Tag: Assisted Living Centers

Technology and Senior Care

Technological innovation has already made waves in senior care through the use smart-sensor systems that can observe residents’ motions, nearly removing the need for a room-by-room check in the morning. Eight in ten assisted living residents need help handling their medicine, according to the National Center for Assisted Living, and medicine management is placed to be the next focus for time saving performance through a new technology coming to market: digital pills. But that is not all they can do. Imagine a regular day in a senior care setting. Care providers visit the bedrooms of all citizens who get medicine. They provide the medicines and then wait around several minutes for each resident to take them, one by one, guaranteeing the amounts are not neglected or lost.

But what if the care provider simply left the daily amount and move along to the next resident, not having to worry about awaiting each individual to take each pill? Enter: digital pills. The development was released by Proteus Digital Health and obtained U.S. Food and Drug Administration acceptance last July 2012. The technologies are now being promoted for at-home use in Britain and will be getting in U.S. medical centers later this year, which could have wide significances for senior care. “Our electronic health reviews program is designed to help individuals better handle their care each and every day,” says David O’Reilly, primary product official. “Whether it nudges to help individuals keep on track with their schedule or better advised caregivers and physicians, the program will provide significant benefit to those who are suffering from way of life changes as a result of getting older.”

The digital pill works as part of a system to monitor and observe a person’s consumption of medicine as well as vital symptoms and activity. On standard, seniors use five to six prescriptions, according to a 2007 study released in the Journal of Internal Medicine. The digital pill has the ability of being integrated into medicine themselves, or being taken as a placebo pill along with medicine. Once digestive function starts, the pill, which contains an electronic indicator about the size of a grain of sand, goes to work. It sends data through a wearable patch, via Bluetooth straight to a family member’s or caregiver’s mobile phone or computer, allowing that individual to know the medicine has been taken, whether the individual is up and about, and even health alerts.

Realities in Assisted Living Centers

Assisted living centers are places where people, who are less than independent but not in need of full time care, are provided with guidance or support in the activities of daily life. It is a proper care option typically employed by the elderly who do not require the 24-hour health care typical of an elderly care facility. It gives seniors help in housing, support services and health care, on a needed basis. The setting is similar to a person’s own home; however, assistance is provided in the form of meals, housekeeping, entertainment and other lifestyle support. The senior gets the security of having assistance when needed and residing in a structured environment, while maintaining an overall stage of independence. Options include staying in a separate apartment or condominium type residing quarters, or if more assistance is required, staying in a dormitory. The stage of interaction with staff varies, depending on the stage of need.

One of the major drawbacks for those seeking assisted living is the cost. The median monthly cost for assisted living is $2,575. While this may be comparable to assisted living centers prices, covering the expenses is much more difficult. Medicare A and B, the traditional sources of funding for a senior’s care, do not offer comprehensive protection for long term, ongoing care in an assisted living center. Medicare A, which pays for hospital coverage for seniors, may provide partial coverage for care in an assisted living center for rehabilitation following hospitalization, but will only last up to 100 days. Coverage will decrease throughout the 100 days. Medicare B, which covers physician care, will not provide any coverage for assisted living expenses separate from treatment by a doctor. Private insurance is the most effective way to pay for assisted living care.

Medicaid, a state and federal program which provides health care for low income individuals, may cover some assisted living expenses. However, the availability of State Medicaid programs coverage will vary by state, and likely will be decreasing coverage rather than expanding in the coming years. In contrast, traditional assisted living centers are covered by Insurance coverage if the senior stays in Insurance covered certified house after a qualified hospital stay (at least three days).

Assisted Living Centers and Socialization

Everyone has a powerful need for interacting, but it can become very challenging to stay effective and to make new friends after you retire. A lot of elderly people themselves think about whether or not they should shift into assisted living centers and there are definitely several valuable factors to do so. If you are concerned about the level of socialization that is currently in your lifestyle, then it makes a lot of sense to highly consider going into assisted living centers. Not only will the group make your day-to-day lifestyle much simpler to handle, but you will also have the chance to make new friends. Assisted living centers place a big focus on offering their people with possibilities to interact socially such as the choices detailed below.

1) Bingo – Although it might seem like a cliché to some individuals, bingo is still a crowd favorite at most assisted living centers and it offers citizens to be able to make new friends and get involved in a fun activity.

2) Wii Sports – Ever since the Wii gaming system was released, it has become more popular at assisted living centers. The game Wii Sports is particularly popular and it motivates elderly people to interact socially while getting some exercise. This mixture is extremely healthy and it can help individuals fight solitude.

3) Mealtime – Most assisted living centers provide at least one meal for the entire community each day. Although you could most likely pick up your food and take it to your room, you will discover a simple way to interact socially if you eat in the common dining-room instead. It is a point that individuals love talking while they are eating a meal and this will make it easy to find someone to talk to during dinner.

4) Group Outings – Some assisted living centers arrange group outings for their citizens, including everything from weekly trips to the food market to a trip to a local casino. By doing these outings, you will have to be able to associate with the other individuals.

Compensation for Nursing Home Injuries

Unfortunately there are many loved ones that are injured or die due to carelessness or improper care while in nursing homes. It is a cold, hard truth, but one that is not easily proven. When a citizen is harmed while in the care of nursing homes, it becomes the responsibility of the family of the resident in that facility to confirm that the elderly care facility is to blame, even when the proof seems obvious.

A situation against nursing homes carelessness or medical carelessness is usually considered a medical malpractice claim. It is not a simple situation to prove; the attorney representing the affected person or patient’s close relatives must be able to confirm that the damage or loss of life was due to carelessness on the part of the elderly care facility. This means the situation must be substantiated by proof that the elderly care facility did not provide what is considered standard care to the point that it caused damage or loss of life. These types of cases are extremely complicated to confirm due to the fact that most patients in assisted living facilities are already in poor health. Family members must be able to confirm, with the help of an experienced elderly care facility damage attorney, that the main cause of the damage was due to negligent care. Though certainly possible, it can be a long, difficult battle that families and the affected person must endure, although worth the effort to stop the elderly care facility from harming others in their care. Some aspects that will need to be proven are:

  • The elderly care facility deviated from standard care of an individual to the point that there was damage or death
  • That the carelessness was the primary reason for the damage or death
  • The individual did not receive treatment that would be normally expected and this lack of care lead to the damage or wrongful death

Basics of Senior Care at Home

The expert in-home care industry has never played a bigger part in American community than it does today. As the nation’s ageing middle-agers arrive at retirement age, family members around the country are faced with making critical choices on how to provide proper care to their ageing family members. In addition, with elderly people living well beyond their retirement age, the concern regarding senior care expands to the boomer’s parents as well.

Among the growing population of senior-aged People in America, the desire to age at home and stay separate is growing. In 1996, the U.S. in-home senior care market was $86 billion; by 2030 it is approximated to reach $490 billion dollars. Despite this growth, many people in America stay unclear about the choices available through expert in-home care services. Unlike other business models serving in-home care clients, expert in-home medical service suppliers put an emphasis on offering trained, fully screened, insured and bonded care providers. Companies operating in this segment of the senior care industry range from organizations with a nationwide presence to locally-owned agencies. Professional in-home medical service providers can offer care providers for as little as a few hours a week, when a family caregiver simply needs respite, to 24 hours a day. Also known as “private duty home care agencies”, most expert in-home care businesses provide a variety of services that are broken down into distinct categories: companion care and personal care.

Companion and personal care services can be administered in a variety of configurations including a client’s house, medical center, medical care service, hospice center, assisted living centers and pension centers. In every case, the use of a care provider can be a welcome respite for close relatives who act as the primary care provider and face emotional and physical stress. For elders in assisted living centers who need extra attention, sitter service from an in-home care agency can fill the need for companion care of up to six hours a day or longer. At pension communities, assisted living facilities, or in house configurations with spouses under the same roof, shared senior care service is a money saving option for several residents. A single care provider can provide the appropriate care needed for several individuals.

Assisted Living Centers and HUD

Even though you have not heard of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Assisted Living Conversion Program, possibilities are you will soon; especially if you reside in one of the nine states that obtained HUD grants on Dec 20. A total of $26 thousand in grant financing was granted to the entrepreneurs of multi-family housing improvements in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Texas. The charges will be used to turn current models into cost-effective assisted living centers for elderly people who need assisted living services, but who still want to stay individually.

The idea of getting older in place, staying in someone’s own home or group for as long as possible is a popular one, particularly as the first trend of middle-agers starts to face the costs of long-term medical care and improving pension costs. HUD has typically assisted on advising elderly people on their housing options, such as cost-effective possibilities for assisted living centers, and this grant program will provide even more possibilities for elderly people in sponsored or low-income housing. “We’re getting older as a country and with that market move, there is a growing demand for cost-effective housing that will allow our elderly people to stay individually in their own houses,” said Carol Galante, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner, in an argument. “These grants will help these residence entrepreneurs to turn their properties into assisted living centers or service-enriched surroundings that will allow elderly people to stay in their houses for as long as they can.”

The HUD grant system is welcome news for ageing People in America and their care providers. As elderly people age, more specific care needs come to the forefront, and spending for personal served living is excessively costly for many family members. Now, though, 11 facilities in nine states will be recognized in order to help elderly people remain in place with much-needed served residing services such as personal care, protection techniques, transport, lifts, foods, and house cleaning.

Assisted Living Centers Need Intimacy

Ask a health professional or immediate care employee in an older care service as to how they manage the intimacy needs of citizens and you will likely see one of those “I wish you had not asked” looks. It’s a subject that even causes middle-agers looking after for their mature mother and father to wince, a generation, ironically, that released a trend of “free love” while performing Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You are With.” But like it or not, we do need to discuss, plan for and reply to the needs of seniors who might have some way of dementia. “We are sex-related people all the way to the grave,” says Dr. Nancy Hicks, adjunct lecturer of Human Sexuality and Women’s Reproductive Health at Lehigh School. She will also tell you that sex and the pursuit for intimacy do not simply vanish if you are psychologically challenged.

Hicks has been providing workshops on this subject for team in assisted living centers and served living features and has found that most of them want to learn how to better reply to the sex-related needs of their citizens, as do close relatives. Here is some of the smart guidance she shared during an interview:

People with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia can give authorization for discussing sex-related intimacy with another consenting adult. It might not be in terms or in official claims but rather it will be communicated through non-verbal functions such as holding hands, touching, flirting or teasing. Hicks will be the first to tell you that this type of non-verbal interacting is not all that different from how most individuals show their interest in having sex with another person.

The intimacy needs of the seniors are not always indicated through sexual activity. It can be met by cuddling, holding hands or simply going to sleep together. Many senior citizens in assisted living centers are hungry to be touched. Offering them with actual physical statement by an arm around the neck, holding their hands while discussing or to be able to pet a fuzzy dog or cat can go a long way to feeling loved and cared.

Trends in Assisted Living Centers

Medical center drapes and cafeteria food? Not anymore. Assisted living centers have come a long way from the clinical facilities of old, providing citizens an ever-expanding selection of services that indicate the variety of middle-agers themselves. “The population is ageing, and more customers can demand more choices,” says Phil Carle, founder of the Senior Housing Administration program at George Mason University, which instructs learners to handle senior residing facilities. The senior housing industry is reinventing itself to meet the needs of the seniors with eco-friendly pension areas, facilities that highlight long term learning, villages that enable retired persons to age at home and more.

Take niche housing for instance. These days, a number of qualities provide a select part of citizens, much like boutique hotels. “We’ve achieved the level of progress where rather than all these assisted living centers looking alike, acknowledging that there’s a huge population of elderly people out there so we can split into specialized housing,” says Carle. For example, Aegis Landscapes in Fremont, California is designed toward the needs of Asian elderly people. The employees talk English and Chinese, and the structure is based on the design fundamentals of feng shui. Social interactions include tai chi and calligraphy.

There are also approximately a number of these assisted living centers focused to the gay and lesbian population, a service for nudists in California, and an elderly day care group in Livingston, California, known as Escapees Care Center, devoted to retired persons who live in motor homes, or RVs, and aren’t prepared to give up that way of life. “The vehicle parking areas are wheel chair available, and health professional helps visit the RVs throughout the day to provide food and help citizens get clothed or take medicine,” says Carle.

Development of Assisted Living Centers

Assisted living centers are now an affordable solution for elderly people and incapable people who need some support with family tasks while keeping their freedom. There have been several significant changes in the record of assisted living centers and the way they are handled during the last several years. Many of these changes have permitted for more sympathetic care of citizens while guaranteeing the service has guidelines in place for protection and responsibility. It is also important to understand that assisted living has become more targeted on separate living for elderly people.

One of the most common ideas about moving into an assisted living center is that you or your family members will be residing in a medical center setting without the convenience of your home. The truth is that an assisted living center is the nearest alternative to home available. Personal areas and flats allow citizens to bring their personal belongings when making the conversion, while the residence offers all the basic services needed for comfort and security.

 

In fact, modern assisted living centers are very much like high-class flats with the additional benefit of having a team that can provide assistance with daily tasks that are difficult for citizens to complete alone. Most centers today offer features that include a personal mail box, satellite TV, and internet connection. Elderly people looking for an efficient care company in a safe setting can also enjoy their own private, comfortable livable space by looking for assisted living.

Because of changes in medicine, technological innovation, and medical care guidelines in general, today’s current long lasting care features are more targeted on what citizens’ want and need than ever before. As these customized assisted living centers become more like a house, and less like a medical center, a higher number of elderly people and incapable individuals started selecting them over the more managed environment of an elderly care facility.

Choosing Assisted Living Centers

If you are having more and more problems with living such as bathing, dressing, getting around the house, and tasks, an assisted living center may be the solution. You can get the everyday assistance you need, while staying as separate as possible. Deciding to keep your home can be difficult for you and your family, but you can make the conversion simpler by spending some time to find the right fit and being sincere about your needs and issues.

 

Assisted Living Center is a personal option for elderly people who want or need help with some of the actions of daily living, things like cooking meals, getting to the bathroom in the nighttime, housekeeping and visiting sessions. An assisted living center may be the best choice if you need more personal health care services than you can get at your house or a separate residing pension group, but you don’t need the round-the-clock health care and guidance of an elderly care facility.

Assisted living features offer the security of 24-hour support and access to health care. Day or night, help is only a trip away. However, comfort and independence are motivated. An excellent service will create an individualized plan that fits your needs and serves your problems, while giving you the independence to do what you can for yourself. In general, assisted living is in a personal type service, which range from transformed homes or residence buildings to remodeled educational institutions. Some offer apartment-style living with scaled down cooking areas, while others offer rooms. In some, you may need to share a room unless willing to pay more expensive. Most features have a group kitchen and common areas for socialization and interactions.