ElderAuthority.com

A SHIFT BACK TO HOME HEALTH CARE?

I admit to being old enough to remember when doctors actually made house calls.  Insurance, costs and culture pretty much ended that practice several decades ago.   But guess what’s coming back?
Healthcare costs in recent years have soared far beyond what most had anticipated, particularly when combined with the diminished government funding of Medicare and Medicaid.  Recognizing a shifting trend that is likely to become the future norm, some operators of nursing… More

SENIOR HOUSING OPTIONS: UNDERSTAND ADLs AND IADLs

WHAT KIND OF HOUSING?
Adults usually need a certain set of skills in order to be able function independently.  The senior care professions calls them the Activities of Daily Living and use them to develop a functional assessment.  A functional assessment helps identify medical issues and diagnose cognitive abilities in addition to helping evaluate a person’s ability to manage every day tasks.
You can use the ADLs informally to help narrow down the kind of housing… More

24/7 HOME CARE (24 7 Home Care) TECHNOLOGIES

If you hire professional caregivers , 24/7 home care is the most expensive care you can provide.  Do everything you can to use technologies, social services, and community support to minimize your expense.
This video covers three monitoring devices that can help you out if 24/7 care is preferred, but you simply cannot afford that kind of coverage.

24/7 wireless monitoring systems
Pressure switches for chair and bed
Video phones
Internet cameras and speakers

Technologies… More

FAIR PAY FOR HOMECARE WORKERS–A START

On December 15, 2011, President Obama and Kathleen Sebelius made a step forward for homecare, home health, and in-home health workers by pushing through a new rule that guarantees them the minimum wage and overtime pay.
Previously, homecare workers were lumped into the same category with teenage baby sitters.  Employers could pay below the minimum wage with no overtime pay.  These patient, generous, hard-working people deserve more than minimum wage, but guaranteeing… More

SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING: THE GREEN HOUSES

Bill Thomas, M.D.,  is a geriatrician and one of the great innovators for the 21st century the nursing home. When I heard about his work with the Eden Alternative, I was so excited I drove to Tupelo, Mississippi, to spend three days learning about The Green House Project. If nursing home care is in my future, I hope I can find and afford a berth in a Green House or one of the growing number of enlightened group homes.
Based on knowledge of the benefits of The Green Houses, I looked for… More

The New Elder is Moving, + “Group Homes & Holiday Presents”

Within the next month I will be merging TheNewElder.com with our sister site, ElderAuthority.com.  You will be able to access all the old content of TheNewElder plus the new content of ElderAuthority.
I am posting an article each and everyday on ElderAuthority.com.  In time there will be a mass of valid information that can be accessed from any place in the world–free.   I hope it will be the place people go for help when they are suddenly thrust into caregiving or face… More

GROUP HOME JOBS AND HOLIDAY PRESENTS

GROUP HOME PROFESSIONALS AND SUPPORT STAFF
My mother lived at Lexington Place, a group home in Dallas, for the last 16 months of her life.   The number of residents varied from six to nine.  The staff worked in three shifts to provide around-the-clock coverage.  One aide worked the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift.
There were three to five certified nursing aides (CNA’s) who managed the hours from six a.m. to 10. pm.  This group helped with most of the ADL’s (Activities… More

HOME HEALTH & NURSING HOME JOBS

This video showcases professional direct-care workers who speak about their experiences in home health and nursing home jobs.
PROFILE OF DIRECT-CARE WORKERS
Direct-care workers are typically middle-aged women.  Half are minorities, and 25%  have no health insurance.  These people are the front line workers who help maintain health and independence for our older population. They speak frankly about both the good and the bad of working in the home health, eldercare,… More

ELEGANT AGING VIA SUNRISE ASSISTED LIVING

Here are two lovely interviews featuring octogenarians looking back over their lives.  Dr. Bertha Williams is 83 and Toshihito Kadama is 86.  They speak to many of the milestones and emotions of aging:

Losses
Gratitude
Fear
Accomplishments
Life Experiences
Family
Sharing Wisdom
Honesty
Being Yourself
Personal Legacy
Giving Back, and
Being at Peace

Dr. Williams loves being 83.  I understand why when I hear her speak.
They are role models of the kind of elders we all hope… More

ASSISTED LIVING BUSINESS: A CRISIS AND A GOLD RUSH?

GUARANTEED DEMAND
One of President Obama’s former senior advisors was famously quoted as saying, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”  While it may not yet qualify as a crisis, the tidal wave of aging baby boomers now moving into their senior years will create a huge surge in the need for assisted living.  From a business standpoint, the assisted living business is shaping up to be another California gold rush.  There will be lots of people making lots of money.
What… More