Tip to Touring a Senior Living Community

The decision to transition from independent living to a senior living facility is always hard as it conveys the idea or perception that one can't take care of themselves anymore. Fortunately, nothing could be farther from the truth. Many seniors take the journey for other reasons such as:

*The desire to be around other senior citizens
*Availabilty of interesting community events (shuffleboard, bingo, arts & crafts, etc.)
*The concept of nearby help or assistance when it's needed

However, making the decision is only half the journey. The other half is finding the "best" community or facility for you.

Here's a very good write-up that I saw speaking to that very topic:

View the original article here

While making the decision to transition into a senior living community can be difficult for individuals, once the decision to move is made, the next step is finding the perfect community to move in to. Selecting the perfect senior living community can prove to be a bit of a challenge based on specific health care needs and personal preferences for community atmosphere and amenities.

 

 The following are a few different categories you should keep in mind when touring senior living communities. 

When visiting an assisted or independent living community for the first time it is important to know the background on the facility and the company. Details on how long it has been owned, if it is for-profit or not-for-profit community, their operational philosophy, the longevity of staff, and access to the on-site staff is critical information to have when making the decision to move into a community. Inquire about staff and volunteers, how often owners/mangers are on site and ask yourself, does the community feel "warm" and "cozy"?

Ask about trips and activities offered. Activities should be designed to meet the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and vocational needs of the residents. Transportation should also be provided for medical appointments, religious services if desired as well as fun activities with their friends and family such as sporting events.

This is usually a priority when selecting a senior living community. You want to make sure that health and wellness programs are available including assistance with showering, dressing, escorts and medication management. Questions that should be addressed include,

What services or programs are in place to emphasize the importance of health and wellness?Are nursing aides on-site 24 hours a day?Is there a geriatric physician on-site? Other categories include services and amenities, meals, resident agreements and future needs.

Here's a helpful video that talks about assisted living and how to choose the right facility. 

To see learn more about assisted living devices, visit Gracefields.com.

Car Manufacturers Focusing on Vehicle Safety for Seniors

Having seniors in my own family, I'm often concerned about their safety while driving. I've always suggested that they shop for vehicles that have the best safety ratings and score the highest on safety testing. At the same time, I've always wondered if the automotive industry ever really looked at vehicle safety specifically for seniors as opposed to everyone in general? One of my concerns for my father has been how well his vehicle would perform at a safety level given his age?

When I came across this article, I was extremely happy to see that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has adopted a more proactive approach for senior citizens.

Read more below: 

As part of its ongoing effort to make vehicles as safe as possible, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reportedly looking into creating a new crash-test rating system for cars which includes introducing a "Silver" rating to indicate added safety for senior drivers. Automotive News reports that NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says the agency is trying to find a way to make cars safer for senior citizens and it's also seeking a way to incorporate crash-prevention technology into its coveted five-star safety rating.

To protect senior drivers, NHTSA's Silver rating may focus on cars that offer inflatable seat belts or even introduce new technologies that help prevent unintended acceleration as a result of the driver accidently hitting the wrong pedal. Strickland also says existing crash-prevention technologies (such as forward collision warning and lane departure prevention) could work their way into the rating system for new vehicles. This all comes just days after another NHTSA-related report where the agency is apparently trying to come up with ways to fast-track "noncontroversial" rules and regulations.

View the original article here

Seniors Mistreated at Yellowstone National Park

I came across this article while doing some research and was appalled to read about the treatment that some senior citizens are receiving as a result of the government shutdown. While I prefer not to get into the political side of things, it's almost as if our National Parks are being used a point of leverage for our current government.

While I completely understand that these parks have to be closed due to the funding issue, there has to be a better and nicer way to handle visitors trying to access the park.

Here's the entire story with links back to the main source:

'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone

John MaconeNewburyport Daily News

NEWBURYPORT — Pat Vaillancourt went on a trip last week that was intended to showcase some of America’s greatest treasures.

Instead, the Salisbury resident said she and others on her tour bus witnessed an ugly spectacle that made her embarrassed, angry and heartbroken for her country. So much so that some of the foreign tourists with limited English skills thought they were under arrest.

Yellowstone National Park
http://www.slideshare.netWed Dec 07 18:58:43 -0600 2011
A powerpoint presentation on the hydrothermal features, grand canyon, wildlife, and human history of the park.

When finally allowed to leave, the bus was not allowed to halt at all along the 2.5-hour trip out of the park, not even to stop at private bathrooms that were open along the route.

“We’ve become a country of fear, guns and control,” said Vaillancourt, who grew up in Lawrence. “It was like they brought out the armed forces. Nobody was saying, ‘we’re sorry,’ it was all like — ” as she clenched her fist and banged it against her forearm.

Vaillancourt took part in a nine-day tour of western parks and sites along with about four dozen senior citizen tourists. One of the highlights of the tour was to be Yellowstone, where they arrived just as the shutdown went into effect.

Rangers systematically sent visitors out of the park, though some groups that had hotel reservations — such as Vaillancourt’s — were allowed to stay for two days. Those two days started out on a sour note, she said.

The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldn’t “recreate.” The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors weren’t “recreating,” just taking photos.

“She responded and said, ‘Sir, you are recreating,’ and her tone became very aggressive,” Vaillancourt said.

The seniors quickly filed back onboard and the bus went to the Old Faithful Inn, the park’s premier lodge located adjacent to the park’s most famous site, Old Faithful geyser. That was as close as they could get to the famous site — barricades were erected around Old Faithful, and the seniors were locked inside the hotel, where armed rangers stayed at the door.

“They looked like Hulk Hogans, armed. They told us you can’t go outside,” she said. “Some of the Asians who were on the tour said, ‘Oh my God, are we under arrest?’ They felt like they were criminals.”

By Oct. 3 the park, which sees an average of 4,500 visitors a day, was nearly empty. The remaining hotel visitors were required to leave.

As the bus made its 2.5-hour journey out of Yellowstone, the tour guide made arrangements to stop at a full-service bathroom at an in-park dude ranch he had done business with in the past. Though the bus had its own small bathroom, Vaillancourt said seniors were looking for a more comfortable place to stop. But no stop was made — Vaillancourt said the dude ranch had been warned that its license to operate would be revoked if it allowed the bus to stop. So the bus continued on to Livingston, Mont., a gateway city to the park.

The bus trip made headlines in Livingston, where the local newspaper Livingston Enterprise interviewed the tour guide, Gordon Hodgson, who accused the park service of “Gestapo tactics.”

“The national parks belong to the people,” he told the Enterprise. “This isn’t right.”

Calls to Yellowstone’s communications office were not returned, as most of the personnel have been furloughed.

Many of the foreign visitors were shocked and dismayed by what had happened and how they were treated, Vaillancourt said.

“A lot of people who were foreign said they wouldn’t come back (to America),” she said.

The National Parks’ aggressive actions have spawned significant criticism in western states. Governors in park-rich states such as Arizona have been thwarted in their efforts to fund partial reopenings of parks. The Washington Times quoted an unnamed Park Service official who said park law enforcement personnel were instructed to “make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”

The experience brought up many feelings in Vaillancourt. What struck her most was a widely circulated story about a group of World War II veterans who were on a trip to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial when the shutdown began. The memorial was barricaded and guards were posted, but the vets pushed their way in.

That reminded her of her father, a World War II veteran who spent three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

“My father took a lot of crap from the Japanese,” she recalled, her eyes welling with tears. “Every day they made him bow to the Japanese flag. But he stood up to them.

“He always said to stand up for what you believe in, and don’t let them push you around,” she said, adding she was sad to see “fear, guns and control” turned on citizens in her own country.

Some Comments on Twitter:

Alex Jones
Tue Oct 08 15:28:45 +0000 2013
NPS feds held senior citizens at gunpoint during the shutdown of Yellowstone. Tourists vowed never to return to US. http://t.co/lQ11kTIypR

Dino LaMeekster
Wed Oct 09 02:53:20 +0000 2013
'The Lid': Obama's Yellowstone National Park Bullies Use Police State Tactics On Traveling Seniors http://t.co/GLsThxmw7G #paperli

John Yowan
Wed Oct 09 20:53:00 +0000 2013
When the govt 'shutdown' occurred Yellowstone visitors were locked in a Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard.

You really have to feel bad for these Seniors who may be on the trip of a lifetime, and then are treated this way.

Positive Aspects of Being a Senior Citizen

Becoming a senior citizen these days carries a common stereotype that is associated with a slowing down of the mind and body, and an increased dependency on others. While there are some valid points of fact within that stereotype at some level, it's certainly not a true depiction of all senior citizens, and it overlooks some, if not all, of the more positive points that are associated with the elderly. Aging has its disadvantages and unpleasant outcomes, however there are lots of privileges being given to a senior citizen. The advantages you could derive from growing old are actually pretty significant and can assist you cope better with aging.

In the United States, a person reaching the age of 65 is typically considered a "senior citizen" and is eligible for all the benefits associated with the classification.  Some of those benefits are mandated at the federal or state level, while others are extended based on courtesy.

Those benefits can include:

Groups and Associations - There are a number of senior citizen groups that have an age requirement in order to join. Perhaps the best known is the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). The are several others including:

AMAC - The Association of Mature American Citizens

ASA - American Seniors Association

CSAO - Conservative Senior Americans Organization

 

Organizations like this offer a number of excellent benefits including discounts on insurance, travel, car repair, etc. 

Discount tax preparation - There are a number of state and federally based organizations that offer reduced rate or even free in some cases, tax preparation.

Discounted restaurant rate - Most restaurant and diners offer some form of senior citizen rate for meals or some type of senior citizen discount. The only catch: you may have to show proof of age to qualify. My mother-in-law likes to travel and eat out, and she has saved quite of bit of money using her senior citizen discounts.

Reduced insurance - Both through certain senior citizen organizations and also, independent of those organizations, there are opportunities for senior citizens to receive reduced rates for various type of insurance including car and homeowner insurance. Don't expect the same discounts for health and life insurance as it's unlikely to happen. 

One thing about these types of benefits, they may not be clearly posted or noted anywhere so you may have to ask if any are available. 

Although not a senior citizen myself quite yet, my opinion is: you've earned this benefits so take advantage of them and be proud of your senior citizen label. To me, it's a badge of knowledge and experience.

What Does Assisted Living Mean?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term "assisted living" as: "a system of housing and limited care that is designed for senior citizens who need some assistance with daily activities but do not require care in a nursing home".

While that may be the official definition, the term itself has evolved a bit so that it is now typically associated with housing facilities or residences that are geared towards either senior citizens or people with disabilities. The "assisted living" terminology was coined in the early 1990's to describe situations where independent living is not an option, but the person doesn't require 24 hour care and supervision either.

In most cases, the move to true assisted living is a slow transistion. Most start with some form of very basic in-home care. When seniors who live alone first start to want just a little help across the home, it's natural for their family members to deal with needs by employing a home care aide to visit occasionally. Very frequently, the senior just doesn't need to move to an "old people's house", and employing a visiting attendant solves this difficulty.

And it may initially appear to become a less expensive alternative than assisted living or alternative types of residential care. It's cheaper (so we believe). Problem solved, right?

For most families, it's acceptable in the beginning. Home care is frequently adequate for seniors with lesser needs - those who might use someone to check-in and do some housekeeping. However, for seniors who desire help with day to day personal activities like visiting the toilet, it may be insufficient or prohibitively expensive.

As seniors age, their needs generally grow. Then eight hours daily, regular of the week. And eventually a live-in aide becomes needed. But somewhere along the line between around the clock attention and only a small home care, a line is crossed when assisted living may be the less expensive alternative.

For example, the price for typical helped nationwide is around $3400 per month, while home care generally costs about $25 per hour. A home care aide who visited visited five hours daily, everyday, prices more compared to the average cost assisted living community. And unlike assisted living, where help is accessible 24/7, a senior with five hours of home care daily would be entirely on their own for the remaining 19 hours of every day.

Families which were initially satisfied with home care often start to find it challenging for reasons beyond price. Matching the senior with the appropriate, trustworthy health professional can be hugely ambitious. Sometimes families will go through several caregivers till they find who appears right, but when that health professional leaves for another job, the entire procedure for finding the best match begins over.

And even families who find a very long serving aide whose personality meshes with the senior, there are inevitable situations of missed work, absence, and vacation. This is challenging for obvious reasons, particularly whenever there aren't any relatives or other loved ones nearby to fill the gaps in care.

Seniors who rely entirely on a home care aide could also start to endure the damaging effects of isolation, particularly when they don't leave have many visitors. Whereas seniors who reside in an assisted living community have someone to speak to or chat with anytime they enjoy, a senior relying on home care might have little chances for in person companionship aside from the health professional.

Is assisted living right for your situation? Only you can make that decision.