Driving Safely as You Age

Older drivers can still be good, safe drivers, but there are some things to consider both for your safety and the safety of others.  The Mayo Clinic recommends that seniors stay as active as possible in their day-to-day life which helps to maintain overall strength, flexibility, and range of motion.  Drivers need to be able to turn and look over their shoulder and move their head with ease.  They must be able to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and legs need to be strong enough to apply pressure to the gas pedal or brake. 

A senior’s peripheral vision can decrease with age or from certain medications and other eye problems may cause drivers to have trouble seeing in the dark or experience blurred vision.  Hearing problems can interfere with detecting sounds of sirens from emergency vehicles or approaching cars.  Be vigilant about scheduling vision and hearing tests regularly as part of your wellness care and follow your doctor’s advice as to how often they should be done.  Many problems can be corrected if caught early enough.   

Remember that certain medications can cause drowsiness so make sure you know the side effects of your prescription drugs and do not drive if you are feeling sleepy.  It may be a good idea to limit trips in the car to daylight hours and when the weather is good.  Keep in mind that a person’s reaction time slows with age as do their motor skills.  You may need to re-evaluate your driving every so few months, especially if you find yourself having incidences of accidents that almost happen. 

Some safe driving tips for seniors:

Planning before you leave:

·         Plan to drive on streets you know.

·         Limit your trips to places that are easy to get to and close to home.

·         Take routes that let you avoid risky spots like ramps and left turns.

·         Add extra time for travel if driving conditions are bad.

·         Don't drive when you are stressed or tired.

While you are driving:

·         Always wear your seat belt.

·         Stay off the cell phone.

·         Avoid distractions such as listening to the radio or having conversations.

·         Leave a big space, at least two car lengths, between your car and the one in front of you. If you are driving at higher speeds or if the weather is bad, leave even more space between you and the next car.

·         Make sure there is enough space behind you. (Hint: if someone follows you too closely, slow down so that the person will pass you.)

·         Use your rear window defroster to keep the back window clear at all times.

·         Keep your headlights on at all times. 

At MorningStar Senior Living of Billings, our goal is to provide residents with the services (including scheduled transportation) and amenities that allow them to enjoy their retirement years to the fullest. Our beautiful community offers 32 free-standing cottages, along with 72 bright suites for independent living, 70 for assisted living and 36 secure suites devoted to the care of those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

MorningStar Senior Living of Billings represents the finest in senior living with our unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve, we provide a true home for residents.  We invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand our exceptional independent living, assisted living and memory care.

Financial & Legal Planning for Those Diagnosed with Dementia

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, you and your family will need to take steps to plan for your/their future.  Experts advise families that along with discussing dementia care options, they financially and legally plan for the future. 

The National Institute on Aging advises the person to examine and update their financial and healthcare arrangements as soon as possible. By having legal and financial documents in place, such as a will, a living trust, and advance directives, it ensures the person’s late-stage or end-of-life healthcare and financial decisions are carried out.      

The NIA suggests having a lawyer draw up and maintain the documents as they understand State law and can help update changes to a person’s circumstances such as divorce or a death in the family, and other applicable changes.  These documents should include Advance Directives for Health Care: 

A living will expresses the person’s wishes in regard to medical treatment near the end of life when they can no longer make known their decisions regarding healthcare.  In addition some people have a Do Not Resuscitate Order signed by a doctor, placed in their medical file that instructs healthcare professionals to not perform CPR in the event they stop breathing or their heart stops.  

A durable power of attorney for health care is a document that specifically designates a person (sometimes known as an agent or proxy) to make healthcare decisions for the individual when they no longer have the capacity to do so.  This document applies to all healthcare decisions and for all types of medical conditions. 

Advance Directives for Financial and Estate Management must be done while a person still has the legal capacity to make decisions and includes a durable power of attorney for finances.  This designates a person of your choosing to manage and make financial decisions for you if you become incapacitated. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek provides loving, compassionate assisted living dementia care to those in the onset of the disease right through to the most advanced stages.  Please visit our website for pricing and availability. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek brings a unique vision to senior living with our mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve. We are dedicated to creating a true home within an ideal setting and invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand the best assisted living dementia care in Colorado Springs.

Source: nia.nih.gov/health/legal-and-financial-planning-people-alzheimers

The Effect on Family Members After a Diagnoses of Alzheimer’s Disease

When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, it is devastating news for all.  Family members may quickly start experiencing feelings of grief as they recognize their life is about to be changed by the disease and are uneasy about what the future will hold.  Most are left with questions about what to expect next. 

As Alzheimer’s begins to take away the person we know and love, the Alzheimer’s Association explains that, “you'll mourn him or her and may experience the different phases of grieving: denial, anger, guilt, sadness and acceptance.”  They remind us that feelings of grief do not come in a specific order but rather we go in and out of the various stages.

Feelings of denial include unrealistically hoping the person is not ill or expecting them to get better.  Others try to convince themselves their loved one has not changed or try to normalize and make excuses for their behaviors.  Anger may include being frustrated with the person or feeling abandoned.  You may also experience feelings of resentment with the demands of caregiving and/or resent others who are not helping with care.   

Guilt includes having unrealistic thoughts about what you should have done or feeling guilty if you do not visit every day.  A spouse that is well and still able to enjoy life may feel guilty that their husband or wife is no longer able to do so.  Others may have negative feelings such as wishing the person would die or go away. 

The Alzheimer’s Association says you need to face both your positive as well as negative feelings.  They also say to be prepared to go through feelings of loss more than once as the disease progresses.  Remember your grief is a part of your journey, and if you need help, talk with someone about your feelings.

 

At MorningStar at Bear Creek, our dementia care residents are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve and spend each day in an atmosphere that celebrates and elevates their lives. Please visit our website for information on pricing and availability or to set up a tour. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek embodies the very best in senior living with a distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest” that sets us apart from other senior living communities.  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing seniors and investing in a staff with a felt calling to serve, we offer loving, compassionate care within a beautiful home-like setting.  Please set up a tour to see for yourself our unique approach to dementia care.  

How to Help Your Loved One Transition to Assisted Living

While many older adults wish to live out their senior years at home, for some, it is not a manageable option. Moreover, no matter our age, change can be challenging, and it is no different for seniors when the time comes for them move into a senior living community. 

To ease the transition, experts offer several tips that can help make the move less stressful.  One suggestion is to start planning way ahead of the time you anticipate you will need to make the move.  So if you can, do not wait until your parent needs to go from a hospital stay into assisted living.  The advantage to starting your search way in advance of the move is it allows you the time to find a place ideally suited to your loved ones’ needs and personality.  Always remember it is a huge life transition and should be treated as such.

If possible, it is recommended to try and pick from one of the assisted living communities in the area they reside in as it allows them to retain some continuity in their lives including keeping their doctors.  They can also continue to visit area friends and companions.  If you will be moving the person to another town or state to be closer to family, keep in mind this can be especially difficult and your parent may need even more support.  Experts advise in this situation to have more services in place rather than less.  If later you find you do not need some of them, you can cancel them. 

Another tip is to visit the new community as often as possible before the move.  Along with a formal tour of the community, make arrangements for them to have lunch there several times before they move in or participate in an activity or special event.  The more familiar they are with their new home the easier the transition will be. 

MorningStar at Arrowhead’s goal is to be one of the best retirement communities Peoria and Glendale offers, and we work hard to create a true “home” for residents. Our community has 60 private assisted living suites available in a variety of configurations including spacious studio and one and two-bedroom floorplans.  We have another 25 suites in our Reflections Neighborhood dedicated to the specialized care of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases.  Please visit our website for pricing and availability.     

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve…all of which contributes to creating a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. Call to schedule a visit to one of the finest retirement communities Peoria and the surrounding area has to offer.

MorningStar at Bear Creek Offers Specialized Dementia Care

MorningStar at Bear Creek is Colorado Springs’ specialized dementia care experts.  Our community provides 48 secure suites in a variety of floor plans for permanent and short-term residents. Unlike many other Alzheimer homes, our community was designed from the ground up to accommodate the needs of our residents and encourages and supports their independence while keeping them safe.  

Our holistic approach to dementia care is encompassed under the expanse of possibilities we call “Lavender Sky,” and is how we thoughtfully enter, embrace and explore the entirely different and isolating world of dementia.  Providing loving support for our residents, we enter with insight and intentionality as we step into their “purple world” and cross over the physical and emotional boundaries that would otherwise separate us. 

We also embrace the world of dementia, which begins with accepting the diagnosis, as difficult as this can be.  Utilizing MorningStar’s extensive experience, we have developed a deep understanding of the brain disease, regardless of the type of dementia, and embrace the changes needed to ensure the finest care.  This includes embracing our own communication style to calm or stimulate and physically embracing our tender residents as we recognize the power of touch.  However most importantly, we embrace hope. 

Lavender Sky’s last component is exploration, and is approached each day with a wide range of purposeful, individualized solutions.  Acknowledging that the essence of the person lies beneath the fog of the disease, we explore a person’s life, history and preferences to create a personalized care plan.

At MorningStar at Bear Creek, we also feel it is our job to help support our residents’ families.  Along with education, we show them how to follow our lead and enter into the world of their loved ones.  Please contact us for more information on one of the area’s most experienced, compassionate memory care communities. 

MorningStar at Bear Creek embodies the very best in Alzheimer homes with a distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest”.  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing seniors and investing in a staff with a felt calling to serve, we offer loving, compassionate care within a beautiful home-like setting.  Please contact us to learn more about our exceptional community.

Finding a Memory Care Community

If your parent or spouse is suffering from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, at some point, you may need to find a community that specializes in caring for them.  Given the progression of the disease, your loved one may eventually require 24-hour supervised care that is specifically designed to provide the level of safety and care they need. 

What important questions should you ask when looking for specialized care for a family member with a dementia related disease? A Place for Mom offers a checklist on their website to those considering a memory care facility for a loved one.  One of their first recommendations is to make sure that the community you are considering is fully equipped to care for the needs of your loved one.   

In order to determine the level of care your parent or spouse requires, they suggest making a list of their medical and physical needs starting with their level of mobility and do they use a walker or wheelchair?  Also besides dementia, what other illnesses or health concerns do they suffer from?  It is important to explain any issues your loved one may have regarding aggression or other behaviors. 

Next you need to ask the community some questions beginning with the staff to resident ratio during the day as well as at night and what type training does the staff go through.  Be sure to ask whether there is a nurse on staff and if the place has a visiting physician.  Also are residents given an individualized plan?  Furthermore, what are the living arrangements and security measures in place to ensure the safety of residents?  Do residents have a separate dining area and a safe outdoor space?

Now ask questions about the community’s treatment plans and the type of care they provide to residents.  Do they engage in programs such as pet, music and/or reminiscence therapy?  Are residents grouped according to cognitive level and is there a place for those in the early stages?  Finally, after thorough consideration, you may just need to trust your instincts and choose the place you feel will provide the best care for your loved one.     

This post is intended for informational purposes only.  Please contact your health care provider with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health.

MorningStar Senior Living of Billings represents the finest in senior living with our unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing our seniors and hiring staff with a felt calling to serve, we provide a true home for residents.  We invite you to schedule a tour to see firsthand our exceptional independent living, assisted living and memory care facility.

MorningStar at Arrowhead Proudly Welcomes Veterans

MorningStar at Arrowhead is pleased to provide families with ideas for additional financial solutions beyond traditional retirement savings and investment income to help pay for assisted living.  On our website, you will find extensive information on several under-utilized financial benefits and resources including a full explanation of the generous “Aid & Attendance” pension from the US Department of Veteran Affairs.  

Aid & Attendance is a monthly benefit payment available to certain wartime veterans and their survivors who qualify for financial need and have a doctor’s order for regular assistance with daily living activities.  To be eligible, the vet must have served for at least 90 days of active duty with at least one of those days spent serving during a period of a foreign war.  Furthermore, the vet cannot have been dishonorably discharged.  The benefit does not require the vet to have served overseas, seen combat or retired from the military.  Surviving spouses of the vet are also eligible for the Aid & Attendance pension if they were married to the vet at the time of their death and have not remarried.

      

When we find out that a vet or the family of a vet is interested in our senior living community, we are pleased to direct them to local resources that can help to ease and quicken the application process for “Aid & Attendance.  In every state including Arizona, there is a Department of Military/Veteran Affairs staffed with Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) who will help you complete the 41-page Aid & Attendance application free of charge.  The approval process typically takes 3 to 4 months. 

Throughout our many MorningStar’s communities, we are privileged to have veterans from all five branches of military service call us home.  Please visit our website and take a look at our Family Resources information regarding ways to finance assisted living including “Aid & Attendance” pension benefits for Veterans. 

MorningStar at Arrowhead represents the best in senior living with a unique mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” We have built our foundation on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve…all of which contributes to creating a true home for residents amid a beautiful, serene setting. Call to schedule a visit to our exceptional community.