Articles Posted in Uncategorized

Published on:

As the Guardian of a ward with Autism, I have grown to love and respect the nursing home staff members who have taught me so much about his disease and care.

My ward is a 67-year-old adult who was found in an uninhabitable home and unable to care for himself after his brother’s death. Following a hospital stay, my ward was sent to a nursing home that could accommodate his needs for in-house kidney dialysis. He spends most of the day in bed with a blanket over his head. If his routine is disturbed, he bites his hands, yells, punches himself in the face, and hits his hands against the wall. He flails his arms and once broke his own leg.

The nursing home caregivers have taught me to respect his preferences. I speak to him in a very low tone of voice, and as little as possible. Too much sensory stimulation upsets him, and I never remove the blanket from his head. As a result, he recognizes the sound of my footsteps and voice. He knows I am the cookie lady. Once I enter the room, he hears the crinkle of my Chips Ahoy package. The blanket comes off his head and he extends his hand for a treat.

Published on:

I have some exciting news, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you 🙂

I’ve been asked to speak at a unique and innovative event called Retire Wiser Chicago. This online summit begins just days from now, Sept 9th, 10th & 11th.

This educational event is hosted by two, very well-respected Chicagoland financial advisors who I know you’ll really appreciate. For many years, John Bever and Jim Uren, have been helping Chicagoland residents just like you make wise decisions as they prepare for and enter into their retirement years. What sets them apart from many other advisors I have met is their passion for financial education that is both well research and practical.

Published on:

Brendansfavorite42ndstreet-237x300I turned 62 on my last birthday. I have never allowed my age to deter me from enjoying my avocational interest in tap, ballet, and jazz dancing. As a senior living advisor and former, part-time amateur children’s dance teacher of 13 years, I am pleased to see senior communities offering dance therapy classes to their residents. In addition to founding and leading ADSLA, I have also taught tap and ballet in several senior centers and in the dementia area at The Arbor of Naperville. On a number of occasions, I was made aware that several of the class participants also had Parkinson’s disease.

Exercise that is performed several times a week is not only fun, it also can help to elevate a person’s immune system and make one feel better about oneself. That is because of the endorphins that are released. Exercise classes provide camaraderie while encouraging seniors to move all of their body parts. If a person moves his or her limbs, it increases hand to eye coordination, strengthens the core muscles, and improves balance.

I approached the senior classes as I would have approached instruction at any other basic level: I included combinations and repetition to Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin songs. I observed that most of my “students” found ease in doing the tap warm ups, and some jazz movements, even if they were confined to a wheel chair. Many of the participants said that their joints felt better, their overall movement improved, and, most importantly, their spirits had been lifted. After the class had finished, we’d talk for a while. Some of the residents with dementia would reminisce about where they used to go to dance with their spouses. Several residents remembered their teacher’s names, and where the studios were located. The repetition of certain exercises helps people with Parkinson’s to concentrate on movements that have become difficult for them, such as doing two things at once. People who have suffered a stroke are able to express themselves by moving to the music, even though they can’t talk. Sometimes individual’s medications stop working for them and the classes give them relief from their symptoms.

Published on:

The CoVID19 pandemic has been challenging for all Americans and people worldwide, and it has been especially difficult for senior citizens and the men and women who care for them. I was pleased to be among the experts contacted by WTTW TV Channel 11 for this broadcasted report, “Nursing Homes See Increase in COVID-19 As Virus Surges in Illinois” (Byline: Marissa Nelson, 2020 Nov 18; article posted 8:37 PM at

https://news.wttw.com/2020/11/18/nursing-homes-see-increase-covid-19-virus-surges-illinois

As I state in the WTTW news article published online, CoVID-related isolation has been very difficult for both nursing home residents and their families. Senior facilities, however, have tried hard to soften the blow and keep residents connected by arranging Zoom calls or Face Time. Journalists’ interest in the welfare of our growing population of senior Americans – and what organizations like ADSLA are trying to do to help – is much appreciated!

Published on:

Five weeks ago, I went to a long-term care community for a meeting. When I signed in at the reception desk, I noticed there were signs warning there was a respiratory illness circulating on specific units. The units were located in the nursing home. My meeting wasn’t going to take place on any of the affected units; but, I took what I thought was a precautionary move: I told the receptionist where I was going and confirmed that the illness wasn’t circulating in the unit where I was going. She assured me it was not. So I proceeded to the locked memory unit, where the meeting was being held. I used my covered elbow to push the elevator button. And I waited for a certified nurse’s assistant to open the door to the unit. The meeting lasted no more than 40 minutes.

The next morning when I woke up, I had chest congestion, a cough, and a sore throat. Strangely enough, I did not have a high temperature or nasal congestion. I thought I had caught a common cold, but whatever illness I had acquired rendered me so fatigued that I slept for close to three days straight! The only exception I made to resting was to walk my wonderful golden retriever. By re-tracing my own steps, I don’t think I had been any place where I could have picked up a respiratory problem, although I have no absolute proof.

After a week, I realized that my cough and chest congestion were not subsiding. I decided to go to an immediate care center and see a doctor. The doctor, who was very kind, listened to my breathing and told me there was no sign of pneumonia, but that I had chronic bronchitis. It is now a month later, and I still haven’t been able to shake the cough completely.

Published on:

I worked very closely with a wonderful woman in her mid-eighties as her power of Attorney for Healthcare. After she had been hospitalized for an elevated white blood count, I transferred her to a short-term rehabilitation community, then to assisted living for a respite stay, before I took her home. The return home occurred in early December.

Two weeks before I took her home, I met with a licensed home care agency representative to arrange for a live-in caregiver until my client would be able to function on her own. I had good luck with this agency in the past and trusted the owner. But, like anything else, the situation can change overnight. I was aware that the holidays were approaching. I resigned myself to the fact that staffing my client’s case was probably going to be tough because, like anyone else, caregivers want time off during the holidays.

As it was explained to my client and me, she would have two caregivers. One would stay for four days of the week, and the other would work for three days. It was supposed to be the same two caregivers for the duration of my client’s care. While we were told by the agency in detail how the first four days would be covered, what would happen during the remaining three days remained a mystery.

Published on:

My father always told me there is “No such thing as a free lunch!” That’s why I was very wary when I received a phone call from my client’s Medicare Supplement insurance company representative. (I serve as Power of Attorney for health care for my client.) The insurance representative was very excited when she informed me that my client ‒ who is 99 years old, has advanced dementia and lives in a nursing home under Medicaid ‒ was eligible for a new program that would not only broaden her health care coverage, but also add dental insurance free of charge. As a former insurance broker, my antennae went up immediately: More coverage, free of charge? Here are stipulations of the policy:

Podiatry Services – 4 visits

Vision Services – $300 every 2 years toward lenses and frames

Published on:

Fifteen months ago, I was hired by a charming, alert, 85-year-old woman to act as her Power of Attorney for Healthcare and, if necessary, Geriatric Care Manager. I remember the first day I met her. She was running around her 2-bedroom ranch house like someone had fired her out of a cannon. I made my usual assessment, asking about her medical issues (surprisingly, she had many), list of medications, and how to help carry out her wishes when she was alive and near end of life. She was somewhat skeptical as to why she would need my Geriatric Care Management services. I explained that, since she had no relatives or friends who could handle the job if she needed help, she would need to have a plan in place. She went along with my suggestion.

Three months ago, I received a call from a skilled nursing home where she had been taken for rehab. My client had called 911 after falling. Unfortunately, her hospital was on bypass because the ER was so busy, so she was taken to the next closest hospital where none of her physicians were on staff. The hospital treated her for a heart problem and sent her to a rehab. community. I went to visit her and was astonished at how badly she had deteriorated. She said the food at the rehab facility was horrible and she felt like she was losing weight. She was a good cook and ate very healthy.

Upon developing a second health issue, my client was transferred back to the hospital where her doctors were on staff. She was treated for a high white cell count and was again ready for release to rehabilitation. She insisted on being transferred to a home that was owned by her hospital, thinking her doctors would follow her. I explained to her many times that her current physicians would not follow her unless I took her to see them myself. She was pretty unrelenting at this request, so I chose the best rehab. community available within the hospital system. I was right: Her current physician wouldn’t follow her and she was seen by the medical director at the home. While the therapy was good, she complained vehemently about the food and continued to lose weight (20 pounds).

Published on:

Evergreen1-300x225
I was lucky enough to be engaged by Jocelyn Newhall of Arbor Terrace (Naperville) to teach a dance class to the residents in the Evergreen assisted living memory unit. I’m not sure who had more fun…the residents or I!

I conducted a one-hour class that was divided into short segments of ballet, tap, and jazz dance. I started each section with a short stretching exercise and warm up, followed by some brief steps that were set to some of their favorite music.

There were between fifteen to twenty enthusiastic residents who attended the class. Some were ambulatory but most of them participated in the class seated in chairs. Although they worked through the ballet exercises patiently, many of them were anxious to get on into the tap portion of the class. I had them doing shuffles and flaps, along with simple flap heels set to Frank Sinatra’s, ”New York, New York.” When I turned the music on, most of them began to sing so loudly that you couldn’t hear the recording. Several of the residents chose to leave their seats and improvise.

Published on:

My colleagues in the long-term care industry are all aware of the fact that once a senior enters a long-term care community, s/he will probably not maintain a relationship with his/her personal physician. The general public may not necessarily be aware of this fact. Most long-term care communities have arrangements with certain doctors who come there and see the patients on site. The exception to the rule is, if a senior’s doctor becomes credentialed with the community and agrees to physically visit in order to see the patient, then the physician-patient relationship can be maintained. That does not normally happen, however. Sometimes if you are within a certain health system that has affiliations with certain long-term care communities, your loved one may be lucky enough to have his/her personal physician credentialed at the place where the senior moves. Let me share some experiences that you may encounter once your loved one moves.

Real-life Story

Last summer, I was hired as Power of Attorney for Healthcare/Geriatric Care Manager for a very active 84-year old woman. She had all her faculties, was ambulatory and gainfully employed until she retired. Two months ago, I received a call from a long-term care community informing me that she had been taken there to complete rehab. She had developed severe bouts with sweating and was diagnosed with a high white blood cell count. In addition, she had suffered heart problems, loss of appetite and low potassium. When I heard about which community she had been taken to, I wasn’t impressed. Unfortunately, when the emergency occurred, I wasn’t contacted immediately. The 911 hospital, which happened to be her regular hospital, was on bypass during the emergency. She was taken to the closest hospital, treated for the heart problem, and released to the rehab community.