Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

A new “Green” trend is hitting the Senior Living Community market. I found a recent news report about a new Senior Living Community that is taking the market in a new direction. Will others follow? Below is a brief overview of the report.

 

The Glasstown Residence at

Riverside Park celebrated the color green during their grand opening. Only one month after opening to residents, nearly 75 percent of

New Jersey’s first green senior living community buildings is already leased. Millville Housing Authority Executive Director Paul F. Dice thanked the

South 2nd Street

structure’s environmentally friendly technology and affordable rent — between $420 and $530.Read the full report at www.thedailyjournal.com

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

If you are looking for nursing home abuse and neglect report you should visit : http://www.nursing-homes-ratings.com/. Nursing Home Ratings. com hosts information about nursing homes in your area. They provide data on the each nursing home’s inspections and resident ratings. The only downfall with the site is that it is not up to date in every state. It does provide with with a list of many homes.

Good luck with your search.

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Nursing Home Aduse is a serious crime. Most states have laws that include criminal penalties for different types of elder abuse. Often, nursing home abuse is not reported  because the individual homes do not take elderly abuse seriously. Residents are afraid they will be embarrassed, hurt or declared incapacitated if they tell.

Who to Report Abuse to

If you or someone you love has been the victim of nursing home abuse, contact legal counsel to find out what your rights are. If someone is in immediate, life-threatening danger, call 9-1-1 immediately.

If the danger is not immediate, but abuse is suspected, you must tell someone. Contact:

• A doctor

• A family member you trust

• Local adult protective services

• Long-term care ombudsman for the appropriate state

• Local police

How to Report Abuse

It is everyone’s personal responsibility to report any suspected case of elderly abuse to the authorities. When making a call to report nursing home or senior living abuse, you should be ready to give the elder’s name, address, contact information and details about your concerns.

Some questions you may need to answer include:

• Does the elderly person have any known medical problems?

• What kinds of family or other social support system does the elderly person have?

• Have you witnessed any incidents of hitting, yelling or other abusive behavior?
If you are reporting abuse but are not related to the victim, calling a nursing home abuse hotline is your smartest choice. Each state has organizations that monitor these hotlines and can offer help.

If you are making a formal complaint against a nursing home or specific staff member, you should find a sitter to monitor them in your absence or remove them from the nursing home right away.
 

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

More than 100 million Americans should be monitoring their blood pressure at home, according to three major health organizations that are issuing at home blood pressuremonitoring.Hypertension is a blood pressure reading greater than 140 over 90. Pre-hypertension is a reading higher than 120/80, the desired level, but just below 140/90.

Some of the specific recommendations include:

Patients should purchase a blood pressure monitor with cuffs that fit on the upper arm.Wrist monitors are not recommended.
Two or three readings should be taken at a time, one minute apart, while resting in a seated position. The arm should be supported, with the upper arm at heart level and feet on the floor.Readings should be taken at the same time every day, as recommended by a health-care provider.The target goal is a reading under 135/85, or less than 130/80 in high-risk individuals.The home monitoring recommendations open the door to a totally new way of controlling blood pressure, Oparil said.
Source: usnews.com

Monday, February 25th, 2008

Many senior living community representatives find that the most asked question by seniors and their families in search of a senior living community or nursing home is, “How is the food?”. So what do you think the representative would say? Terrible? I highly doubt that, I’m sure they would ensure that it is wonderful and that you will love it. Do you think that is true?

Here are some tips on trying to find out the truth out about their food. I recommend asking the current residents how they like the food. You can even ask to have a meal to see how you like it. Trying the food is the best way for you to tell if it meets your standards. Remember, they are cooking for a big group of people and not every meal is going to be perfect. I am sure that there will be a few complaints, but overall you should be looking for a flexible menu and fresh ingredients.

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

Top 5 Questions to ask when visiting a nursing home. These are Tips to Help!

1. What types of insurance will cover my loved ones stay? Don’t forget to ask this question! Some skilled nursing homes only accept Medicare! If you or your loved one has and HMO make sure they know!

2. Do you bill secondary insurance? You may find that nursing homes DO NOT BILL secondary insurance carriers. Be sure to ask before you admit a loved one.

3. Are there additional costs for a private room? Typically the answer is YES. Be sure to ask what the rate difference is before requesting a private room; it could be a lot more than you think.

4. Can I see your state survey report? Did you know that the state surveys nursing homes frequently? Ask if they have any deficiencies and if they passed their survey!

5. Are there RN’s here 24 hours per day? Did you know that not all nursing homes are required to have a Registered Nurse’s scheduled round the clock? Be sure to ask this, it could be critical for your loved one.

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007

This is probably the #1 question people always ask me!

Health insurance does not pay for Assisted Living!

Medicare and Medicare supplements do not cover any stays in these communities. Long-Term Care policies are the only types of health insurance that cover the cost. There are many types of Long-Term care polices and they each vary greatly. I find that people that have it go with a 3-5 year policy which pays around $100-150.00 per/day. I recommend looking for these policies in your 50�s because the premium will be lower then if you wait until your almost ready to move-in to a facility yourself. Please refer to the costs section? for links to Long-Term Health Care Providers.

There are certain types of government funded insurance programs that will cover NURSING HOME facilities ( not ASSISTED LIVING).? Please refer to Medi-Caid Information Online, many states have there own funding.

You can also find out more information on Medicare at www.medicare.gov