Senior Assisted Living

Volunteer Adopt a Senior

2008-07-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

We are an Assisted Living Home, looking for Volunteers to come and provide companionship to our residents. Come adopt a grandparent!
We would love to have volunteers who will read to them, take them for short walks, lead small group activities, play games, etc.
No experience necessary, but must like working with seniors.
Very flexible schedule, would like to have at least a 2 hour visit.
Please contact Nancy at (301)638-4100 or email klakin@seniornetwork.org

Additional senior info:
Senior Citizen Articles
Senior Links

Nursing home, assisted living monitor

2007-10-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

Found this on Craigslist, might be an interest to a few out there.

Senior care choices are always difficult, did we choose the right nursing home, assisted living residence or adult family home? Are our loved ones receiving the care they need and is there a chance for abuse or neglect? Each year hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected, and exploited in nursing homes, adult family homes and assisted living facilities.. Many victims are people who are frail and vulnerable and cannot help themselves and depend on others to meet their most basic needs and defend their rights.

Senior Pathways care monitoring service provides regular oversight visits to your loved ones to review their charts, activity participation, weight gain or loss, laundry, showers, meal attendance and any other factors that affect their well being. Our fees are based on monthly quarterly or annual visits to the facilities. Independent nursing assessments are available upon request. We believe that this is the most efficient means to ensure that residents are receiving the care they need. Please contact us at 425-244-2802.

Other helpful services for seniors who need to free up some additional funds.
Life Settlements - Seniors can sell an unwanted or unneeded life insurance policy.
Reverse Mortgage - Seniors can now eliminate their mortgage payment with Reverse Mortgages.

Rebecca Elon named Clinician of the Year

2007-04-16T07:06:00.001-07:00

The American Geriatrics Society has awarded Baltimore Washington Medical Center senior care geriatrician Dr. Rebecca Elon the Clinician of the Year award.

Elon will accept this award next month at the society's national conference in Seattle.

The award recognizes doctors who have gone above and beyond to deliver quality health care to older people by remaining accessible and communicating clearly to patients and families, by maintaining a high level of professional competence through continuing medical education and staying aware of social and ethical issues in the medical field, and by contributing to community health care efforts.

Elon has been with Baltimore Washington Senior Care since its inception in May 1997 and has served as the chair of Baltimore Washington Medical Center's Department of Geriatrics and Sunrise Assisted Living of Severna Park.

Elon is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in geriatrics. She is a member of the American Geriatrics Society, a founding board member of the Maryland Medical Directors Association, and a consultant for the U.S. Justice Department in matters regarding quality of geriatric services for elderly patients in state institutions.

Elon is also a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland schools of medicine.

Source: Baltimore Sun

GE FinalizesMortgage for Senior Housing

2007-04-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

GE Healthcare Finalizes $160 Million Mortgage for Senior Housing Properties

CHICAGO - GE Healthcare Financial Services has structured a $160 million senior-secured, 10-year first mortgage for Wakefield Capital, a Maryland based investor in senior housing properties. The financing was used to acquire 28 independent and assisted living properties in seven states.

“GE Healthcare Financial Services’ in-depth knowledge of the senior housing industry and our company helped to create a financing solution that meets both our short- and long-term capital needs," said Ed Nordberg, CEO at Wakefield Capital. "Their team of financial experts were able to move quickly to find a mutually beneficial deal structure that positions our business for growth."

Wakefield Capital LLC was created in May 2006, as a joint venture between Chain Bridge Capital and NorthStar Realty Finance Corporation -- a publicly traded REIT. Currently Wakefield owns over 80 senior housing properties nationwide.

GE Healthcare Financial Services has lending relationships with seven of the 10 largest assisted living providers, as ranked by Provider magazine, including Emeritus Assisted Living and Atria Senior Living Group.

Source: Web Wire

Nursing Home or Cruise Ship

2007-03-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

I just got this email the other day and thought some of you might enjoy it.

No nursing home for me

About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc. all seemed very familiar with the lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told that she owned the line,but he said he only knew she had been on board for the last 4 cruises, back to back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises. She replied "Yes, that's true" I stated "I don't understand" and she replied without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home".

So, there will be no nursing home in my future when I get old and feeble. I am going to get on a Princess cruise ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200. per day. I have checked on reservations on a Princess and I can get a long term discount and a senior discount price of $135. per day. That leaves $65. a day for:

1. Gratuities which will only be $10. a day.
2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service.(Which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week.)
3. Princess has a many as 3 swimming pools, a workout room, free washer and dryer, and shows every night.
4. They have free toothpaste and razors and free soap and shampoo.
5. They will treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5.00 worth the tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
6. You will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.
7. TV broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No problem, they will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.
8. Chean sheets and towels every day, and you don't have to ask for them.
9. If you fall in the nursing home and break your hip you are on Medicare: if you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite, for the rest of your life.

Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia or name where you want to go? Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.

P.S. And don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side---at no cost.

Elder Care Issues

2007-02-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Plan ahead

Eleanora Mikesh, executive director of The Greens at Cannondale in Wilton, an assisted living facility, has lately seen more families who are better prepared to handle elder care financial issues. "You need to think about the issue before a crisis strikes," Mikesh said. "If you do some planning, you can shop around [for a health care facility] and be more selective. If you don't need care at the moment, you can get on a waiting list. This way you have a choice when the time comes."

There is some good news in meeting this potentially staggering financial challenge. Some community resources can help make elder care affordable. For example, Nursing and Home Care, a nonprofit organization that offers visiting nurse services in the Fairfield and Westport area, can help families tap into community resources that can offer some financial assistance, said Sharon Bradley, president and CEO of NHC.

The nonprofit nursing agency does fundraising to provide financial assistance to those in need of special care and who qualify for it. NHC also receives funding from United Way and community groups that will pay for respite care, which covers nurses or home aides for the chronically ill. These additional medical services allow a welcome break for family members who are providing care for their loved ones.

"Agencies like ours can be an asset and point families in the right direction," Bradley said. "Some agencies can help access grants and programs. They're knowledgeable about such resources."

For Elder Law related questions, visit ElderLawQuestions.com

Assisted Living and other Support Groups

2007-01-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

Memory loss discussion group
A memory loss discussion group is forming. The time-limited group is for people in the earliest stages of dementia and their caregivers. For information, dates and times, call the Alzheimer's Association at 301-797-4892.

Al-Anon/Alateen Family Groups
Hagerstown and Frederick, Md., area. This is an anonymous, confidential support group for anyone affected by a family member's or friend's drinking. There are no fees. Call 301-663-6626 for a listing of meetings in the area.

Well spouse
Western Maryland group; today, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Port City Java, 1551 Potomac Ave. Well Spouse Association is a national organization dedicated to offering emotional support to the wives, husbands and partners of the chronically ill or those with disabilities. For more information, call Karen Taylor, 717-593-9155.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)
Maryland 77 Hagerstown chapter, today, weigh-in at 7:30 a.m., exercise at 8:30 a.m., meeting at 9:30 a.m., First Christian Church, 1345 Potomac Ave., Hagerstown. The group meets every Monday. Visitors are welcome. Call Donna, 301-223-8143; or Pat, 301-791-4909.

Alzheimer's support
Somerford Place-Memory Care Assisted Living group, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Somerford Place, 10014 Sharpsburg Pike, Hagerstown. Caregiving is available with advance notice. Call Sheri Evans at 301-791-9221, ext. 213.

National Association on Mental Illness -NAMI
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 7 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, corner of North Potomac Street and Randolph Avenue. This support group's mission is to educate and inform residents of Washington County about mental illness and to support and advocate for individuals with mental illness and their familys and caregivers. For more information, call Connie Pauley, 301-824-7725.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)
BOONSBORO - Trinity Lutheran Church on Main Street. Tuesday, Feb. 6, weigh-in at 5:30 p.m., meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. For information, call Lena, 301-432-6526; or Connie, 301-432-5698.

Pet bereavement support
FUNKSTOWN - Wednesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Animal Health Clinic, 26 E. Baltimore St. For information and reservations, call 301-733-7579.

TOPS
Maryland 446; Wednesday, Feb. 7. Weigh-in at 9 a.m., meeting from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Shiloh United Methodist Church, Shiloh Church Road. TOPS is a non-profit weight-loss organization which offers much in the way of group support. This chapter features a discussion type of format in addition to or along with the inspirational and education program. Visitors are welcome. For more information, call Mary or Tom, 301-797-2547.

CoDependents Anonymous
Thursday, Feb. 8, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Haven Lutheran Church, 1035 Haven Road. Twelve-step meeting for men and women whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships. The group meets every Thursday. Call Claudia, 301-293-2243; Siri, 240-313-3377; or go to www.coda.org.

TOPS
Maryland 308 chapter, Friday, Feb. 9, weigh-in from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m., meeting at 6 p.m. First Christian Church, 1345 Potomac Ave., Hagerstown. Visitors are welcome. Call June, 301-582-4821; Marie, 301-824-3245; or Virginia, 301-733-1296.

Celebrate Recovery Ministry
WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Friday, Feb. 9, 7 to 9 p.m., Otterbein Church Youth Ministry Center, 900 S. Potomac St. A Christ-centered ministry to help people receive freedom from life's hurts, hang-ups and habits using the eight princples and 12 steps. Small group issues include chemical addictions, sexual addictions, codependency, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, eating disorders, anger, divorce, and grief. Solid Rock Cafe is open from 9 to 10 p.m. Free childcare provided, register by Thursday, Feb. 8. Call 717-762-7147 or go to www.otterbeinchurch.org or www.CelebrateRecovery.com.

TOPS
BIG POOL, Md. - St. Paul's Church on Tedrick Street. Saturday, Feb. 10, weigh-in at 8:30 a.m., meeting at 9 a.m. All visitors are welcome. For information, call Ginny, 301-847-2432; or Dina, 301-842-3050.

Assisted Living Life Settlement

2006-12-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Life Settlement can work directly with assisted living professionals. Consumers have long viewed life insurance only as a means to provide protection for surviving family members, to pay estate taxes, to fund buy/sell agreements and to meet business or other financial obligations. In fact, an in-force life insurance policy can be extremely valuable to the policy owner while the insured is still alive. Under the right circumstances, a life insurance policy can be sold as a Life Settlement.

Life Settlements provide an opportunity to assisted living communities and their residents. Many Life Settlement transactions are entered into for the purpose of providing cash to cover the expenses associated with aging in the US. Proceeds are unrestricted and can be used towards a wide range of long term care options.

As an advocate for your residents and their families, it is your responsibility to know about the many financial resources that may help to ease this burden. Further, the more available funding, the longer a resident may remain under your care, and the higher percentage of filled beds at your community.

Call 1-888-973-8377 to speak with a Life Settlement Specialist or visit the links below:
Life Settlements
Life Settlement Broker
Life Insurance Settlements
Life Settlement Auctions
Life Settlement Info

What is Arthritis?

2006-12-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

The term "arthritis" covers more than 100 diseases and conditions affecting joints, the surrounding tissues, and other connective tissues. Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, gout, bursitis, rheumatic fever, Lyme arthritis, carpal tunnel disease and other disorders.1

Symptoms of arthritis include pain, aching, or stiffness in or around a joint. The disease is further classified based on whether the diagnosis has been made by a physician (i.e., doctor-diagnosed) or not (possible arthritis). Chronic arthritis is defined as having persisted for 3 or more months.2

Arthritis is very common in older age ranges and sometimes advanced arthritis can highly limit the amount of body movement which may result in assited living or care giver assitance.

More Senior Citizen Articles:
Senior Citizen News

Assisted Living Maryland

2006-11-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of Maryland Assisted Living Solutions

Charlotte Hall Veteran's Home
We provide an Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing long-term care facility for MD Veterans & eligible spouses who are unable to take care of themselves
Proudly Serving Maryland
(301) 884-8171
(800) 522-8387 (toll-free)

Angel Assisted Living
Proudly Serving Maryland
(301) 577-2999
(301) 935-5253

Baywoods of Annapolis
A Luxurious Option In Retirement Living
(410) 263-7297
(800) 507-9985 (toll-free)

Caraway Manor Assited Living Inc
Caraway Manor...Where We Take Your Cares Away..
(410) 398-9670
(410) 392-0502

Elite Senior Care LLC
Quality, Affordable Assisted Living & In Home Care Agency
Proudly Serving Maryland
(410) 922-1450

Eyes On Us Assisted Living
Family Oriented And Affordable
6712 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21234
(410) 426-0084
(410) 426-0404
(410) 426-0404 (fax)

Assisted Living Week begins Sunday

2006-09-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Assisted Living Week begins Sunday

SALISBURY -- In honor of National Assisted Living Week, Sept. 10 to 16, Lakeside Assisted Living at Mallard Landing will host a special evening for seniors and their families, Sept. 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.The open house event, called The Heart of the Matter, will provide opportunities to discuss specific concerns with local specialists in the areas of finance, law, estate planning and senior housing. A representative from the Agency on Aging will also be available to answer any questions. Call 410-749-4480 for reservations.

Emeritus Assisted Living Job Opportunity

2006-08-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Emeritus Assisted Living, a national leader in providing quality housing and healthcare options for America’s seniors, is recruiting for an Executive Director for its Green Meadows at Dover community. This exciting and challenging opportunity requires an energetic and creative individual possessing personal integrity and compassion for the elderly.

- Experience in assisted living or skilled nursing strongly preferred;
- Administrative management, team building, marketing, and financial management experience is a must;
- Proven interpersonal communication skills and knowledge of issues relating to the health and welfare of seniors is essential;
- LNHA required.

We offer competitive salary, benefits, and excellent growth potential. Interested candidates please apply online at www.emeritus.com/employment or fax to 206-357-7291. EOE.

Grand Travel

2006-08-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Grandchildren Like the Idea of Grand Travel
It’s not just the adults who want more intergenerational travel experiences. A 2003 survey conducted by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, a marketing agency in Orlando, Florida, revealed that 56 percent of kids aged 6 to 17 would "really like to" vacation with their grandparents.

Cari Gray, marketing director for Toronto-based Butterfield & Robinson, says her company saw the growing trend in grand travel a few years ago and started creating programs specifically for families, including grandparents who want to travel with their grandchildren.

"The money that generation has, and the way they want to spend it, is geared toward sharing experiences instead of buying a bigger house,” Gray says. “They want spiritual bonding."

How to Get Started with Grand Travel
If you would like to try traveling with your grandchildren, but feel uneasy about trying to plan a trip that will match the abilities and interests of everyone involved, there are a number of different organizations that offer packages and tours designed for grandparents and grandchildren. Here are three of the best:

Elderhostel Intergenerational Tours

Elderhostel, which provides outstanding educational travel experiences for seniors 55 and older, also offers hundreds of intergenerational tours to domestic and international locations throughout the year. Packages range from short trips in the U.S. that cost less than $500 per person to costly multi-week international vacations.

Packages include accommodations; most meals; transportation during the program; field trips, cultural events, and lectures; and gratuities and taxes. International programs also include airfare.

Grandparents and grandkids can retrace the path of Lewis and Clark, explore the Everglades by canoe, learn about Irish mythology firsthand, bicycle through Germany and Austria, or choose from many other options. Rates are the same for all ages.

Familyhostel Tours

The same people who run Interhostel tours for travelers over 50 also offer several Familyhostel tours for grandparents or parents traveling with kids ages 8 to 16. The tours are all-inclusive and combine educational activities with recreational, cultural, and social activities.

Rates for domestic packages start at $895 for adults, $795 for kids ages 12 to 16, and $695 for kids 8 to 11. International packages tend to run much higher.

Packages include round-trip airfare from a designated departure city, air transfers on international trips, lodging in three- and four-star hotels, three meals daily, educational activities, fees for tours and attractions, and ground transportation.

Familyhostel offers an 11-day tour of "Harry Potter's England & Wales" and a Tolkien-inspired 17-day journey through "New Zealand: Land of Middle Earth," where the “Lord of the Rings” movies were filmed.

Grandtravel

For seniors who want a deluxe travel experience, Grandtravel offers first-class vacations to destinations around the world, all designed specifically for grandparents traveling with their grandchildren.

Most tours cost more than $5,000 per person, but feature deluxe lodgings, extraordinary menus, and many unique tours and activities such as a backstage tour of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in England or an opportunity to feed giraffes in Kenya.

What do long-term care insurance policies cover?

2006-07-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Long-term care services are provided when a person cannot perform certain "activities of daily living" (ADLs), or is cognitively impaired because of senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Most commonly the ADLs used to determine the need for services include bathing, dressing, transferring (getting from a bed to a chair), toileting, eating, and continence.

Today's policies cover skilled, intermediate, and custodial care in state-licensed nursing homes. Long-term care policies usually also cover home care services such as skilled or nonskilled nursing care, physical therapy, homemakers, and home health aides provided by state-licensed and/or Medicare-certified home health agencies.

Many policies also cover assisted living, adult daycare, and other care in the community, alternate care, and respite care for the caregiver.

"Alternate care" is nonconventional care and services developed by a licensed health care practitioner that serve as an alternative to more costly nursing home care. Benefits for alternate care may be available for special medical care and treatments, different sites of care, or medically necessary modifications to the insured's home, like building ramps for wheelchairs or modifications to a kitchen or bathroom. A health care professional develops the alternate plan of care, the insured or insurer may initiate the plan, and the insurer approves it.

You should know that the benefit amount paid for alternate care would reduce the maximum or lifetime benefit available for later confinement in a long-term care facility. Policies may limit the expenses covered under this benefit (for instance, 60 percent of the lifetime maximum limit).

Alzheimer's disease and other organic cognitive disabilities are leading causes for nursing home admissions and worry for many older Americans. These conditions are generally covered under long-term care policies.

Assisted Living and Long Term Care

2006-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Coopers & Lybrand , a major accounting firm based in Atlanta, calculates that as the elderly population doubles, and the cost of nursing homes triples; assisted living will continue to be one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the long term care industry. As a result of their popularity with residents, and their lower costs, assisted living facilities are becoming big business. Across the nation, some 10,000 assisted living developments have already been built as of 1994, creating housing for some 600,000 people, and generating a 7 billion dollar industry. In Wisconsin alone, the number of older adults living in assisted living has increased from 7,508 in 1990 to 16,988 in 1998.

This new option for older adults is expanding at a time when private and public resources for long term care are shrinking. There is a bipartisan consensus in Congress that Medicare, as currently funded and dispersed, will be out of money by early in the coming century. The high expense of nursing home care is beyond the reach of many, unless they deliberately make themselves poorer to qualify for Medicaid. Currently long-term care is the single largest line item in the Medicaid budget. Many industry professionals estimate that $2 billion to $5 billion dollars per year could be saved each year in Medicaid costs nationwide by moving people from nursing homes to residential assisted-living facilities. The cushion of services that baby boomer taxes provide today for their aging parents is in danger of swiftly eroding by the time those taxpayers reach the age of entitlement. At a time of diminishing personal, state, and federal resources, pressure is growing to find new solutions to the growing needs for long term care. Many believe assisted care may be one such solution.

Source: Rod Clark

Senior Assisted Living

2006-07-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Did You Know: Nursing home abuse is a widespread problem in the United States. Current reports show that 30 percent of Nursing Home and Assisted Living facilities are cited for occurrences of abuse. This number can be misleading, since most cases go unreported. Instances of abuse ranging from death, malnutrition, dehydration, medical neglect, injuries, and sexual abuse have been reported.

With this in mind, we hope to stress and emphasize that shopping around and doing solid research on any assisted living, retirement community, or nursing home is so important.

Did you know: Many assisted living facilities accept Medicare or other health plans. When considering an assisted living residence, make sure to shop around. Prices and services can vary greatly. Check into the reputation and "track record" of each facility.

Assisted Living provides housing and services to seniors that require round the clock supervision and assistance. These units are usually small, fully accessible, usually do not have cooking facilities. Additionally residents are provided assistance with daily living from trained aides. Trained and licensed staff monitor tenant medications they usually do not administer them.

Maryland Retirement Groups

2006-07-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Maryland Retirement Groups

Ahh, Coffee! 1015 Bay Ridge Ave, Annapolis, MD, 21403. Phone: 410-990-9111 Email: ahhcoffee@verizon.net

American Association of Retired Persons, Annapolis Chapter 680 c/o Dee Monch, 1201 Sterling Drive, Annapolis, MD 21403. Phone: 410-269-1028

American Association of Retired Persons, Severna Park Chapter c/o Elizabeth Warrington, vice president, 352 Buena Vista Ave., Arnold, MD 21012. Phone: 410-647-3846

Crofton Association of Retired Persons (CARP) c/o Howard McDaniel, 1703 Crofton Parkway, Crofton, MD 21114. Phone: 410-721-4833

National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Chapter 251 Annapolis, c/o Charles Saylor, P.O. Box 4242, Annapolis, MD 21403. Phone: 410-757-5415

National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Bay Area Chapter 1363 c/o Evadean Lint, 7034 Dover Ave., Rose Haven, MD 20714.

Telephone Pioneers of America MD Chapter, Colonial Council, c/o Roy Tucker, 2510 Riva Road, 6th Floor, Annapolis, MD 21401. Phone: 410-224-9246

Retirement groups can provide financial assistance, especially new products such as Reverse Mortgages and Life Insurance Settlements.

Maryland Assisted Living Association

2006-07-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

This was the old site for MALA.

Maryland Assisted Living Association Housing

Provided support, and health care for those who need help with activities of daily living.
10280 Old Columbia Road, Suite 245
Columbia, MD 21046
Phone: 410-290-8098
Email: mail@mala-md.org
http://www.mala-md.org