Education

I know that Irene not only plays for the residents of the senior living community where she lives, she also plays at a lot of the local communities so I wanted to share this story about her!

Uses Music to Inspire Others with Disabilities

With an impressive career spanning three fourths of a century, renowned concert pianist and long-time contributor to Chicago’s cultural scene, Irene Alexander, turned 90 this week.

Irene began playing the piano at age three, and her natural talent was soon noticed by Chicago’s artistic community. At age six, Irene performed for Queen Marie of Romania, and later for Rachmaninoff.

Among her more recent accomplishments, Irene served as a Deputy for Chicago Cultural Affairs under Mayor Richard M. Daley, appeared frequently on the TV show “Artists’ Showcase,” and recently performed for Chicago Archbishop Francis Cardinal George.

Though her sight began failing her sixteen years ago, Irene was no stranger to adversity. As a child, she overcame a rare form of polio, and as an adult she battled breast cancer. “I wasn’t frightened when I learned I had macular degeneration, says Irene, “I knew it would be just one more challenge to overcome.” Irene began practicing the piano with her eyes closed, and by volunteering her musical talent, served as an inspiration to others with vision loss. Now a resident of Friedman Place, a non-profit community for adults with vision loss, Irene has the independence to continue her volunteer activities throughout the city.

Irene currently plays for residents of Friedman Place and Chicago-area nursing homes. “From the time I was a little girl, making other people happy through music has been my greatest joy. To this day it’s what keeps me going,” says Irene. “I’m celebrating turning 90, and I feel like my life is just beginning.”

Lexington - Many people make New Year’s resolutions to start off the New Year. These resolutions usually have a self improvement theme: lose weight, get in shape, read more books, watch less TV, eat less junk food, make new friends, etc. Most of these good intentions will not last beyond a month or two.

via www.wickedlocal.com

GREAT article geared toward seniors about some doable, sensible and important new years resolutions. Best one I have seen, that is why I am sharing it as written!

Paul Moseley joins me on my BlogtalkRadio show, Tuesday, January 19th, 11 am Eastern time. Paul will share his personal story, challenges and rewards as he cared for two aging and ill parents at the same time.  His parents spent the last 4 years of their lives in separate facilities. For many of us, caring for one aging parent seems overwhelming.  But, consider adult children who have two needy parents, often with very different illnesses and needs. You will learn from Paul and walk away from hearing his story with a smile on your face. Paul and his parents both maintained a positive attitude in spite of their health challenges.Click here to listenTagged as: Aging Parent, assisted living, Caregiver, Caregiving, Eldercare, Elderly, Nursing Home

via www.transitionagingparents.com

Listen to Dale's shows if you can - she finds the greatest people with the greatest information. And share with friends as I am sure we all have one or two who are in this situation. Thank you Dale for your tireless work in the field.

This support group is open to family, friends, and/or caregivers who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's.  Several topics will be discussed, a few are:

• Challenges of caregiving for someone who had Alzheimer's
• Care for the caregiver
• Ideas for additional support

Nancy Tuzzolino is a senior care manager and will be facility the support group.  The group will meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 7pm-8pm in the WISE Center at Weiss Memorial Hospital (4646 N. Marine Drive, Chicago, IL).  Please contact the WISE Center to register at 773-564-5666

This program is supported by the Alzheimer's Association Chicago Chapter. (800-272-3900)

I was reading a copy of last months AARP Bulletin on our drive home from Florida and came across this article.  As I read it again out loud to my husband Jason who was driving, tears came to my eyes so I ripped it out so I could remember to share it on my blog.  I don't know who you are Teanne Harris, but I think you are the bomb.

Jilted Bride Throws Bash Anyways - When Teanne Harris' fiance got cold feet six days before their late October wedding, a retirement community in Des Plaines, Ill., got a special treat.

After finding out it was too late for a refund for the reception, Harris decided to turn her Halloween-themed wedding celebration into a holiday party for the 340 residents of Asbury Court Retirement Community.

"She didn't know anyone here," says marketing director Jean Higgason. "But she offered to move everything - food, flowers, table decorations and the DJ" - to the seniors.

"I worked really hard on planning for the perfect party, and it would have broken my heart even more to have it go to waste," says Harris, 34 of Bensenville, Ill.  The residents "helped me out by giving me some joy watching them enjoy it." - reported by Cathie Gandel.

Hahn was a Marine and served in World War II. He spent most of his life in Los Altos Hills with his wife and son — now a doctor in San Diego. Hahn is a retired engineer who worked at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale for 50 years, and his bride says he and she complement one another.

via www.mercurynews.com

How could I not share this story that I saw in my google alerts this morning. I always say that socialization is the number one benefit of assisted living. This story here has proven that to the extreme and I love it. Wishing them many happy years together.

Visits with family and friends put additional strain on people with dementia and their caregivers during the holidays. Making changes such as slowing down the pace of activities will help make the holidays more enjoyable for everyone. If you're have a loved one with Alzheimer's here are a few holiday tips:

via www.alzheimers-illinois.org

The best tips always come from the experts. Here is a great, short article from the Alzheimer's Association with some ideas for visiting with family and friends that may have dementia. Very important during the holidays and every day!

A few years ago, I had the chance to meet Barbara Friesner, and ElderCare Expert and Founder of AgeWiseLiving. A while ago, she created “The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System” which I recommend to any caregiver dealing with an aging parent.Just in time for the holidays, she is offering $100 off AND a freeupgrade on shipping so that you can order today and get it in time forChristmas. It’s a great gift so I thought I would share someinformation on it! I had them send me this description because I knowshe could explain it better than I!Did you know that more than 1/3 of elder caregivers had long term health problems because of elder caregiving?In fact, researchers have found that there is a 63% increase inmortality over 4 years, compared with non-caregivers. And the numbersare worse when there is also financial strain.Didyou know that almost all respondents reported that they paid one ormore expenses in order to help the care recipient? (Food,transportation, and medications were their three most common expenses.)And these are just miscellaneous costs – not including loss of pay,pension, social security, etc.Barbara Friesner, Elder Care Expert, Generational Coach, and formercaregiver to her grandmother, and her mother, has helped hundreds offamilies with their Elder Care issues.That’s why she created “The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System.” Andright now, Barbara is offering it at $100 off the regular price! Andright now, until December 22nd, you'll also receive a free upgrade fromground to air shipping at no additional cost! To order just click onthis link “The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System”If you’re a caregiver or care about someone who is, please don’t waituntil these statistics are about you. Give yourself or someone you lovethe gift of love and order “The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System” atthis special sale price today and get the help you need today.”The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System” is an amazingly comprehensiveand information-rich resource that is guaranteed to address your mostdifficult questions, roadblocks, and communication breakdowns that areso typical for elder caregivers.Because no one has time and money to waste – especially caregivers –“The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System” is a very simple step-by-step and easy to follow program.The System includes “The Ultimate Caregiver’s Success GUIDE” which haschecklists, examples . . . all kinds of information – that makes theprocess easy to understand and more importantly, easy to be successful.In addition, the System includes 8 CDs –6 seminars, 1 CD of all theforms in the book, and 1 CD with Barbara's rolodex of resources, plusthe 3 CD boxed set of the Expert Series. That’s The UltimateCaregiver’s Success Guide and 11 CDs.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a great way to extend holiday wishes while raising money and awareness in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. We’re offering inspirational holiday cards with artwork created by individuals living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, with proceeds benefiting the Association.

via www.alzheimers-illinois.org

I have used these cards in the past and the quality is great. If you are going to send out cards you might as well get these, the price is comparable to cards that don't give back like these ones do!

The Center for Healthy Aging at St Joseph Hospital is hosting a free party in preparation of the holiday season!  Enjoy cake, punch, a raffle and socializing with friends.  A guest speaker will share some tips for staying resilient and maintaining a positive attitude for a new year.  I can't think of anyone any age who would not need those!

Thursday, Dec 17th 1-3 pm

Please call 877-RES-INFO (877-737-4636) to register.

The Bark Bark Club is having a Holiday Open House with Santa! Come have your four-legged friend's picture taken with Santa Charlie! Where: The Bark Bark Club 5943 N. Broadway773-989-8807 for more info. When: Sunday,December 13, 2009 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cost: For a $10 donation to Pet Support For Seniors you will receive a 4x6 photo of your furry friend with Santa. Pet Support for Seniors (PSS) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping low-income seniors keep and care for their companion animals. All donations to PSS are tax deductible It is super easy to donate online as well, I just did! $30 feeds a dog for one month. Click on the link above to go to the donation page! And yes, that is me with my doggie, Savannah who spent 2 years of her long life working as an assisted living house dog! Ho Ho Ho, Bark bark bark!

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.

via www.youtube.com

These two look like they are having a lot of fun - even after or because of 62 years of marriage.

via www.nevadaappeal.com

I love finding these great stories about seniors reaching a certain age and loving life. Siggie is inspiration for all of us!

The Nashville-based operator of assisted-living centers had previously announced in October its plans to buy 21 facilities from the Virginia-based Sunrise for $204 million. But three of the facilities were sold to an unrelated third party, Brookdale said in a news release.

via nashville.bizjournals.com

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 CenterExhibit Hall Lobby, Level 3 - register on 2nd floor, they will give you a pass for just the Idea HouseWhen:Tuesday Nov 10 noon - 3:30 pmWednesday Nov 11 noon - 3:30 pm

So maybe I wandered away from the Idea House just long enough to see what the students at Harrington College of Design were doing in the back corner of the expo hall...as a student of the school myself, how could I resist?Students were challenged to transform a skilled nursing room into a special home for an AAHSA member resident on a limited budget. 14 students from one of the graduate studio classes at Harrington were chosen to participate and compete against each other in groups of two. Initial concepts were created and presented to a team of judges consisting of Joseph Hassel, Jennifer McDermott and Carlo Salvador from Perkins Eastman, Julie Moller from Freeman White and John-Martin Rutherford and Crandon Gustafson from Harrington College of Design. I actually met Mr. Hassel today and he described the entire process and competition to me.From there, two of the schemes were chosen. The students were re-organized in 2 groups, an orange team and a green team and they have 48 to complete their designs. Guests of the expo can vote for their favorite one and the winner will receive $1000.00The picture above were the original submissions and below I have the concepts and the teams in action.Hopefully I can get pictures of the finished rooms to publish.

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..

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 DiseaseThe second night, Wednesday, November 18 will feature: Part Two: Scientific Perspectives on Alzheimer’s DiseaseBoth evenings check-in and appetizers at 5:30 p.m and program begins at 6:45 and ends at 8:30 p.mWhere:Heron Point Conference Center665 W. North Avenue, Lombard, il 60148There 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.

We have also noticed that the market has become even more competitive than every before.  I have seen a lot of communities that are spending money on capital investments in order to compete with the brand new communities down the street.  Especially as the new communities are offering some incredible pricing specials to entice people to move in and get their buildings full of lively seniors.

Many of them are adding or expanding on fitness and wellness centers and programing.  You probably already know they make special gym equipment for the seniors, and more and more communities are adding them.  Course many of them are going out and buying a Wii if they don't already have one. I have also seen an increase in spending in adding to existing therapy departments.

I have seen new carpeting, new furniture and new cafes go in.  I have even seen a multi-million dollar new elevator installed in a 20 year old high rise.  While it was painful during the transition you can imagine the improvements they have noticed.

Older buildings that are primarily full of studios are now willing to literally cut down walls between two studios to make one larger studio or "one bedroom" apartment.  This is a result of the demand for more space.

We also work with a community that has applied for a supportive living license though the state which, when approved, will allow them to work with Medicaid for payment.  What this means, is anyone who lives there now, can stay if they run out of money which is a welcome relief for both the community (who would other wise lose the resident) and the residents and their families who would otherwise have to find another place to live with less choice being the key factor.

On the flip side, even with everything the way it is, we still work with some communities that have waiting lists.  This could be because of the service they offer is available at the right price.  And of course, it is similar to real estate - it is all about location.