WHEN seniors and their families discover the senior needs services related to health and a living situation, where can they turn? More specifically, what is the best starting point to begin the search for appropriate resources and solutions?The easy answer is to contact one of the many service providers; information, referral and assistance programs; or to try Web sites or Internet-based employee assistance programs that many jobs provide.

Some people are clear about what they need and want and can identify it after a short, satisfying search. But it’s usually not that simple.

Frequently they start with the Yellow Pages or a resource someone gives them. Often that resource is not what they need. Then they get referred to a series of 10 or 20 organizations and become confused and frustrated. Not having experience or training, they may be unclear about what kinds of services they need and what’s available out there.

Baby boomer children of seniors, who often are Internet-savvy, can conduct systematic research until they clarify the options and present a short list to their parent. Many seniors, on the other hand, prefer to make a direct call and ask for the information and assistance they need. Sometimes this works — for example, if they contact a service that specializes in helping seniors clarify their needs, follows up with one or more providers, and redirects their course if they get stuck.

Source

Older Americans in need of care face sharp spikes in the cost of increasingly popular assisted living quarters and home health aides, according to a study.

The average price tag for a private one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility rose 7 percent in 2006 to about $33,000 per year, compared with a 5 percent rise in 2005, according to a survey by insurer Genworth Financial Inc..

The average hourly rate for most home health aides climbed 19 percent to $22.15 per hour, compared with a 2 percent rise in 2005, the study found.

The average cost for a private room in a nursing home, by contrast, rose 2 percent to about $71,000 in 2006, after rising 6 percent in 2005.

The increased costs reflect the growing popularity of home health care and assisted living centers, which typically provide meals, help with everyday tasks and provide some medical care. Assisted living centers cost less than nursing homes and attract patients not needing the more greater medical treatment offered by nursing homes.

Source: Reuters

“Seniors are generally considered to be a little more vulnerable,” said Scott Mecham, president of the Better Business Bureau serving southwest Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. “For one thing, they’re home, and that makes them easier to find.”

“Any personal financial information should be kept quiet,” he said.

Scam artists will come up with a variety of reasons why a person should share that information, but banks, credit card companies and the Social Security Administration will not call an individual to get those kinds of numbers.

Source

It is with a heavy heart that Ellie Monty strolls through Daley Plaza. It’s nearing time now, after caring for her 95-year-old father for 13 years, to place him in a nursing home. Ellis Johansson is blind and has reached the point where he needs more help. “It’s just a wide range of emotions, but safety and security is at the top,” she says.

…Ellie Monty embraces the law. As a senior relocation expert, and as someone going through the process her fears are real, despite her preparation. “You asked for one fear,” she said. “There are several that can cause us to wake up in the middle of the night praying they are safe.”

The law calls for increased security measures for homes that accept offenders and twice yearly background checks of all residents.

Source

Classic Residence by Hyatt was founded in 1987 by the daughter of the co-founder of Hyatt Hotels. Today, Classic Residence by Hyatt develops, owns, operates and markets upscale retirement communities throughout the United States. Each community features all of the style, service and attention to detail that have earned Classic Residence by Hyatt our reputation as a leader and innovator in senior living.

Classic Residence by Hyatt has communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, & Texas.

Employees taking time off from work to care for an aging parent or loved one, and the associated anxiety and stress this causes while on the job, is costing companies billions of dollars.

Lake Success, NY (PRWEB) June 7, 2005 — Employees taking time off from work to care for an aging parent or loved one, and the associated anxiety and stress this causes while on the job, is costing companies billions of dollars. According to the American Productivity Audit, physical ailments associated with stress and anxiety are among the top five disorders leading to “presenteeism,” a term that describes an employee who is physically at work, but mentally somewhere else. According to the audit, stress, anxiety, headaches, depression and digestive problems account for the average loss of 115 hours of productivity per worker or $180 billion annually.

“Caregivers for an aging parent or loved one face many concerns, but some of the most stress-prone decisions involve nursing home choices. The key is doing your homework to find the right facility,” stated Ceil Strow, CEO of MyZiva.com (www.myziva.com), a Web site used extensively by nursing home professionals. “It’s a wrenching decision that tens of thousands of people make each year.”

That was certainly the case for Bonnie Gatlin, a New Hampshire-based homemaker faced with making nursing home decisions for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Ms. Gatlin is one of the millions of family caregivers in America who provide for approximately 35 million elders in their care. Many of these caregivers are or will be faced with the decision to seek nursing home care for these loved ones.

In an effort to assist in the monumental task taken on by caregivers across the U.S., the team that built MyZiva.com also created www.myziva.net, an easy-to-use Web site that has helped people across the country evaluate and compare nursing homes, understand the services that a nursing home provides, and become more informed about how to pay for nursing home care. The site averages more than 60,000 visits per month.

Gatlin first learned about MyZiva.net when she was looking to relocate her mother to a nursing home that was closer to her home and specialized in Alzheimer’s care.

“I was quite nervous and concerned that my mother had the right facility for her special needs. I called some elder care services, but no one could help me locate a nursing home,” said Gatlin. “I searched the Web and found MyZiva.net. They provided exactly what I needed, giving me information that helped narrow my search very quickly. Because of them, I was able to choose a nursing home that met the needs of my mother. MyZiva.net helped me find the best nursing home in southern New Hampshire.”

MyZiva’s founder and CEO, Robert Abrams, a well-known eldercare attorney and author, understood the need for caregivers who deal with the guilt, stress and anxiety associated with choosing a nursing home facility for a loved one. He believed that the Internet could provide a tool that would answer their many questions and address their concerns.

“People facing difficult decisions about long-term healthcare needed a place to turn to that could at least provide them with extensive information, facility comparisons, ratings, reviews and more in an unbiased, easy-to-use reference guide,” stated Abrams when asked about his vision for MyZiva. The name, which is taken from the Goddess of Health in Slavic mythology, will soon be featured among other sister sites in an online community that Abrams calls “your healthcare resource.”

For now www.myziva.net is helping America’s family caregivers to better understand their options as they cope with the needs of an aging population. It is also making it easier for them to function at work, knowing that the information they seek is now all in one place.

Source: PRWEB