative attempts to solicit your personal information, youshould report them immediately by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call1-877-486-2048.Also, if you believe you’ve been a victim of a Medicare scam, please contact the Illinois AttorneyGeneral’s Senior Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-5377 or 1-800-964-3013 (TTY) to file aconsumer fraud complaint.Help spread the word! Education is the best prevention!

The Bethany Terrace & Oakton Community College Continuing Education for Health Professionals is hosting a seminar on the History, Status & Future of assisted living.

The presentation is THIS Wednesday, July 14th from 8:30-10AM (continental breakfast included)

It will be presented by Jean Elliott, the Director of Housing, Supportive & Assisted Living for Life Services Network.

Please RSVP to Kris Hansen of the Bethany Terrace at 847-965-8100

8425 Waukegan Road, Morton Grove, il 60053

From the ALFA (Assisted Living Federation of America) website:Assisted Living brings the best of an independent home environmenttogether with high-quality services unavailable at home. In addition tothis guide, ALFA encourages you to look for a general philosophy ofcare based on 10 principles that make assisted living residents the toppriority:

• Offering cost-effective quality care personalized for the individual's needs
• Fostering independence for each resident
• Treating each resident with dignity and respect
• Promoting the individuality of each resident
• Allowing each resident choice of care and lifestyle
• Protecting each resident's right to privacy
• Nurturing the spirit of each resident
• Involving family and friends in care planning and implementation
• Providing a safe, residential environment
• Making the assisted living residence a valuable community asset

These are some of the guidelines we use when evaluating the assisted living communities in Chicago and Northern Indiana that we choose to work with.

Wish I could ride a bike that far.. what a great idea...

Alzheimer’s disease steals the future from millions of Americans. It robs spouses of their companions and children of their parents and grandparents; it erodes the health and financial resources of caregivers. For years, we’ve called on Congress to do something about this devastating disease. Yet funding levels for Alzheimer research remain flat and our nation still lacks a national plan to confront this looming epidemic.

The time has come to make our voices heard. Today we are launching the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride, a cross-country journey to collect 50,000 signatures asking Congress to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority. Will you join us?

Sign the petition to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority.

This summer, Alzheimer researchers are cycling with the Alzheimer’s Association in the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride, a journey from coast to capital to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and collect signatures for the petition.

The Ride begins in San Francisco on Saturday, July 17 and will culminate in Washington, D.C. on World Alzheimer’s Day (Sept. 21), where your signatures will be presented to Congress. Follow the Ride’s progress and sign the petition at www.alz.org/breakthroughride.

Whether you’re a scientist riding your bike cross-country, someone living with or affected by the disease, or a concerned citizen who wants to be part of the movement to end Alzheimer’s, you can make a difference today by signing the petition. Together, we can make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority.

Sincerely,

Harry Johns
President and CEO

Alzheimer's Association

I refer my residents to therapeutic activities every day. I consider them a vital adjunct to my work as a psychologist. Here's why:

via ltlmagazine.com

This article comes from Long Term Living Magazine and was written by Eleanor Feldman Barbera, PhD - a psychologist who consults with long term care facilities... I thought it was worth sharing.

The main points:

Therapeutic recreation reverses the downward spiral of depression.

Structured days are happier days. 

Activities are more vital when all time is leisure time.

Therapeutic recreation allows residents to continue or create new identities.

Activities foster socialization with peers.

Life needs purpose.

Apart from medical care, therapeutic recreation is the best reason to be in a nursing home.

This is a reprint of an article written by Barbara E. Friesner, The Country’s Leading Generational Coach from AgeWiseLivingBarbara is also the creator of "The Ultimate Caregivers Success System" which I have recommended to many caregivers.In this interview Barbara interviews Laurene Hartman, is the Director of Community Relations at Sunrise Senior Living in East Brunswick, New JerseyI wanted to share this article, because it is so in line with the questions we answer everyday. Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts!Barbara Friesner: What is an assisted living community and what services does an assisted living community provide?Laurene Hartman:assisted living is a worry-freelifestyle with supportive services for the residents and their familiesas well. Assisted living communities provide meals, activities andlevels of care. Services vary greatly and depend on the type ofresident each community will accept. A vast amount of services andamenities are provided based solely on the individual needs of eachresident. I most assisted living communities, residents can totallyindependent; they can have their vehicle, they can travel. Familiesreally have to do diligence before considering an environment for theirloved one. Some might require one to be completely ambulatory – theymight need to be able to transfer from a bed to a chair. At Sunrisecommunities, residents can live in the community until the end of lifebecause we also offer Hospice care. It is definitely not“one-size-fits-all. It really represents the individuality of eachresident.BF: What are the requirements for admission?LH: It depends on the community. For some, therequirements for admission are really basic: no age requirement andthe financial ability to private pay for two years meaning thatresidents moving in do have to have the resources for at least a 2-yeartime frame.There again, families need to really be proactive in asking thosequestions as part of the process of a family visiting a community, butevery assisted living has their own criteria for their financial needs.Once in, it is strictly a month-to-month rental and residents arebilled monthly, and they can leave at any time with proper notice basedon their reasons for departing the community.BF: What are some ways residents can pay?LH: Some people have long-term care insurance whichassists them with their own personal finances. Families should alsocheck out the Veterans Pension and Disability benefit that is anentitlement to veterans and their spouses. (For information on the VA Special Pension with Aid and Attendance Benefit, go to https://agewiseliving.com/2009-09-24-VeteransPension.htm or the 9/24/09 newsletter on the Newsletter page on my website www.AgeWiseLiving.com.)BF: What are some other requirements?LH: Once the decision is made on the community,there needs to be an assessment which is done through our health carecoordinator in speaking to the family and the potential resident aboutall of the things that we might need to provide for that resident.BF: Does someone actually go to their home and do an assessment?LH: We can go to their home, we can go to asub-acute private discharge, it can be done in our own community; wewill do whatever it takes to make it convenient for that family memberand the potential resident.BF: Does the assessment tool assess mental and physical abilities?LH: Yes, it includes both mental and physicalabilities because again, if someone’s memory is at a certain pointwhere there might be a wandering risk, or again, recognition of familyis no longer there with that particular situation, then of course, wewould know again, with that assessment tool, where that resident wouldbest be served; where their quality of life would be best, whether itsin the assisted living neighborhood of the community, or theReminiscence neighborhood of the community. And of course the needs ofthat particular resident would translate into the levels of care thatwe provide based on the degree and severity of their needs. Do theyneed total assistance? Do they need minimal assist? Do they only wantassistance with a shower once a week? Things of that nature. Do theyhave continence issues that we need to address? Do they need to betoileted because they’re not ambulatory? So again, that tool tells usevery nuisance of that resident to create that individual service planthat’s designed specifically for them.BF: In addition to the assessment, what else do they need to do?LH: Then the family needs a physician’s reportcompleted by their primary, a clean TB test, and to be free ofcommunicable disease, (different states have different requirements sobe sure to ask the community), and a resident profile that the familymust provide. The resident profile – basically a biography about theresident so that way we can create and generate a service plan based ontheir spiritual needs, their physical needs, how to approach them . . .all those things based on their particular circumstances.Watch for next week’s newsletter when we will look at accommodationsfor those with memory impairment, different levels of care, and whathappens if a resident’s situation changes and they can’t stay in thecommunity.If you think an Assisted Living Community is the perfect choice for your parent, I urge you not to wait for a crisis to develop.Tomorrow we will feature part 2 of this interview!

Today I am featuring the second part of Barbara's interview on assisted living with Laurene HartmanBarbara Friesner – Do all assisted living communities provide for someone with dementia?Laurene Hartman – By and large, the answer to thatquestion is yes. Most assisted living providers do have separateneighborhoods where they care for more moderate to advanced residentswith cognitive issues. At Sunrise, we believe it’s not enough thatsomeone with cognitive, or more severe cognitive issues is in a secure,safe setting. We believe it’s also how they’re treated, it’s how webest manage their situations, and how we educate the families to reallybe able to get the most out of their love one in this very tryingjourney. So it’s a real, real strong presence in our community.BF – And I think that’s something Sunrise does particularlywell – that it’s a place where someone with cognitive issues is livingand not just a place where they’re “warehoused”. I think its importantthat when you’re going to look at a community, you look at theReminiscence area – whether you think you could possibly need it foryour loved one or not.LH – You really want an environment that will bringthe individual back to life, because there are so many things that allof these people contributed to life and they enjoyed doing and youknow, we want to bring those things back to life. We want to breathelife back into those families and their loved ones, and you know again,live versus exist.BF – You mentioned the different levels of care. Whatpoint would they need the higher level of care and what do the levelsconsist of?LH – The different levels go from medicationmanagement up to and including total activity of daily livingassistance. We can feed that resident, brush their teeth, comb theirhair, pick their clothing – we can provide total Activities of DailyLiving (ADL) care. Same thing in Reminiscence area. We can care formost residents till end of life. However, that’s not necessarily truefor all assisted living communities so that’s extremely important tocheck out before your loved one checks in.Also . . . Someone that has a true skill need would then have to gointo a nursing environment and that might include someone on aventilator, has a feeding tube, needs continuous intravenous therapy.Those are circumstances that require a skilled nurse 24-hours a day,and we in the state of New Jersey, in so far as assisted living’s go,are not licensed to care for that type of resident.However, some of those circumstances are temporary. Someone mightneed a feeding tube temporarily because of a surgical procedure. Theywould recover, go to rehab, and return to their home at Sunrise, orwhatever provider. So again, if some of those things were permanent,they would require a skilled nursing environment. Remember, a nursing home is a medical model, assisted living is a social model, and that’s really the definition.BF – Whether because of health or finances, is there apoint when a resident can’t stay in an assisted living any more, and ifso, then what?LH – We do everything in our power so they don’thave to move – as I’m sure, do most communities. If that’s notpossible, the administrators, my executive director, and more oftenmyself, we will help families find the appropriate environment. Justlike when they started their journey for finding an assisted living, ithas to be the right fit, and we want to give families choices. Soagain, I am a big part of that process with my families, I have strongrelationships in the community with all of my colleagues and all of theproviders since I’ve been at that community almost nine years.Again, it’s important to find the right community. That means thecommunity that will meet their needs for as long as your loved one isthere and people who will find the right environment based on the needsof a particular resident should the community no longer be able toaccommodate them.

Increasing numbers of older Americans are seeking out the security and comfort of a continuing-care retirement community. But a new report from the federal Government Accountability Office warns that such assurances often come at a steep price and "considerable risk."

via online.wsj.com

Great informative article from the Wall Street Journal about Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC's).

A must read for anyone considering this option instead of a pure rental situation. You need to look at this not just as senior living, but as a financial investment.

We work with quite a few great CCRC's here in the Chicagoland area and can help if you have any questions about one!

This is a great article I found online. I love this summary of the survey: "A resounding majority believed they are now better off. Most said they would make the same choice again, and practically everyone would recommend it to their friends."

AGREED!!

Here is the link to the article!

The Alzheimer’s Association-Greater Illinois Chapter is pleasedoffer this free online resource, Encouraging Comfort Care: A Guide forFamilies of People with Dementia Living in Care Facilities. This21-page booklet provides useful information to families and long-termcare facilities personnel about Alzheimer’s disease and relateddementias, particularly care issues related to the late and finalstages.For families, this guidewill enable them to make informed choices about a variety of medicaldecisions they may face on behalf of loved ones with dementia living innursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other types of carefacilities. It will also equip families to ask good questions aimed atobtaining the best care for their loved ones, including a handychecklist of comfort care measures to be discussed with staff membersof care facilities.You can download your free copy by visiting this page from the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Special thanks to Daniel Kuhn for bringing this valuable guide to my attention so that I could share it with all my readers!

Covenant Home of Chicago,Swedish Covenant Hospital and Galter LifeCenter, are presenting anevening of helpful information and tips on the joys and challenges ofcaregiving for a loved one.

Topics include:

- Self help tips

- Guided imagery and other stress relievers

- The impact of caregiving

- Tools to use with your loved one

- Massage demonstrations

-  Respite care options and other available programs

Where?

Covenant Home of Chicago: 2720 W Foster Avenue Chicago, IL 60625

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 6:30 P.M.

Please RSVP to (773) 506-6900

Ifanyone else knows of some great resources/tips for caregivers like thisin the area, please let us know.  I know many people find themextremely helpful, how about you?

Just found out about this important resource and thought I would share it with you!

United Hospital Fund's Next Step in Care has published a Family Caregiver's Guide to Hospice and Palliative Care

This guide answers a number of important questions when making the decision to transition to hospice or palliative care. It also provides a nice side-by-side comparison of Hospice vs.. Palliative care.  It is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian.

To view the guide in English, visit: https://www.nextstepincare.org/uploads/File/Guides/Hospice/hospice.pdf


For all other languages, visit: https://www.nextstepincare.org/left_top_menu/Caregiver_Home/Hospice