So, what exactly is an assisted living facility? Perhaps the best definition for assisted living can be found within Oregon’s care philosophy. It states: Assisted living… is a program that promotes resident self-direction and participation in decisions that emphasize choice, dignity, privacy, individuality, independence and homelike surroundings. Often seen as the best of both worlds, assisted livings provide their residents with the privacy and comforts of home, but also provides the necessary means to assist in activities of daily living (ADL).  Most residents of ALs need more supervision and assistance than can be received at home without outside support, but do not require the intensive medical or custodial care that is provided in a skilled nursing facility.

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As you’ve seen, long-term care is expensive. Even a temporary stay in an assisted living facility can derail years of careful financial planning. Although costs may vary significantly depending upon where you live, a family’s assets can be quickly depleted.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one year of care in a nursing home (based on the 2006 national average) will cost over $62,000 for a semi-private room. One year of care at home, assuming someone needs periodic personal care help from a home health aide (the average is about three times a week), could cost almost $16,000 a year. I’ve seen folks spend close to $100,000 per year on 24-hour in-home care.

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Before you can even begin the process of evaluating assisted living, it’s im- portant to familiarize yourself with all the terms. There are many types of care ranging from skilled nursing to senior living. They all vary based on the level of assistance required by the resident.

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“I have trouble chewing.” “Food just doesn’t taste the same anymore.” “I can’t get out to go shopping.” “It’s too much trouble to cook for one person.” “I’m just not that hungry.”

Sound familiar? These are a few common reasons some older people don’t eat healthy meals. But, making healthy food choices is a smart thing to do-no matter how old you are!

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Eat many different colors and types of vegetables and fruits.
• Make sure at least half of your grains are whole grains.

Eat only small amounts of solid fats, oils, and foods high in sugars. Limit saturated fat (found mostly in foods that come from animals) or transfats (found in foods like some margarines, shortening, cookies, and crackers).

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Apart from being an antidote to loneliness, the Internet can provide seniors with health information, access to groups coping with issues like chronic diseases, daily news, how-to instructions, where to find products and services, pen pals - And that’s just for starters! However, despite all of these benefits, according to latest Pew study, 42% of seniors age 65-73 and 70% of those 74+ are not online. This is mostly because they find computer s too complex and difficult to use and not because they don’t want to. We have created a great tool, which transforms any computer into an intuitive, easy-to-use machine - From start-up to shutdown, in a way that is most suited for seniors and anyone who may have visual problems, learning difficulties, cognitive impairment or, unfortunately, a neurological disease of some sort.  Now everyone can enjoy the benefits of using a computer and going online.

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 From New Jersey to California, state officials are bracing for the end to more than $90 billion in federal largess specifically designated for Medicaid. To hold down costs, states are cutting Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals, limiting benefits for Medicaid recipients, reducing the scope of covered services, requiring beneficiaries to pay larger co-payments and expanding the use of managed care.

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The CLASS Act, a federal program created as part of national healthcare reform legislation in 2010, will make about $27,000 per year in assistance available to those who need it, taking a big chunk out of the financial obligation of long term care, according to the Private Duty Homecare Association.

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Dr. Martin and two colleagues presented findings from their research on nursing home resident autonomy in the areas of smoking, dysphagia treatments, sexuality, and antipsychotic drugs at the annual conference of the American Society on Aging. They also gave their listeners advice on how to address autonomy vs. safety in these areas.

Smoking

Between 2% and 10% of nursing home residents smoke, Dr. Martin said. She pointed out that, besides its familiar health implications, smoking can accelerate residents’ cognitive decline and risk fires and personal burns.

This article from Internal Medicine News discusses the special challenges of balancing patients autonomy with their safety.

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Alzheimer’s disease typically develops slowly and gradually gets worse over the course of several years. As it progresses it eventually affects most areas of your brain, including those important in memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem solving, personality and movement.

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The first step a facility should take is to complete a thorough supply system audit. Every facility is different and all will have unique items/supplies that will be needed to be stocked and ready for use. The staff member in charge of emergency planning should compare information on what supplies are needed, and what does the facility currently have on hand. Does the list comparison match up? Are supplies missing or have they gone beyond any written expiration date? After the basic informational gathering period is complete, the disaster planner then should take the audit results and discuss it with the different department leaders.

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