Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

This week Joan London blogs about her latest visit to the west coast in her search for senior housing.  She made stops in Seattle and San Francisco, where she spent 11 days visiting assisted living facilities in the surrounding suburbs.   The trip also served as a great time for her to visit with her children and grandchildren who live in these locations.

Working with Seniorhomes.com Care Advisors

When she began her search, the number and variety of assisted living facilities overwhelmed her.   So, Joan relied on Seniorhomes.com care advisors to help her with her trip. With their help, she was able to pick out communities in each location that fit her desired budget, level of care, meal plan, amenities, and social activities.  In addition,  the care advisors helped her make appointments to tour the communities during her trip.  With over 38,000 assisted living facilities in the U.S., Joan was glad to have the Seniorhomes.com care advisors to help her narrow down her search.

What did she did learn about her search and herself?

In her latest blog post, Joan covers what she learned about her search and herself through this latest trip. Here are her top three thoughts.

1. Geography, Climate and Ambiance of Location
The climates of greater Seattle and the city of San Francisco apparently do not agree with my chronic arthritis. The cities south of San Francisco have warmer, dryer climates and are quite attractive. However, with my limited mobility for walking up and down hilly terrain, and the traffic congestion, unfortunately these locations are not a perfect fit.

2. Demographics of Residents
Relocating to a facility filled with strangers is a major life change. Communities vary in the age, health, physical and social demographics of residents. At 67, I drive and function independently. I am seeking senior living compatible with my interests for daily living. It is too soon in my journey to make a decision on this point.

3. Staff and Facility Ambience
I toured each facility and spoke with staff and residents. Everyone was extremely friendly and each community was attractive and clean. Because the layout and amenities of the Bellettini apartment models in Bellevue resemble my condominium, I felt most at home at this style of community.

To read more about Joan and her latest journey check out her blog post here.

This year, Ophthalmologists across the country are giving seniors the gift of sight.  Over 7,000 Doctors are participating across the United States and Puerto Rico, to make sure every senior has the opportunity to receive an eye exam.   These doctors are part of Eye Care America, an organization that provides year-round eye care services to medically undeserved seniors and those at increased risk for eye disease.

Why Should Aging Adults Have Regular Vision Check Ups?

Many serious eye disease, such as Age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, offer no warning signs and can only be detected during an eye exam.  Furthermore, the high cost and lack of insurance coverage for many comprehensive eye exams, causes people to delay in getting a check up.   Getting these regular check ups can prevent permanent damage to your vision from things such as cataracts, glaucoma.

Throughout the year, Eye Care America puts on programs that help everyone over 65 get access to a free eye exam.  To keep updated on all their great work, check out their website.  Through Eye Care America’s website you can check your eligibility for a free exam, apply to get a comprehensive eye exam, and find out ways you can help Eye Care America.

Spread the news to seniors in your community, and make sure all your aging loved ones have an eye exam this winter.

Image by Brybs at Stock.xchng

The National Caregivers Conference will take place on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel in Iselin, New Jersey. The event, held annually, is hosted by the Family Support Center of New Jersey, an affiliate of the Family Resource Network.

This year’s event welcomes attendees from ten different states and focuses on the impact of technology on caregiving. Three workshops will be featured at the 2010 National Caregivers Conference:

1. “Merging the Body with Electronics: An Introduction to Neurotechnology“
2. “How Technology and Social Networking Transforms the Experience of Caregiving“
3. “Everyday Technology: Unique Accomodations“

Serving as keynote speaker is John Crowley, whose caregiving experience was chronicled in the 2009 film Extraordinary Measures. Crowley will speak of his life-changing decision to leave his career as a leading pharmaceutical executive for Bristol-Myers Squibb after his two young children who were diagnosed with Pompe disease, a fatal neuromuscular disorder. Upon leaving Bristol-Myers Squibb, Crowley took a position as CEO of Novazyme, a start-up biotech research firm that was researching a new experimental treatment for Pompe disease.

Crowley will also offer a personalized book signing to attendees for his family memoir, Chasing Miracles: The Crowley Family Journey of Strength, Hope, and Joy, which he’ll also reference during his presentation.

The professional attendee rate for the day is $150; family and student rate is $100. For more information or to register for the one-day event, visit the National Caregivers Conference website.

Image Copyright National Caregivers Conference.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that falls account for more than 18,000 deaths and 450,000 hospitalizations among people over the age of 65 each year. But many of these falls can be attributed to a decline in balance, which is a skill involving several body processes, including the nervous system, motor and movement functions.

Dr. David Thurman, a neurologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The New York Times that evidence indicates that “strength and balance training can reduce the rate of falls by up to about 50 percent.” The Department of Health and Human Services, in response, added a recommendation to its 2008 national physical activity guidelines to advise older adults to incorporate exercises (into an overall physical activity program) that maintain or improve balance if they are at risk of falling.

There are no specific recommendations for how often, what duration, or even what exercises are of most benefit for improving balance in older adults, so they’re often integrated into a larger group of exercises known as functional fitness exercises.

Working out under the direction of  a personal trainer isn’t necessary, according to exercise scientist Michael Rogers of Wichita State University. There are definite benefits to having the supervision of a professional, including safety and easy access to specialized balance training toys (balance boards, balls, and the like), but Rogers tells The New York Times that balance training can be accomplished anytime and anyplace. He recommends simple activities like standing with your feet closer together while brushing your teeth, or standing with one foot placed in front of the other.

Dr. Thurman says the benefits of balance training can become evident very quickly, because the nervous system still has the ability to regenerate as we age. It’s even possible to develop new skills that can help seniors handle activities of daily living. Balance training can also build confidence and enable seniors to experience the advantages of active living.

Read The New York Times article, “Staying on Balance, With the Help of Exercises.”

Image Copyright dlnny on Stock.xchng