Help for the working, care-giving mother

A new poll, commissioned by Workplace Options© in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Association®, shows that more than one in seven American workers (15 percent) are active or former caregivers for someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Among those, fewer than half (47 percent) were able to maintain employment while providing care.

The national poll [http://www.workplaceoptions.com/pdf/polls/AlzheimersSurveyResults.pdf] also provides updated information regarding the strain that caregiving puts on individuals and families from an emotional and financial perspective including:

• 69 percent of caregivers said that caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia strained their family finances.
• 90 percent characterized their caregiving as emotionally stressful.

According to additional statistics, 62 percent of caregivers for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease or dementia are women. Caregiving by itself is a difficult task but between balancing family, career and now, more often, their parents, the average caregiver can begin to feel overwhelmed and be unsure of where to turn.

In the last few years, a new generation of caregiver has emerged, creating the “Sandwich Generation”. This term is coined by those who are caring for aging parents and young children (under the age of 18) at the same time. For this caregiver, the challenges require more balance between work and family time. The 2012 report, “Women and Alzheimer’s disease; The Caregiver’s Crisis” [http://www.wmmsurveys.com/ALZ_report.pdf], identified one-third of all caregivers fitting into this category.

To honor working mothers and other caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Association provides many resources to help assist them. Please visit www.alz.org/care to learn more.

2012 Award Winners Announced

Each year we bring our team leaders to Hutchinson for an educational conference.  During our winter conference, we announce those who won awards during the previous year.

Last night, we announced the winners of the 2012 awards.

 

*Pictured above, L to R: Dean Bloemke, President and Roman Bloemke, Director of Operations

Our first award announced was for the Resident Choice Award.  This award goes to the community who achieved the highest score during our annual resident satisfaction surveys.  The 2012 Resident Choice award was given to Excelsior Place Assisted Living in Baxter, Minnesota.

As their Director of Resident Services, Loree Besser, accepted the award, she gave all of the credit to her team.  ”This year, like many, presents each of us with challenges.  All of the credit for this award goes to my team back at Excelsior Place.  Without a solid foundation, you have nothing.  The team that I work with is absolutely phenomenal and we couldn’t have done this without them.”

Our next award presented last night was the Great Places to Work award.  This award is presented to the communities who achieve a high satisfaction level.  This year’s award winner was River Pointe of Moorhead.

While accepting the award, Ron Bervig, Director of Resident Services gave credit to the team in place at River Pointe, commending them on doing a great job.  ”I really have to thank the staff for the wonderful job they do every day.  They are what makes us successful!”

Our next award goes to communities who have reached a list of achievements and have a high level of excellence in senior living. Criteria for the award include employment best practices and employee satisfaction, resident and family satisfaction, resident and staff safety, financial performance, matching resident needs to care plans throughout a resident’s stay, and overall occupancy.  Each of the performance objectives is to assure the proper and desired level of service is provided.

The 2012 Best Community Awards go to:

Orchard Hill Assisted Living – New Ulm, Minnesota.

Potter Ridge Assisted Living – Red Wing, Minnesota.

Excelsior Place Assisted Living – Baxter, Minnesota

River Pointe of Moorhead – Moorhead, Minnesota

Our final award of the night was the North Star Leadership Award.  This award goes to the person who was nominated by their peers and residents who live in the community.

The 2012 North Star Leadership Award goes to Paulla Perry from Thomas Landing Senior Living, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

Paulla was unaware that she had been nominated, so the surprise on her face was great to see when it was announced that she had won.  Paulla thanked each of her peers and the resident’s back at Thomas Landing for making her job a joy to be a part of.  ”I’m at a loss as to what to say.  I need to say thank you to everyone at Thomas Landing for being such a great team to work with.  It’s because of them that it is a joy to go to work everyday.”

Congratulations to all of our award winners!

You continue to inspire us and others to do great work. Thank you for everything you do!

Sleep Problems Up Risk of Alzheimer’s Says Study

From the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA):

Older adults with abnormal sleep patterns, whether it’s too much sleep, too little sleep, or restless sleep, have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to three new studies.

The first study, which utilized participants in the larger U.S. Nurses’ Health Study, administered cognitive tests to women over the age of 70 every two years over a six year period. Participants were also asked about their average daily sleep duration. Researchers found that women who averaged seven hours of sleep daily saw higher cognitive scores over the years compared to women who reported 5 hours or less or those who reported 9 hours or more. Participants who averaged too much or too little sleep aged, on average, two years faster than those who slept seven hours a night.

A separate study monitored 1,430 women over age 75 while they slept and measured these individuals cognitive impairment over time. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found that participants with sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, were nearly twice as likely to develop cognitive impairment. The study also found that those who woke up in the middle of the night most often were at triple the risk for entering a nursing home compared to those who experienced the fewest interruptions.

A third study followed 4,900 French seniors who were 65 or older. This study found that certain sleep problems, such as problems falling asleep and early morning awakenings, were not associated with increased risk of cognitive decline, but those who felt excessively tired during the day were more likely to experience cognitive impairments.

Although researchers are not sure if inadequate sleep is a cause or a result of cognitive impairment, the studies, taken together, make a strong case for sleep’s involvement in Alzheimer’s and other forms of cognitive decline.

Learn more about these studies.

Learn more about the Assisted Living Federation of America.

Ground breaking ceremony held at Twin Town Villa

On Wednesday, July 25th, Twin Town Villa held their ground breaking ceremony for their new expansion project.

 

Several community members attended the event.  It was fun to see everyone get excited about what the project is going to bring to Breckenridge.

 

We had the official ground breaking ceremony.

 

We even had some residents and staff come outside to participate.  From the look on their faces, they seemed to be extremely excited for what’s to come.The equipment is all lined up and ready to start moving ground.

As we mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, this is a $3.5 million dollar expansion to Twin Town Villa and will bring additional assisted living apartments and a memory care community.

We expect to hire an additional 12-15 new positions to work in the community.  Over time, we expect that additional positions could be added based on level of care needed.

Welcome Home operates 7 senior living communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We’ve been providing a warm, homelike atmosphere for resident to call home since 1994 in many different states. Our goal is to focus on the individual residents needs. Over the past several years, we’ve seen and heard from residents and family members to add more service options. By adding these programs to our community, it gives older adults more options for their care and life experiences.

As we age, we want to live in a place that is fun, eat great food, and have our needs cared for.  We believe that adding this community, with the additional common areas such as the movie theater, additional apartments and care programs, gives our residents and their families what they’ve been looking for.

For more information about Twin Town Villa or Welcome Home Management, please visit our website at www.wtohdevelopment.com.  You can get an “inside look” in to the daily lives of our residents by visiting all of our communities Facebook pages.  A link to those can be found on our website as well.

 

Mandatory Consultation – 4 months later, how’s it going?

Roman Bloemke, Director of Operations at Welcome Home was quoted in a story recently published on the Assisted Living Federation of America’s news releases.

The story takes a look at Minnesota’s new requirement regarding mandatory consultation since it was implemented October 2011.

While we are for education and information, we believe that this requirement is at the wrong stage in life.

Consumers should have this knowledge when they are in the early 40′s and 50′s. If done at that time, something similar to the “55 Alive” program where drivers get a discounted insurance rates after taking a class, would seem to be more of an appropriate time.

As we age, we all want to know what our options are. If we learn information early enough in our lives, we can begin planning for our future.

What are your thoughts?

Calendar Girls and Guys

Every day, right before lunch, there are about 10 to 15 people that wait in the hallway right outside the dining room doors for seating to begin. This is an excellent time for socializing with each other because sometimes, this is the only time some of the residents get to see each other.

Shirley, who has lived at Potter Ridge for 3 years, always makes sure the conversations flow and offers suggestions for ways that residents can interact more with each other. About two weeks ago, Shirley commented on how nice it would be to have a calendar printed with everyone’s photo on it, but she quickly added that “I know it’s too late and impossible to do this, so just forget it.”

When someone says that, Mickie usually tries to prove them wrong, and this time was one of those times. She started asking who would like to be a “calendar girl or boy” and immediately a show of hands from the other residents excitedly told her they wanted to pose in the calendar on the month they were born.

The Sheldon Theater in Red Wing has a huge costume shop that rented out costumes for special occasions and knew right away that it would be perfect for what they were looking for.  Before long, all the calendar spots were taken and most of the models knew what they wanted to dress up as.

Within a week we had costumes for everyone. Mickie’s daughter, Elyce Jaeger, an amateur photographer, agreed to take the photos, and Design Ink, a local print shop, agreed to get the calendars printed before Christmas. On picture day, everyone gathered around to put on their costumes and makeup. It was just like playing dress-up. Everyone was “oohing and aahing”, and giggling and laughing with each other – it was a sight to see. The photos turned out great and the proofs were already completed by the printer.

On December 21, from 3:00 to 4:00, the models will be having a “meet and greet” event at the Best of Times Book store in Red Wing where you can purchase your own copy of the calendar.

The entire process in planning and developing the calendars has been amazing. The residents are still commenting about the fun they had and how excited they are to be able to see the final calendars. The socialization and camaraderie has kept the residents buzzing with excitement, what a great way to end the year!

Calendars are available for $18, plus shipping and handling (estimated at $5.00).  Proceeds go to the resident’s activity fund.  The fund helps defray costs for events and special community life programs at Potter Ridge.

If you would like to purchase a calendar or would like more information, please contact Mickie Schutz, Community Life Coordinator at (651) 388-1546.

Potter Ridge Assisted Living Community is located in Red Wing, Minnesota and is managed by Welcome Home Management, Inc. of Hutchinson, Minnesota.

Update:  The Red Wing Republican Eagle recently published a story on our Calendar Guys and Gals.

Thanks and Gratitude

The years seem to fly by so quickly sometimes.  It seems like we just wrote our annual Thanksgiving post here on the blog.

Roman Bloemke, Welcome Home Management

This post for me comes really easy every year, because we have so much to be thankful for.  When you work with caring and compassionate people, it just makes coming to work that much more enjoyable.  As many of our residents will tell you, they are all just wonderful – and I agree!

I’m thankful for the care providers who take the best care of our residents.  I’m thankful for the dining services people who prepare the wonderful food we get to eat.  I’m thankful for the Community Life Coordinators who make the community fun and exciting.  I’m thankful for the Maintenance staff who work to keep things looking nice and operating well.  I’m thankful for the marketing people who are there to help families work through what can be a difficult transition.  I’m thankful for the Nurses who are the most compassionate people I know.  I am thankful for the Memory Care Coordinators who hold a special place in so many people’s hearts.  I’m thankful for the Director’s of Resident Services who do such an amazing job.  And I’m thankful for our office team who work behind the scenes to support the communities.

All of you are just like a family to us.

Finally, I’m thankful for my wife and my two boys who have always been supportive in both my career and my personal life.

As you’ll read below, our team members contributed to our annual post.  Thank you for considering Welcome Home and our properties for your loved ones.  From all of our family to yours, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

Home for the Holidays

By Todd Corrow, Marketing Associate at Legends at Heritage Place and Lisa Lehmann, Director of Resident Services at Twin Town Villa.

As families gather together during this upcoming Holiday Season, some may face seeing changes in their parents.  Our goal is to assist all families with these difficult decisions.  We have started a support group for all families in which the topics cover how to make the best decisions for everyone involved.  When a family comes to us looking to take that next step, we sit down with all of them and take the time for them to communicate exactly what they are looking for and what concerns they have.  We assist the families with finding the solution that works best for them.

Another area that we emphasize is that even if Mom and Dad come to live with us, it doesn’t have to mean that Mom and Dad can’t host the family get together.  This Thanksgiving we are working with several of our residents to bring their family to the community for their traditional family gathering.  We know this will mean the world to not only the residents, but to all of us here.  We will have an opportunity to visit with the family and all our residents will have the opportunity to share in the joy of family.

We as a staff strive to allow the families to become just that – a family again, with the caregiver role becoming ours.  This way the spouse can again become the husband or wife without the stress of taking care of the other, we want them to regain the smiles and relaxing times that we all cherish.  We want the sons and daughters to be able to bring the grandchildren in and have the smiles brighten up the entire building.  Smiles and laughter truly possess a healing power and create a warm and positive environment.

Coming home for the holiday’s can sometimes be an eye opener when you come home to an elderly parent(s).  Sometimes it is amazing what declines we see this month that we didn’t notice six months ago when we were home last.

Things you might notice or signs that you should keep an eye out for –

•  Your parent seems depressed. Depression is common in seniors who are isolated and alone.
• Dad is reaching for the backs of the furniture while getting around the house, leads us to believe that he is losses his balance more often, making it more difficult to get around.
• You notice frequent bruises, although your parent may try to cover them up. This may be a sign of falling or mobility and balance problems.
• Your parent wears the same clothes over and over again or neglects personal hygiene. This can indicate that doing laundry and bathing is physically challenging.
• Did you notice that mom isn’t wearing any of her favorite blouses?  She is having a hard time buttoning them up.
• Mom seems more confused lately, she maybe having trouble keeping her medications straight.  Mixing up the times and doses can lead to more confusion.
• The house and yard isn’t as clean and tidy as it used to be.
• Your parent forgets things, including doctor’s appointments and when to take medication. This may be due to memory loss.
• You notice strange or inappropriate behavior. For example, your parent may dress inappropriately for the weather. This can be a sign that your parent is experiencing confusion.

So as we gather for the Holidays lets be thankful for the opportunity to come together and create lasting memories.  If you see things that concern you do not fear what the future holds embrace the opportunity to work with a Community which will provide a safe and caring environment where there will be opportunity to create more memories.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Heart and Soul – LCM Workshop

Today, the heart and soul of the care providers visited Welcome Home for their Fall Workshop.

We covered a variety of topics, but the overall goal was sharing information between all of the communities.  What works, best practices, scheduling ideas, taking inventory, and being a leader in the community.

The overall result was a

Great day of discussion – Community Life Coordinator’s Fall Workshop

What an amazing day filled with ideas and great discussion among a bunch of talented people!

Today, we hosted our Community Life Coordinator’s and the Director’s of Resident Services from our communities.  Quite honestly,