Interesting Facts About Life in Assisted Living

For older adults, assisted living homes have become an attractive option to consider. Those who seek some extra help but don’t want to lose their complete independence turn towards assisted living communities eventually.

These communities offer the care required by seniors while giving a safe and secure environment that fosters flexibility and fun. As older adults are making their move to assisted living, studies show that the world of aging adults is shifting significantly and below are some fantastic facts about assisted living:

Fewer Older Americans Live Alone

Since 1990, the amount of older Americans who are living alone dropped from 29% to 26% as reported by The Pew Research Center. This is mostly because of the amazing option of living with a spouse in an assisted living communities.

Memory Care Is Possible With Assisted Living

A diagnosis of Alzheimer can be quite difficult and several people think that finding quality care outside a treatment center might be a daunting task. However, in reality, assisted living communities offer advanced memory care programs that help to decrease agitation and other unfortunate side effects. As conditions move to the next level, exclusive memory care entities provide safe and comfortable accommodations.

Nursing Homes Are Not Always the Right Option

When family members start to research options for their aging family members, they assume finding a nursing home will be the end result. But this is not always the case. In one study, 59 out of 100 people studied who were investigating nursing homes ended up finding out that assisted living was a better option.

Assisted Living Is the Future of Senior Care

Assisted living communities have grown substantially since 1980’s. And, according to The National Investment Center, there are more than 6,300 assisted living homes in the United States with around 5,000,000 occupied apartments.

Hopefully, these facts have given you a better insight into assisted living homes and the kind of services they offer. Let us know what you think! Is assisted living the right choice for you?

Benefits of Moving Into Assisted Living Early

Seniors require your persistent care and attention but, due to our busy lifestyle we tend to ignore them and the love and affection they require.

The best alternative for your seniors to give them a homely environment is assisted living. Thus, it has become essential to look for a senior community that gives the care and love they need.

It is helpful if seniors move to a senior living as early as possible to get that care that they desire and require. Sometimes shifting your loved ones to assisted living can be painful and it is a very big step to take. Such a step might impact the life of the seniors and their family members. For such situations, a good option available is to bring home care services at your doorstep.

Having a home-care service will give you the leverage of being at home along with some assistance for the care and concern of your loved one. With this they get all the required comforts at home and stay connected with their family. However, if your loved ones are more open to a new environment with an easier lifestyle, assisted living may be a better option.

So many assisted living facilities have opened up in the past couple of years which has given many options for your loved ones. Before choosing an assisted living community, it is essential that you visit and explore different options and do a complete survey about the services they provide. Speak to the people who are already a part of that assisted living and inquire about their experience and ask them whether proper care is being taken.

Assisted living should fulfill the needs and wants of your loved ones and give them a sense of security as well. Assisted living is where they provide special amenities like cleaning, dining, therapy, social events and more. It is important to see the assisted living environment and location, as this will give your loved ones an assurance that they are close to their family members.

It is essential to note that any assisted living facility you choose, you should understand the emotional, physical and mental requirements of your loved ones. If the senior person is not content with the environment of assisted living then this might lead to agitation and would increase stress levels. But, an assisted living community can be helpful for seniors to find company and people around to share their thoughts and have support during tough times.sto

It is necessary to do thorough research of an assisted living facility before selecting it. You should do a complete analysis of the needs of your loved ones. It is important to see that the requirements of your seniors will be fulfilled like food, hobbies, nursing, therapy etc. Also, keep a note of the location and costs of assisted living. It is important to go through the terms and conditions of an assisted living facility, especially regarding the payment of fees.

Assisted living can be a lovely home away from home only when it is chosen with much care and caution.

Essential Apps Every Senior Should Have in Their Devices

 

Apps for seniors

We are fortunate to live in the 21st century where information about fitness and nutrition is more accessible than ever before. With plenty of health and fitness apps available for smartphones nowadays, there is no limit of options that fit your requirements.

We have listed some of the most important applications for seniors that provides ease of use and techniques to improve their overall well-being:

1. Medisafe: With Medisafe, you will be encouraged to take your next pill plus get information about each and every medicine you take. You can even connect to physician through this app and have access to helpful health data. This app will help to save your time, frustration and money.

2. Lose It: As you age, losing weight can become a challenging process. This app simplifies things with its all-in-one technology that enables you to set up a daily routine, budget and your weight loss goals.

3. Simply Being: Users can select from various types of guided meditations from 5-20 minutes long that are designed to provide deep relaxation and stress relief with the help of this app.

4. Yummly: Yummly is the best kitchen tool that gives users access to plenty of recipes. The application comes standard with varied filters so you can make a quick search for recipes or you can even filter by nutritional value, cooking time, allergy information and more criteria.

5. LifeLine Response: This magnificent application serves as a personal alarm system which can be easily heard a distance away. The moment you lose connection with the app, it will send an instant alert. You can even set it on Timer Mode to check in when you are home safely.

6. Dragon Dictation: The Dragon Dictation’s voice recognition system enables you to speak and quickly see the text messages. It can be 5 times faster than keyboard typing. You can even dictate status updates to your social networks and send notes to yourself.

These apps are a great way to keep track of important items like your medication and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Install these apps on your smartphone today so that you don’t miss out on your health status and updates.

5 Useful Tips on Making Bathroom Safe for Seniors

Senior woman fall in bathroom

Bathrooms are one of the most important rooms to focus on when concerned with elder care safety. Because bathrooms are very hazardous, they have slippery surfaces which can greatly increase the chances of getting hurt.

Fall-related injuries range from scrapes, minor cuts, and bruises to head contusions, spinal cord injury, and broken bones. If your seniors loved one have a history of falls, the risk is even greater. Here are some tips to make their washroom safer for seniors:

1. Prevent Slips: To prevent slips, it would be recommended to install non-slip surfaces on the floor of your elder loved one’s tub. Non-slip decals should be applied to bathroom tiles which can prove to be a dangerous when they are wet. Also, make sure to remove scatter rugs which are easy to slip on.
2. Remove Obstacles: You can improve bathroom safety for your elderly loved ones by removing items which are easily slipped over. One of the largest risks is tripping over the bathtub side. Installing a superior-quality walk-in bathtub can prevent tumbles when getting into or out of the tub.
3. Prevent Hot Water Burns: Seniors have more delicate and thinner skin; sometimes it can take longer to feel hot temperatures. Due to this, they could be at risk of burns caused by hot water. Make sure that your loved one’s bathroom taps are labeled clearly and set the hot water temperature to a maximum of 120 F.
4. Install Grab Bars: For elder care bathroom safety, grab bars are an essential tool, as they perform 2 functions. Firstly, they give your elder something to hold on and anchor themselves when moving in and out of the tub. Secondly, grab bars can help your senior catch themselves in the case of a fall.
5. Improve Accessibility: You need to make sure that regularly used items are easily accessible in the areas where the risk of falling is height. This is especially important in bathtubs. Check to make sure their shampoo, soap, conditioner, towels or any other bathing things are within an easy reach distance.
6. Reduce Risk of Exertion: Several falls and injuries are mainly caused by overexertion so you can greatly diminish the risk of your loved ones over exertion by installing a secure bathing seat for them.
7. Improve Visibility: Frequent urination is a common complaint among many elderly people. You can reduce the chances of a fall by installing lights that light up the path from their bedroom to the bathroom. This way your senior will be able to walk safely even at night.

Overall toilet safety is just as vital as bathtub safety for your senior loved ones. Therefore, bathroom safety can be simply improved by having a person around to look after your loved one. Whether that person is relative, friend or a care-provider, having someone to help greatly reduces your elder’s risk of injury in the washroom.

Activities to Do With Seniors in Assisted Living

Many people wonder what is there to do all day in assisted living. There are so many activities seniors can participate in to stay connected to their interests and hobbies.

Plenty of communities nowadays are taking a holistic approach to wellness, including a diverse shift in the activity offered. Senior’s participation in activities organized by community centers has been shown to help against stress and depression. 

Engaging activities offer social stimulation, lessen feelings of loss and help heal frustration.We have compiled a list of the latest trends in activities you might look for:

• Tai-Chi: One of the most popular forms of gentle stretching is tai chi. It relieves stress immediately and improves body balance as well. Also, it can be easily be done by participants of any level of physical function.

• Walking Clubs: Some people walk locally in neighborhoods, others travel to malls for indoor walking. Others organize advocacy walks to raise funds for causes such as: Alzheimer’s research or arthritis.

• Yoga: Yoga is a great activity for those with physical limitations and the classes for yoga are taught by well-trained instructors.

• Life-Story Workshops: Some activities directors teamed up with local professionals who help residents preserve their life stories by creating scrapbooks.

• Hobbies: Various assisted living communities help residents continue their lifelong interests and habits. They offer woodworking, quilting, garden care and repair projects.

• Computer Courses: There are so many seniors entering assisted living centers with a strong familiarity of digital technologies. Some programs even use iPads as an easy to understand alternative, especially for those who have some cognitive impairment.

• Group Cultural Outings: Community buses and vans allow residents to have an access to an extensive range of resources like – musical performances, museums and plays. Sometimes it even includes discounted tickets or special tours with docents.

• College-Level Continuing Education: Unique facilities affiliated with esteemed and respected learning institutions have created university branded institutions where residents can leverage the school’s academic, cultural and sports offerings. Residents might even get a chance to listen to guest lecturers or enroll in college courses.

• Performance Art: From karaoke to flash mobs, activities directors who know choreography find varied unique ways to involve residents in modern social trends.

With these actives and more, there is no chance of seniors being bored at Assisted Living Facilities. 

What Does Assisted Living Care Cost In Indiana?

All across Indiana, you will come across an immense variety of assisted living communities with state of the art amenities. The survey says that the average cost in 2012 of an assisted living care in Indiana was $3,136 per month, up from a $2,799 in 2010. The lowest reported cost for the state was $1,665 or the highest was $4,950. In the year 2016, the average monthly cost of assisted living care in Indiana was approximate $3,500. The number of assisted living partner properties in Indiana is now around 193.

Generally, the daily cost varies depending upon your location. In Fort Wayne, for example, an average cost of Assisted Living per month was $3,141. In Indianapolis, it was $3,161. The rest of the states like Kokomo and Terre Haute have a lower monthly cost, as an average, of $3,123.

Home Care:

The average hourly rate for home care all around Indiana is about $19.50 per hour, with small variation between cities. Although, the average hourly rate in Evansville Terra Haute, or in South Bend is around $1 less/hour. However, Michigan City or Indianapolis areas have little bit higher hourly rates which make the approx. average around $21.25 to $21.50 per hour.

Adult Day Care:

In 2016, the average cost of adult day care services were about $78 per day. In the Columbus area, one can expect to pay around $107 per day, while costs can be as low as about $60 per day in the South Bend area.

Medicaid Assisted Program for the Elderly:

Medicaid covers the cost of nursing home care and limited personal care too, for elderly and low-income individuals. In addition to the state Medicaid plan, Indiana also provides HCBS (Home or Community-Based Services) Medicaid waivers to those who need a nursing home level of care but prefer to remain to reside at home. The main reason of these programs is for the individuals to stay in their home for as long as possible. Presently, Indiana offers Medicaid-based assistance programs which are pretty much relevant to elderly.

State (Non-Medicaid Assisted Program):

There are 3 non-Medicaid assistance programs that are being offered by the state of Indiana. The first one is the CHOICE program, which gives financial assistance for in-home care, in-home support or home modification for seniors. The second is the HoosierRx program, which provides financial support to help seniors in paying their Medicare part D premiums, which provides medication coverage. The third is the Indiana residential care assistance program, which gives financial support for individuals residing in a state approved homes or residential care facilities.

Finding Affordable Care Cost in Indiana:

Even though the cost of care in Indiana can be more inexpensive than the surrounding states, there is still a vast range of elder care pricing all through the state. Given this fact, it is highly recommended for seniors to contact several different providers to get the most affordable care available.

Ideas to Celebrate Earth Day at an Assisted Living Indiana Facility

Earth Day is approaching so get ready to reuse, reduce and recycle the stuff which can prevent our planet from pollution and global warming. The day actually gives us a great time to start thinking about ways that can help Earth to sustain itself for many lifetimes. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day and get involved in helping the planet. For example, you could clean up waste in your neighborhood, turn off unused electronics to save some power or plant some flowers. Of course, you don’t have to wait for Earth day to show your devotion, but Earth Day is a great time to start thinking about living in a way that can help keep out planet in a healthy and safe condition.

In the honor of Earth Day 2017, here are some ideas to celebrate our Mother Nature and give her some love:

Invite Your Friends to Get Involved:

Older People Community

You can initiate a pledge board in your Assisted Living community so that everyone can come together to take environmental actions. Also, you can keep each other accountable and stay on track with the pledges you took for the safety of Earth.

Try Not To Eat Meat:

Studies show that the meat industry is responsible for a sizable portion of the world’s greenhouse gas emission. Since more and more people are eating it, the industry is on the rise and will continue to be. However, this does not mean you have to become a vegetarian but skipping it for one day a week would reduce your own carbon footprint.

Join An Environmental Group:

Environmental Group

If you want to help the environment even after celebrating The Earth Day then take this as a golden opportunity to start an environmental advocacy group in your area.

Track Your Online Energy Use:

Do you have any idea about how much energy you are using while scrolling through Facebook Newsfeeds or watching Netflix? You can download a Google Chrome extension called Earth Mode that can actually track your internet usage and calculates how many trees you should plant to offset it.

Give Up Bottled Water:

 

Bottled Water

Just like the meat industry, bottling water consumes a large amount of fossil fuels and such bottles have already proven to be destructive for the environment. Thus, if you make an effort to switch to reusable water bottles or glasses, you can make a huge difference in saving money and helping the environment too.

Make a Garden:

Plantation

Whether you wish to plant vegetables, fruits or flowers, this can be a fun way to celebrate the Earth day. And, it's a great activity for a group of friends, kids or neighbors. Be sure to check with your Assisted Living community to ensure they can provide a location for planting.

All the above mentioned would certainly act as a magnificent way to celebrate Earth Day. Take the time to learn more about Earth and start making contributions towards protecting the Planet we all belong to.