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Save the Date for Senior Living Week 2015
Counting Down to the 2014 Senior Living Week Expo
Senior Living Week – Bringing together the people who provide senior living, housing and support services with seniors and their adult children!
The Senior Living Week Expo will take place on Friday, May 2nd from 8:30am – 3:00pm at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest (1275 S. Huron, Ypsilanti). This is an opportunity for you and your family members to interact with service professionals, to visit senior housing communities, and to participate in numerous activities, including relevant educational programming on home & personal services, health and wellness, social services, home design and remodeling, financial services, and legal services. Information and resources are available to help you, and your family, make informed decisions that fit your needs, lifestyle, and budget.
Workshops at the Senior Living Week Expo
☐ 9:30 – 10:30 AM – Moving Made Easy – Addressing the Dynamics of Moving and Downsizing
☐ 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM – Faces of Aging: An Older Adult Couple’s Journey of Health & Wellness
☐ 1:15 – 2:30 PM – Behaviors & Health Issues Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and supporters all events are offered free to the public. Whether you are an older adult looking to transition to a new living arrangement, have recently retired and are exploring options for the future, or are a caregiver caring for a spouse, a child, a parent, or a friend, you will not want to miss this important and FREE event.
The 2014 Senior Living Week Expo is made possible by these generous sponsors: Care Response Home Care; Evangelical Homes of Michigan; Glacier Hills Senior Living Community; United Methodist Retirement Communities; Brookhaven Manor Apartments; Hillside Terrace Retirement Community; Horizons Planning Corporation; Legacy Law Center; Linden Square Assisted Living Center; Sanctuary at St. Joseph’s Village; Silver Maples of Chelsea; UM Geriatrics Center; University of Michigan Health System; Home Instead Senior Care; Legacy Assisted Living Center; LifeChoices®; Gilbert Residence; Lurie Terrace Senior Apartments; and Towne Center Place.
For more information about the Expo, visit www.med.umich.edu/seniors; or call De Bora McIntosh at (734) 998-9338.
2104 Senior Living Week Workshops
Senior Living Week is a FREE opportunity to gather information and resources to help you and your loved ones make decisions for better living as you age. This year, there will be 13 workshops – 3 at the Senior Living Week Expo on Friday, May 2nd and 10 throughout Senior Living Week. This is your chance to hear from and speak with experts in health, memory loss, downsizing and moving, financial issues, legal issues, inter-generational communications, and more. Click on the dates below to learn more about the workshop topics and where they will be held.
Registration is encouraged as some locations have limited seating. Please contact De Bora McIntosh at (734) 998-9338 for more information.
See You at the 2014 Senior Living Week Expo
Contributed by Paula Love, MA, Vice President, Brand Identity and Product Discovery, Evangelical Homes of Michigan
Evangelical Homes of Michigan welcomes the opportunity to share our continuum of care story with you. Please visit our booths at the 2014 Senior Living Week Expo on Friday, May 2 from 8:30am – 3:00pm.
We are also excited to bring you a new workshop topic: Faces of Aging: An Older Adult Couple’s Journey of Health & Wellness.
Our Senior Vice President of Health Services & Solutions, Stephen H. Hopkins will take you on an uplifting journey of two people destined to be life-long soul mates. Told through a series of photographs that chronicle health challenges and wellness discovery at different stages of their lives. John and Linda face their health challenges in very different ways. Seen through the eyes and viewpoints of both John and Linda, together they confront the many trials and triumphs of aging. You’ll learn about the continuum of care and services available to them. Discover how you, like John and Linda, can confront aging challenges by maintaining your health through wellness at any age.
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE EVENT SCHEDULE BELOW FOR MAY 2014 AND REGISTER FOR ONE TODAY!
- May 2nd, 10:45 a.m. Participate in our Faces of Aging Workshop at the Senior Living Week Expo
- May 3rd, 10 a.m. Attend our Open House in Saline at Brecon Village, 200 Brecon Drive
Call De Bora McIntosh at 734-998-9338 to register for a Senior Living Week event.
- May 14th, 2 p.m. Register for our Retirement Discovery Workshop at Weber’s Inn
- May 17th, 10 a.m. Register for our Retirement Discovery Workshop at Weber’s Inn
Call 734-295-9292 or email us at marketing@evangelicalhomes.org to register for an event.
Since 1879, Evangelical Homes of Michigan has continued to provide compassionate care and innovative solutions to older adults. We are a 134-year old, 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, faith-based organization that provides healthcare, senior housing and community services to 3200 older adults annually, employs nearly 1000 Michiganders, and has provided $11.5 million in charitable care over the past five years.
To learn more about Evangelical Homes of Michigan and our services, visit us online at ehmchoices.org.
Care – When, What Kind, and Where?
One of the most common questions I am asked is when should care begin, closely followed by what kind of care and where. The answers are not as clear as the milestones or benchmarks when raising our children. Those tend to be age related and as our parents are demonstrating – age really is just a number and not necessarily reflective of wants or needs! Our parents’ uniqueness as individuals has had a lifetime to grow, develop, and sometimes even become rigid or cast in stone. There are no age-related growth and development charts for easy reference. You can, however, visualize a pie chart with three equal pieces labeled Limitations and Medical Concerns, Quality of Life and Social Needs, and Financial Considerations. Begin filling theses pieces in, knowing there will be a time when the current arrangements will no longer work.
Functional limitations and medical concerns may include activities related to daily living such as nutrition, hygiene, dressing, activity (addressing literally how one gets around), medication, and chronic disease management. Instrumental activities of daily living include how one interacts with their environment, such as preparing meals, doing laundry and housework, using the telephone, shopping, and driving. Medical concerns like anti-coagulant therapy, memory impairment, visual or hearing limitations have a direct impact on daily living functions and need to be included here. Try not to wait until the existing arrangement is not working!
Quality of life and social needs are not as easily measured. These are the things that make us unique as individuals and one could argue – the most important consideration. My father is a North Dakota native; farming is in his DNA. His connection to nature and the land is amazing and unfailing. Those are his guideposts for living. He has made this piece of the pie very clear for us; he will not be leaving his beloved land and people. For us, the where has been answered. The when and what kind of care remains episodic, rather like a moving target, affording us plenty of practice in hope of getting it right.
Financial considerations are the black and white reality, though there is room for some creativity. What kind of care and where balanced with quality of life requires ongoing learning and evaluation of the pie chart. For many families this piece may not be clear. Those of us raised in the 50s and 60s learned early on what our business was and what was not and we learned it well! Having a clear financial reading provides clarity and opens discussion if there is going to be any creativity. Assets, debt, and fixed incomes can all be successfully managed (no matter the level) once you have a clear picture.
Learning when care is needed, what kind of care and where, is as individual and unique as your parents are. There is no one size fits all solution. Continued evaluation and understanding of the pie chart will increase your chances of hitting the moving target! Making informed decisions with or for your loved one requires due diligence and heart.
Senior Living Week, presented by UM Housing Bureau for Seniors, is an opportunity to begin or continue understanding when care is needed, what kind of care, and of course where. Start filling in the pie chart at Senior Living Week 2014! Beginning Friday, May 2nd and continuing through Saturday May 10th, there are workshops, open houses, free health screenings, and an Expo at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, with something for everyone. There is free parking and free admission, so mark your calendar!
Learn more about how Certified Geriatric Care Managers can perform an assessment to help determine the needs of an elder loved one and find the right resources. Certified Managers may also conduct a review of financial, legal and medical issues and refer your family to appropriate specialists. Learn more about counseling, coping with illness, grief and loss, and planning for the future. Learn what Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance will and will not cover. Also, gather firsthand information from local resources to help you make informed decisions. Just as important, learn why Ann Arbor is one of the leading retirement cities, our weather notwithstanding! Please join this collaborative effort to share resources and information and start planning today!
Contributed by Rawlin Myers
Are You Ready?
It’s time for Senior Living Week 2014 and this year there is more information and resources to offer our community than ever before! Thanks largely to the due diligence of the Housing Bureau for Seniors, this year’s offerings are a reflection of community feedback through the years about what our residents and families need. Care Response Home Care began participating in 2006 and can speak to the progressive event changes keeping pace with community needs. We are honored to be this year’s Event Sponsor, knowing there is something for everyone and admission is free!
Aging in Ann Arbor continues to make headlines. From the 2008 AARP ranking of the healthiest U.S. City for retirement, to the 2012 report released by the Milken Institute citing Ann Arbor among a number of cities for the community support of their aging population. Encouraging factors include public transportation, strong health care systems, wellness, and living arrangements. Also mentioned were financial well-being, employment, community engagement, multiple universities, education, and overall learning environment. It would appear the country is catching up with what we have always known!
Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, so gathering information from multiple sources is a great place to start. There are several considerations including financial, lifestyle preferences, and ultimately the health and well-being of you or your loved one. Using this ‘three legged stool’ approach, you begin to paint a unique picture for planning.
My experience helping clients and families determine their unique picture usually begins with lifestyle preferences which makes sense as we know where and how we want to live. Having a financial and healthcare overview is often not as clear but there are professionals who can help you navigate these sometimes complex pathways. As a certified Geriatric Care Manager, I have a duty and an obligation to those I serve to stay current with the new retirement frontier. The good news is we have many options here in Ann Arbor; the perhaps less than good news is there is an overwhelming amount of particulars to sift through to arrive at an informed decision!
Elder law attorneys, estate planning specialists, assisted living facilities, respite care, home medical equipment companies, organization and downsizing experts, and geriatric nursing services are a few of the resources available during Senior Living Week. If your preference is socializing and an array of activity choices, you may want to learn more about retirement communities and downsizing. If your preference is to safely age in place in your home, you may want to learn more about private duty care, home healthcare services, and home modification services available in Washtenaw County. If you are just beginning your quest and have limited time, you may want to attend the Expo and gather all pertinent information available. The Expo, Health Screenings, Workshops, and Open Houses really do offer something for everyone. There is a lot to see and do so take advantage of this annual opportunity. Planning for retirement and long term care can be challenging but you don’t have to navigate it alone.
Care Response Home Care has provided individualized private duty services and dementia care in and around Ann Arbor for more than 10 years. Owned and managed by Registered Nurses, we are proud to now offer certified Geriatric Care Management services. Our experienced nurses foster informed decision making by identifying risks and helping clients make smart home health care choices. We strive to respectfully and compassionately meet the needs of our clients and their families, by listening, planning, educating and delivering the highest standard of individualized care. Our goal is to offer dependable client-centered home care services, one client and one family at a time. We want to thank the Housing Bureau for Seniors once again for the opportunity to serve our community and look forward to this promising event. We look forward to seeing you there!
–Valerie Dockter
Winter Snow, Ice, and Bitter Cold
I think most of us have, at one time or another, dealt with the headache of snow removal from our walkways and driveways (or at the very least, around our cars). Snow removal is not for the faint of heart or those who have heart problems, especially when temperatures become frigid. During the latest big snow storm and negative temperatures and wind chills, I saw several of our neighbors (including my spouse) working together to remove snow from sidewalks, and even a portion of the street!
While our block has mainly young couples and those in our 40s/50s, that’s not the case in many areas throughout the County. There are many neighborhoods, where residents may not be physically able to shovel the snow off the sidewalks. Exposure to the cold puts additional strain on the heart and seniors and those with chronic medical conditions are at an increased risk.
Seniors may also be unable to afford to have a service do it for them. If you’re able, please consider offering your elderly or disabled neighbor help with snow removal, especially if you’ve noticed that it doesn’t get done within 24 hours of the end of a storm. This is especially important since many cities and towns, including Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Saline, and Ypsilanti have snow removal ordinances which will penalize homeowners with fines.
Snow removal also helps the volunteers at Meals on Wheels deliver food to frail, homebound persons in our communities. At Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, several customers often call to cancel meal delivery following a winter storm because they’re unable to remove the snow and are concerned for the safety of our volunteers. Helping your neighbors by removing snow from their driveways and walkways can mean the difference in whether they eat that day.
Why is this so critical? The inability to continue with typical maintenance, heavy chores, and yard work are often what lead an older homeowner to consider moving. At the Housing Bureau for Seniors, we can recommend our HomeShare and our Housing & Caregiver Counseling programs for those looking to transition from one living situation to another. But if affordable assistance can be brought in, why move?
Be neighborly! Check on your elderly and disabled neighbors, and if you can help in some small way, please do so.
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.
Senior Living Week – 2013
UMHS Housing Bureau for Seniors 