Education

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!

Still dreaming about that ice cream.  But I was reminded of another tour I went on a few years ago.  This was for a large independent living community, and I was with a potential resident.  The marketing person took us into the dining room to show us where meals were served.  We were getting the old "restaurant style dining" presentation but I wasn't having any of it.

There, on the tables, by each plate, was a piece of white bread wrapped in saran wrap with a wee little tub of (extra hydrogenated) margarine on top.  Some choice they had there.  No rolls, no wheat bread.  White bread in saran wrap.  Possibly one of the least nutritious food substances out there. 

I feel that there are two important goals in serving meals in these communities.

1. Socialization

2. Nutrition.  Anyone can eat white bread at home.

Needless to say, my client did not choose to move into that property.

I am sure the antioxidants made up for the sugar and the fat. Since food is such an important part of senior living, I always like to have lunch and sample the food at the communities we work with. I encourage families to take a second look when they are searching for senior living, and to do it over lunch. If you are going to be living there and they are making your meals, you might want to make sure you like it.Today I give Devonshire of Hoffman Estates double thumbs up and then some for my whole dining experience today!Let me mention that lunch was fantastic. The chef catered to my vegetarian request and with fabulous results. I had steamed cauliflower with salsa on top (surprisingly delightful.) Also had yellow beans with red pepper strips and some sort of ravioli that was just out of this world. But I just about forgot about it once this masterpiece was placed in front of me.Pomegranate Blueberry ice cream with fresh berries and whipped cream. This is the kind of stuff dreams are made of.... Worth every single calorie and then some, because like I said, it was packed with antioxidants, so its all good.

I love this blog post on "Frugal Family Fun!". If you are going to be frugal, why not share some free smiles & hugs. I bet this activity was enjoyed by everyone she saw that day at their assisted living community. But you have to see the pictures - as they tell the story best.Free Flowers & Hugs!

Last month, 25 residents for the Cascades Assisted Living in Bethel CT got the chance of a lifetime. A wish to ride in a hot air balloon was granted.I had always wanted to take a ride in one myself. My dad had a customer who actually owned one, but every time he was available, I was not. Finally, after my senior year in college my best friends then boyfriend, now husband, figured out how to get us on one. I was so excited. I forgot to ask how it was going to get back on the land after it went into the air. Low and behold, one of the ladies quoted at the assisted living community said "I just want to know how we're going to get down."Stories like these keep me going. assisted living communities that go the extra mile like this to make dreams happen should be celebrated.I found the article about the assisted living residents taking the ballon rides (in their 80's) on the newstimes.com website. It is worth the read as it also talks about a friendship and some sledding activities in the winter... :)

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

Caregiving for the Generations - "The Perfect Storm"

Caring for an aging relative, raising young children or providing support of "boomerang" kids who have moved back home (recession anyone?) has created a "perfect storm" for those responsible for the caregiving.  Joan Ente, LCSW, SCSW from CJE SeniorLife, explores the unique stresses of this generation and offers practical suggestions for planning ahead to manage complex family responsibilities.  Complimentary reception and valet parking will be provided.

Registration was required by today, but feel free to call and reserve your space today!

WHEN: Tuesday, August 11, 2009  6:30pm - 7:30 pm

WHERE: The Hallmark, 2960 N. Lake Shore Drive in the Kellogg Room on the first floor

RSVP: 877-RES-INFO (877-737-4636) to register

Instead of retyping the whole article, I am going to link to it directly as I think it is a great read for anyone who has a loved one just recently diagnosed with the disease, including early-onset as I talked about yesterday.

The article, Tips to help a loved one with Alzheimer's was published monday on US News and World Report's website.

This morning I attended a networking event and the speakers were Melanie Chavin & Nicole Batsh from the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.The very first thing we learned was the difference between "early stage" & "early on-set". You can be any age and be in the early stage. It is the first stage of the disease where the short term memory issues are starting to interfere with your day to day. Early Onset affects people under the age of 65 - including some in their 30's!, 40's or 50's.We heard an example this morning about a young man who was diagnosed at 36! He has three children under the age of 15 and his wife was a stay at home mom. He worked in construction and so he eventually lost his job. They lost their home, they lost their car - basically anything that depended on that lost salary. The wife is now going back to school so that she will be able to have a job that will support the family in the future. On the plus side, the gentleman, who is now only 39 is living out his dream of being a high school coach so he is working at that job now, and enjoying every moment he can.The following is from a handout we received from Melanie & Nicole, provided by the Alzheimer's Association:

• Many researchers believe that young-onset Alzheimer's accounts for up to 10% (!!) of Alzheimer's cases.
• Individuals who have young-onset Alzheimer's experience symptoms similar to those found in late-onset Alzheimer's.
• Individuals are often active with a career, family and social obligations and may be more physically healthy when the symptoms begin.

There are important issues that affect the person with early-onset Alzheimer's such as:

• Changes in the relationsips with family, spouse & friends
• The impact of diagnosis on career
• The impact of diagnosis on finances, for example, pay for a child's education and future health care costs
• As a result and in addition to their younger age, the person may have difficulty obtaining an accurate diagnonsis
• Many people find that they are diagnosed with a psychiatric illness initially, as many healthcare professionals may attribute the symptoms to stress, depression and other psychiatric disturbances

(Often, they don't get the information on the disease that they need or the treatment or even information on community support..)Living with early-onset Alzheimer's:

• Financial and legal planning are key when diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's
• Life is not over - individuals can have meaningful and productive lives by engaging in the activities and interests they enjoy
• Facility placement can be more difficult as younger onset individuals can be physically healthy and because of their young age, not fit in with other facility residents.

We had someone with early-onset living in our assisted living when I worked there - she was in her early 50's and looked great - so most people thought she was actually an employee, not a resident...For more information and support call the Alzheimer's Association Helpline 24 x 7 at 1-800-272-3900

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

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

Just wrote that article about Walter, the oldest MAN in the world. Let me clarify that he is the oldest man, there are 13!! ladies in the world older than him.I just found an article about Henry Allingham who previously was the worlds oldest man at 113. The quote above is his secret to a very long life. And jellied eels. Whatever those are. Here is a picture of Henry(because was so darn handsome) and the additional information I found at seniorjournal.com

Respite care!!

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

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

And at .46 a stamp I can relate!!I read these articles about these seniors who are so old, and have so much advice to offer and just the most wonderful quotes ever.This came from Walter Breuning, who at 112 years old is officially the worlds oldest man. He lives in an assisted living community in Great Falls, Montana. (What a beautiful state by the way - all that fresh air might have helped!)He is so swamped with requests for interviews, that the assisted living home requests that those who would like to talk with him to to call and schedule ahead of time.Apparently Walter doesn't have time for some of the stupid questions. The man is old after all he should be able to decide what he wants to answer and what he doesn't"Walter wants to answer the more intellectual questions, not whether hehas a girlfriend or what being the oldest man in the world means to him— because living a long time means much less to him than living a goodlife," said Tina Bundtrock, the communities life engagement manager in the article I read in the Great Falls Tribune. You can read the whole article," Oldest man has hands full with media" here.The wise old man also turned down the Tonight show because he doesn't want to talk to people who make fun of other people, it just offends him. Hmmm. Maybe if someone learns to ask the right questions we will all be the wiser!(Photo by Ryan Hall for the Great Falls Tribune)

LifeBridge Solutions, a Florida company that provides family transition coaching recently published a blog post asking six questions to determine what help your aging parent needs?The 6 questions they came up with were:

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

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

Ifthere is one thing that everyone in the Senior Living industry agreeson, it is that the industry will undergo an overall change to preparefor the next generation -- the Baby Boomers.

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

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

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

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

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

Have fun and feel good!

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

This is Lucille from Henderson, Nevada who recently turned 104 on June 27th. The Las Vegas Sun wrote and article about her (she deserves it right??) which is how I found out about her. She attributes her longevity to good nutrition, good genes, and a long, strong marriage. Her husband passed away 3 years ago at the age of 99. Soon after that she moved into the assisted living. Though you can see from her photo she still looks pretty spunky. And I love that sweater!!My favorite part of the article is when we find out she graduated as valedictorian of her high school graduating class of 2. Everyone is a winner in that situation!You can read the entire article: Woman, 103 attributes longevity to genetics, clean living here.** Photo by Richard Brian, Special to the Las Vegas Sun.

Read this story in my local paper, the Chicago Tribune but the original article was in the The Des Moines Register,https://www.desmoinesregister.com

An assisted living community in Iowa called Fieldcrest assisted living decided to go a couple steps further than the traditional "activities" and asked residents what there dreams were.  They sent out questionnaires and 34 were returned.

Nine months and hundreds of dollars in donations later, they were able to grant all 34 wishes!!  They set the dining room up like a game show and had each resident "Come On Down!" - as each one came down their wish was granted. 

One resident was visited by Army pals who shared a tent with him onthe Japanese island of Okinawa!! Another resident was presented with a computer and tutors from a local community college to learn how to email.

Please click on the Tribune link above to read the whole article!

Got this notice from our local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

what: Younger-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Hearing in Chicago, IL
when:  Wednesday, July 29, 2009

On July 29, a hearing will be held in Chicago to examine the possibility of providing access to Social Security benefits to younger people with Alzheimer’s disease.

We are looking for people with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease (diagnosed under age 65) and/or family members to attend.

This is an all-day event and an exciting chance to be part of a historic hearing.

Attendees will not have a speaking role at the hearing but will have an opportunity to submit written testimony prior to the hearing. The role of the attendees is to be present to show support for providing access to Social Security benefits to younger people with Alzheimer’s.

Please contact Nicole Batsch (847.779.6964) for details by July 17. 

The National Council On Aging sent this email to me today and knew I had to pass it on to get as much support as possible.  Here is what it said:

Health reform will begin moving through two key House committees this week.  Your Representative serves on one of these committees.  We need your help this Thursday the 16th to advocate for including home and community-based long-term care in the bill.

Thousands of seniors are impoverished and forced into nursing homes prematurely because they lack of coverage for these services.  If Congress does not address this problem now, it may be decades before this opportunity arises again.

Please call your Representative toll-free on Thursday at 1-800-958-5374

Urge your Representative to include the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, H.R. 1721, in the House health reform bill.

Tell your Representative:

I'm a constituent calling to urge Representative X to support including the CLASS Act in the House health reform bill. The CLASS Act would create a voluntary insurance program to help those in need receive home and community-based long-term care.

Too many seniors and their families are impoverished and forced into nursing homes prematurely because they lack of coverage for these services. The CLASS Act will help address this major unmet care need.

The CLASS Act is supported by President Obama and over 100 national groups, and would reduce the deficit by $58 billion, including over $4 billion in state and federal Medicaid savings.

Thank you for adding your voice to the health reform debate!

Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading membership and networkingorganization for institutions in the health care community that havemade 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, inLexington, Massachusetts, recently received a Partner Recognition Award from them. The Partner Recognition award is for healthcare facilities that havebegun 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 andother scraps into the landfill. It now pays $172 a month to compostthree 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?