World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2013

Reblogged from MLibrary Healthy Communities:

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June 15th marks the 7th annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. In addition, WEAAD is in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.

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Linden Square Assisted Living Center – Online and Social

What’s the first thing you do when you are looking to buy something? Head straight for the keyboard and Google it, Facebook it, or ask your friends, relatives and coworkers for recommendations. Why? Even if it’s something we’re somewhat familiar with, we want to know what to expect, and what people are saying about that product or service.

The Internet continues to be a vast collection of information about anything you would ever want to know. Furthermore, caregivers use the web to find information on care options and resources, and to connect with other people who have had, or are dealing with, similar experiences for support.

The past several years of research results indicate that caregivers are using the Internet for information more so than any other group. Pew Internet’s latest survey shows that 8 out of 10 caregivers have access to the Web, and 90 percent of those with Internet access use it to find health information for someone other than themselves.

Are you a caregiver searching the web for a beautiful, new, caring, and premier assisted living center for a loved one? Don’t look any further; Linden Square Assisted Living Center is currently under construction at 650 Woodland Dr. E, in Saline. We are a sponsor of the UMHS Housing Bureau for Seniors annual event, Senior Living Week. Stop by the Senior Living Week Expo at the Morris Lawrence Building on Washtenaw Community College’s campus on Friday, May 10th between 8:30am – 3:00pm. Or, if you can’t make it to the Expo, we will be hosting a workshop at our new facility on Tuesday, May 14th from 10:30am – 12:00pm.

Want to know more about Linden Square? Visit us at www.lindensquarealc.com, follow us on Facebook, or watch our virtual tour from a sister community, in Grand Haven, MI, Grand Pines Assisted Living Center.

I Need Short-Term Rehabilitation…Now What?

Post supplied by: Steve Hopkins, Vice President Wellness & Home Based Solutions, Evangelical Homes of Michigan

Many of us could have thought of this question as we were faced with this stage of healthcare. After a hospital stay or visit, the need for additional services such as short term rehabilitation and/or nursing services may be needed in order to fully recover.

Your situation could be due to a short illness, injury, or a planned surgery. Whatever the case, navigating and understanding short-term rehabilitation can still be a challenge. Listed below are a few key thoughts that you can inquire about to help make this process a bit smoother.

First, understand the transition from the hospital stay or visit to the next setting. Understanding what types of services will be needed for you or your loved one in order to make a full recovery is imperative. Your physician will make recommendations and next steps. Upon that recommendation, a hospital social worker will provide you with a list of resources and options available in your immediate area. After hospital discharge (if there was a stay) often there is transition to a short-term sub-acute rehabilitation facility. After this, there likely would be a recommendation for therapy and nursing to continue at home when you are able to return there safely. And then after home therapy discharges, there are a few providers that even offer continued wellness and healthy living opportunities to fully complete your recovery.

Another key component is identifying providers who can offer all of these services. The important fact here is that you have many options and can decide what is best for you or your loved one. The challenge is that you may not know your provider choices, your provider’s capability, the quality of the provider, or if they have a record of excellent customer service. Asking your doctor, as well as family and friends for recommendations is important. They can speak from many perspectives such as from a clinical quality perspective, as well as from a customer service side. Some quick hands-on research may be necessary too. It’s always good to visit a facility and see it with your own eyes, if time allows. If an onsite visit is not an option, visiting websites helps too (many times facilities will have virtual tours and photos available) so that you can view the facility from a distance. In your research it is important to ask questions like:

• “Does your organization provide all of the services I need through my entire transition?” Ask for a full list of services so that you have a reference in the future.
• “How can I see if your facility is comfortable and modern or institutional?” If you cannot visit in person ask if a virtual tour or photos are available on their website.
• “What types of therapy or short-term rehabilitation services are available?” Are physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy available? Will they have outpatient rehabilitation services available for you after you discharge from the facility. Continuing outpatient services is a great way for you to continue working on your recovery with the same team of therapists and in familiar surroundings.
• “Will a company representative like a transition manager or nurse visit me in the hospital before my discharge?” Often times organizations have specialized team members such as transition managers and/or clinical liaison’s to visit with you at the hospital. They can be instrumental in sharing treatment and outcome information between the hospital and the facility, as well as providing you with information about what to expect and the process of your recovery at the facility.
• “Will your team communicate directly with my doctor through each stage so they know what is going on with me?” Ask them to elaborate on how information about your progress will be shared with your physician.
• “How long will I need to be at the facility?” Many facilities will refer to a length of stay (LOS) and can usually report their average performance for different diagnoses.
• “Are your performance results (improvement measures and re-hospitalization) readily accessible to me?” Depending on the type of license the facility has, you can visit http://www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Overview.asp for information on the facility’s latest state level survey; often times facilities also publish annual quality scores as well.
• “Will my insurance cover my entire stay, will I have any out-of-pocket costs?” Often times there are gaps in insurance coverage, including Medicare, and it’s important to know what you will be responsible for up front.

These questions may seem basic, but the answers can start to put a picture together about what will happen once you are admitted into a short-term rehabilitation facility. Connecting with a provider that you know will support you through every stage of rehabilitation is something you deserve but something you may need to request.

There are many great resources available in our local community. Learn more about many of these community resources at the upcoming Housing Bureau for Seniors Expo on Friday, May 10, 2013. Many local organizations will have exhibits and expert staff on hand to provide you with information and resources. You will have the opportunity to hear more about ALL of the available rehabilitation options, stages, and facts that you need to know in order to be prepared to quickly receive the care you need and to return home healthy!

Legal Issues for Seniors to Consider

Legacy Law Center is proud to participate in Senior Living Week once again this spring.  Each year, our law firm hosts a booth at the Expo, and we enjoy getting to meet a wide variety of attendees and other professionals.  Terrence A. Bertram, our firm’s senior attorney, will be speaking on some estate planning basics that everyone should know.

Legacy Law Center is a firm in Ann Arbor that particularly specializes in elder law and estate planning.  The specific areas of law we practice include wills and trusts; powers of attorney to cover both  health care decisions and financial and legal decisions; decedent’s estates; Medicaid and Veteran’s benefits counseling and qualification; and guardianship and conservatorship  law.  Additionally, we serve as probate mediators, or neutral parties trained in facilitating peaceful resolutions among family members about issues that arise in caring for an aging loved one.

Terry’s presentation will cover the types of documents that should comprise a complete estate plan, and how to go about making the decisions and elections required in your plan.  Many interesting things are currently happening in the estate planning arena, so Terry will also have his pick of an array of special topics to cover in his presentation.  I will address just two of them here.

One topic that is of perennial interest and importance is the need to have a valid health care power of attorney so that someone you trust always has the authority to make medical decisions for you in the event that you cannot.  Health care powers of attorney are a vital piece of your estate planning tool kit, yet statistics show that far too many people are still putting off executing this simple document that can save so much pain and uncertainty for your loved ones.

Second, since last October, we’ve been kept particularly busy by changes in the laws that govern powers of attorney in Michigan.  One of the main changes is a new requirement that your durable power of attorney have a signed acceptance page.  In effect, the person you nominate to act on your behalf, if you become unable to do so, now has to sign an agreement stating that they will act in your best interest.  Powers of attorney that were executed prior to October 2012 are still effective, but because banks and financial institutions are not required to accept them, we have recommended to our clients that they consider an update.

We are eager to participate in Senior Living Week 2013 and we hope to see you there.

What is Dementia Capable Care?

Dementia Capable Care is a memory care program that enables those living with Alzheimer’s/Dementia to thrive.

Alzheimer’s Prevalence Statistics

• Alzheimer’s affects 5.4 million people
• By 2050 it is expected to grow to 15 million
• People live with Alzheimer’s for 8 to 20 years
• By age 65, 1 out of 8 people are affected by Alzheimer’s
• By age 85, 1 out of 2 people are affected by Alzheimer’s

At Glacier Hills, we believe those with Alzheimer’s/Dementia can continue to lead a life of quality and one filled with purpose and joy. This is accomplished by engaging these individuals’ in meaningful activity by determining their best ability to function and matching the activities complexity with the individual’s cognitive ability.  The environment, the challenge of the activity, and the approach of our care team are all tailored to the individual resident’s stage of dementia to allow our residents to flourish.

Creating home, a place of purpose, safety, and belonging is accomplished through our focus on successful participation in meaningful life activities and through building loving, supportive relationships between our residents and our care team.

Our unique assessment process, along with our skills in knowing how to incorporate each resident’s identified stage of dementia and their own unique individuality into day-to-day life, creates an environment of wellness to fulfill our resident’s potential at every stage of their journey.

Glacier Hills is a proud sponsor of the UMHS Housing Bureau for Seniors annual event, Senior Living Week. Stop by and visit our table at the Senior Living Week Expo at the Morris Lawrence Building on Washtenaw Community College’s campus on Friday, May 10^th from 8:30am – 3:00pm. If you can’t make it to the Expo, we will be hosting a workshop and an open house at our facility (1200 Earhart Road, Ann Arbor) on Friday, May 17^th at 10:30am. Refreshments will be available after the workshop.

New Construction, New Assisted Living/Memory Care, New Amenities, but not so “new” to Heritage Property Management Inc.

Have you been wondering what is being built on the South-West corner of Woodland and Maple in Saline? To answer your questions, it is Linden Square Assisted Living Center!

Linden Square Assisted Living Center, currently under construction at 650 Woodland Drive East, will be Saline’s newest, premier assisted living center. Linden Square is scheduled to open in May of 2013, with 57 apartments. A second phase, consisting of an additional 55 apartments, has been planned to accommodate future growth.

Linden Square Assisted Living is a sponsor of the Housing Bureau for Seniors annual event, Senior Living Week. We will be at the Senior Living Week Expo at the Morris Lawrence Building on Washtenaw Community College’s campus on Friday, May 10th from 8:30am – 3:00pm. We will also be hosting a workshop at our new facility on Tuesday, May 14th at 10:30am. Stop by and visit with us – we look forward to meeting you!

The Reenders family and  Heritage Property Management Inc., are very excited to be a part of the Saline community “because of the small town feel, the charm of the community, and the new growth moving south from the Greater Ann Arbor area.”  Saline reminds Scott Reenders, President of Heritage Property Management, Inc., of Grand Haven, MI, where the company’s headquarters are located.  When Scott’s grandfather, Arthur Reenders, started the company in 1947, he stated, “I won’t build or own anything that I wouldn’t live in myself.” Scott, his partners, and staff members still believe in Arthur’s values, dedication, and beliefs to this day, more than 65 years later. Heritage Property Management owns and operates 7 other assisted living communities in Michigan, Railside Assisted Living Center, Byron Center, MI; Sheldon Meadows Assisted Living Center, Hudsonville, MI; Appledorn Assisted Living Center, Holland, MI; Seminole Shore Assisted Living Center, Norton Shores, MI; Edgewood Assisted Living Center, Saginaw, MI; Bay Ridge Assisted Living Center, Traverse City, MI; and Grand Pines Assisted Living Center, Grand Haven, MI.

Linden Square Assisted Living Center will bring over 50 new jobs to the Saline community with its opening, and over 100 jobs will be created after the completion of community’s second phase.  Scott has said, “we [our assisted living communities] do well in this type of location, where people appreciate being part of an assisted living community that puts quality and service to our residents above all else.” Linden Square Assisted Living Center will be licensed by the State of Michigan, and offer a variety of assistance for those 60 years of age and older. Linden Square will offer a number of private apartment options ranging in size from studios to two bedroom apartments. The wide variety of apartment options is to fit the many different lifestyles of our residents.

Linden Square Assisted Living Center is currently accepting applications and deposits for residency! Make sure you get your name on our waiting list TODAY, for your brand new home! Call (734) 429-7600 for more information. Interested job applicants can apply online at www.lindensquarealc.com.

Senior Living Week – 2013