08.13.10
Posted in Nursing home, Nursing home alternative at 9:12 am by admin
In today’s tough economy, many seniors and their families are looking for affordable senior housing. The section 202 program, implemented by the US Government, is designed to increase affordable senior housing in an attempt to meet the growing demand. This type of housing may be right for the senior who is 65 or older and still able to be independent, but not able to sustain mortgage or rent payments on a fixed or low income.
Section 202 housing is run by non-profit organizations who receive funding from the US Government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The total cost of living in these facilities is based on the individual’s income. These facilities usually also provide support services to senior residents such as community meals, housekeeping, and transportation. Services offered will vary by site.
Begin Your Search
Perhaps the most helpful tool in searching for section 202 housing is the Department of Housing and Urban Development website (http://www.hud.gov/apps/section8/index.cfm) which lists all section 202 housing facilities across the nation. Your first step is to decide where you would like to live, whether you want to stay in the same area or move someplace new. Plug in the location information to the HUD website, and it will provide a listing of all facilities in your chosen location.
Narrowing Your List
Once you have a list of housing locations ready, begin calling each facility and ask the following:
1. Is your facility still a part of the section 202 program?
The facilities and non-profit organizations running them must meet requirement to maintain their 202 status and receive government funding, so always check to make sure they are still actively a part of the section 2020 program. If the answer is yes, continue to #2. If no, continue to the next location on your list.
2. Do you have any vacancies?
Section 202 housing is in high demand, so if you do find a vacancy, you will want to follow up on it right away since housing cannot be held open for you until you make your final decision. Scheduling an appointment as soon as possible to visit the facility immediately and asking what type of information will be necessary to bring with you will show the agency you are truly interested. If there are no vacancies in your preferred location, you may ask to be added to their waiting list.
3. What type of housing is available?
If handicap accessibility is required, be sure to ask specifically about it. Again because of the high demand for affordable senior housing, you may not be able to be too choosy about the type of housing and exact location. Vacancies are usually snapped up quickly.
4. Do I need to make an appointment to view the facility?
Setting an appointment or making a visit as soon as possible is advisable since the vacancy may be filled up quickly.
5. What do I need to bring in order to complete my application?
Section 202 housing requires residents to fill out an application and to show proof of low-income (pay stub or Social Security statement), proof of medical expenses (pharmacy or medical bills), proof of ability to live independently (a note from your doctor), and references from previous landlords. Make multiple copies of each of these documents if you are applying to several facilities.
It’s always a good idea to involve a friend or family member in the process of finding appropriate senior housing. In addition, there are HUD representatives available to tell you more about affordable senior housing and the section 202 program.
Because finding a vacancy in 202 housing is a challenge, it’s better to start your search earlier rather than later. Placing your name on waiting lists or securing a spot before your income runs out is of course advisable. With a little persistence, you can find affordable housing.
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08.04.10
Posted in Home Health Care, Insurance, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative at 4:00 pm by admin
American seniors who are financially savvy no longer keep their money in a sock under the mattress as in days gone by, but with a shaky economy, some may wonder if their hard-earned money’s still safe in the bank. My grandmother was one of those savvy seniors. She made it through the Great Depression without losing her shirt. Her advice rings in my ears now, “Divide up your assets in a variety of banks and investments, and make sure your bank is FDIC insured.“
I believe my grandmother’s advice still rings true. Here are a few things senior citizens should know about FDIC insurance.
FDIC insured banks give their customers a guaranteed peace of mind that their hard-earned dollars will be safe in case of economic crisis that would cause the bank to fail. The FDIC has temporarily raised its maximum insured amount per depositor from $100,000 to $250,000 until January 1, 2014 when all account categories except IRAs and certain other retirement accounts will return to the previous maximum of $100,000.
This means that if you and your family has less than the maximum in all of your deposit accounts at the same FDIC insured bank, your money is fully insured. And if you have accounts in different insured banks, each bank insures those accounts up to the maximum. Meaning? Make sure your funds don’t exceed that maximum in any one bank. Divide your money into separately chartered banks, because each bank is separately insured. Your funds are fully insured by each bank up to the maximum even if the banks are affiliated (belong to the same parent company).
It’s possible that you may qualify for more than the maximum coverage (currently $250,000) at one insured bank if you have deposit accounts in different ownership categories. The most common consumer account categories are single ownership accounts, joint ownership accounts, self-directed retirement accounts (IRAs and Keogh accounts for which you choose how and where the money is deposited), and revocable trust accounts (the funds in this account pass to one or more named beneficiaries when the account owner dies). Deposits in different ownership categories are also separately insured. So rather than dividing funds among different banks, you could simply separate funds into different accounts that have separate ownership categories. So your single ownership account that exceeds the maximum coverage could be split off into another account or trust in the same bank that falls under a different ownership category. For example, you could funnel some of your funds into an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) or open a joint account with your spouse or another family member.
A reduction of FDIC insurance coverage is possible in the case of a death or divorce in the family. This means that if two people own a joint account and one dies, the surviving owner might need to restructure his accounts so that he doesn’t exceed the maximum limit as the owner of two single ownership accounts within the same insured bank. The FDIC rules allow a 6-month grace period after a depositor’s death to give survivors or estate executives time to restructure accounts. But once the 6 months are over, you run the risk of having funds that are no longer insured by your bank. Also, check with your bank if you have a trust account, because for certain trust accounts, there is no grace period in the event of a beneficiary’s death or divorce.
Bank failures are fortunately fairly rare in this day and age, largely due to the strict financial strength and stability requirements for banking institutions to qualify as an FDIC insured institution. But in the rare instances of FDIC insured bank failure, no depositor has lost even a penny of FDIC-insured funds. If your bank did happen to go under, FDIC insurance would cover your deposit accounts completely including principal and accrued interest up to the maximum covered. If you did have deposits exceeding the maximum covered, you still might be able to recover some, or rarely, all of your uninsured funds. But this is usually a risk not worth taking.
In the unlikely event your bank does fail, the FDIC would issue payment promptly to you, the depositor, usually within a few days, and often by the next business day after your bank closes. Some competing insurance agencies have spread rumors that the FDIC doesn’t have adequate reserves to make payouts or that it takes years to make payments to insured depositors. This simply isn’t true. Recently the FDIC has increased its premiums for insured banks to ensure adequate reserves if there should be wide-spread bank failures.
Ultimately it is up to you to know what accounts and funds are insured by your bank, so ask! In economically unstable times, your best defense is to be aware and to make sure your hard-earned savings are protected.
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01.19.09
Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Referral Service, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 12:03 am by admin
Finding elderly care in your area is quite difficult because facilities can be deceiving. When you arrive at an elderly care facility try to look past the fancy looking lobby and dining room chandelier. Watch how the workers are treating the residents, what kind of food is being served, and ask many questions about the care packages that they offer (bring a copy of our chart off our blog titled “Elderly Care Facilities Choice and Comparison”). Write down what they promise and keep any brochures. If you find an elderly care facility that seems to be what you are looking for, you can request a copy of the state inspection from D.A.D.S. (Department of Aging and Disability Services). According to chapter 552 of the Texas Government code you can request certain records as they should be open to the public. Also when looking for an elderly care facility for a loved one keep his or her interests in mind. Does he or she have a friend that lives at a nearby facility? Does he or she like gardens or activities? Does he or she want you to be close by to visit often? Good luck on your search for the right elderly care.
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07.28.08
Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 1:01 pm by admin
So you put your parent in an assisted living facility. You purchase a care package that provides the amount of care that your parent needs. You see your parent quickly declining and you wonder if the facility is providing the care they say they are. You can be sure of it with a hidden camera. You can purchase a nanny camera then set it up at the far wall of your parents room facing the door. You can watch the tapes and see how often a care taker enters the room and how long they stay.
If you can’t afford a nanny camera, you can show up unannounced to visit your parent and look around the room for dirty clothes, see if the bed is fixed, check the soap in the shower and depends to make sure they are being used up. Keep the assisted living facility in check. You purchased a care package and they must provide it, no excuses.
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06.23.08
Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Senior Citizen Fathers, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 11:20 am by admin
Work is getting overwhelming and you are looking forward to a vacation. You start surfing the web for great vacation spots. But wait don’t forget about mom! Your parents could very well need a vacation too. Your parent’s needs might have changed over this past year making it seem impossible for them to go on a vacation. Plus it may not be a very relaxing time for you if it’s a full time job to care for your parents. But think about this, many people hire a nanny when they go on a vacation to help with their kids. Hiring someone to care for your parent on a vacation is not much different and may be a good option. Also there are assited living facilities that can accommodate your parent for short periods of time such as a vacation. Say for instance you are going to San Antonio. You could book a room at an assisted living facility for the week for your parents nearby where you are staying (there are many assisted living facilities in San Antonio) and pick them up when you are going site seeing, out to eat, or boating on the river. They would certainly enjoy that.
Make Sure Your Parents Needs are Met
If you are hiring a care taker for the trip remember to stay at places that are handicap accessible to make it easier for your parent. If you are booking a room at an assisted living facility be sure that they know your parent’s needs.
Have a good and safe vacation!
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05.29.08
Posted in Alzheimer's Disease, Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Referral Service, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Depression, Dimentia, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services, care at home, dementia, forgetting to take medication at 6:05 pm by admin
Do your mother and/or father need to be moved from home to an assisted living? Do they need to be moved from an assisted living to a nursing home? Or are they at a facility that you are not happy with? Moving your parents can be the best thing that you can do for them, but it can also be the worst thing.
Moving is a dramatic change for an elderly person, especially one with Alzheimer’s disease. A move from home to a nursing home may be the best option but look into getting care at home. Moving can confuse and depress an elderly person. If your mother or father is able to, let him or her be a part of the decision.
When an elderly person is familiar with a facility or the staff at one assisted living or nursing home it’s usually best to keep him there. An elderly person is more likely to willingly receive care and feel comfortable with care attendants and nurses that he or she knows as opposed to a stranger. Also when elderly people are familiar with a facility, such as knowing where the dining room, medicine, activities, and their apartment is, they are usually emotionally stable longer than if they are moved from facility to facility and getting disoriented and confused.
However, when you see your loved one needing more care than what the facility gives, you need to act quickly. There are nurses that come to where your parent is and give care to him. Some facilities have care packages that start at minimal care (such as reminders to come to meals and take medicine) and maximum care packages (such as bathing, transferring from bed to wheelchair and feeding). If the facility that your loved one is does not offer more care and getting a nurse to come and care for him or her is not an option you should not leave him or her there, moving would be a must in that situation.
If your parents are at a facility and you are not happy with the care that they are receiving, talk to the management about your complaints. They may not be aware that your parent is being neglected. Also talk with the care staff and let them know that you care about your parents and want the best care for them. Politely tell the care staff your complaints (i.e. moms hair needs to be brushed, I noticed dad lost his dentures). Visit your parents often. Keep the care staff accountable by making visits at different times of the day or maybe spend a night there if possible. If the quality of care still does not improve make a complaint to DADS (Department of Aging and Disabilities Services) and move your parents to a more quality facility.
Most importantly make sure your parent is taken good care of and is happy.
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03.18.08
Posted in Assisted Living, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services, elderly and education at 2:46 pm by admin
Senior Events In Tyler Texas
This coming month is a great time to get out and go to events in your community in Tyler, TX. The senior community in Tyler has one event right after another this month and next. The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 2nd Annual “Seniors Celebrating Life” at the Harvey Convention Center on April 3, 2008. This event is free to all seniors and lunch will be provided. It is designed for interaction and education. Vendor booths will provide information on services and goods that are available to seniors.
Senior Citizen’s Venue For Meeting
The Senior Citizen’s Center on Garden Valley Road in Tyler is designed for senior citizens to meet together for some fun and fellowship. Events include dominoes, card and board games, exercise classes, dancing, movies, day trips and much more. Transportation is available for seniors who cannot drive. The Senior Citizen’s Center is open from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. For more information and weekly schedules call (903)597-0781.
Other events in Tyler:
-March 18-22 (7:30pm) “To Kill A Mockingbird” play at the Tyler Civic Theatre ($15).
-March 28-29 Quilt Show at the Harvey Convention Center
-March 28 (10am-5pm) and March 29 (9am-5pm) Main Street Flower Market at LeGrand Park (free admission)
-April 5 (10am-5pm) First Annual Azalea Trail Classic Auto Show- Rod Run at LeGrand Park (free admission)
-Walking Club at the Glass Recreation Center ($15) Dates are open. Call (903) 533-1397
-May 3 (2-4pm) Through the Goodman Lens: A Pictorial History of Tyler. Free admission, pre-registration suggested. Call (903) 531-1286
For more information on events in Tyler go to: www.cityoftyler.org
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02.28.08
Posted in Assisted Living, Caregiver, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services at 11:21 am by admin
Spring is coming right around the corner; with that said make sure your loved one has a variety of clothes fit for the weather. Be sure to leave some long sleeves and jackets for those chilly days. The warm weather will be here shortly and mom and dad don’t need to get over heated so change out their wardrobe. Take mom out to get a new spring dress for Easter. She’ll like that.
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02.23.08
Posted in Assisted Living, Assisted Living Facilities, Assisted Living Safety, Caregiver, Depression, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Taking Care of a Loved One, Texas Elderly Care Services, Uncategorized, medication at 4:05 pm by admin
Staff members, even when there is a good ratio of staff and residents, can get overwhelmed with their jobs. If you are a care worker communicate with your coworkers and employer any concerns you might have with your job. Also encourage other care workers that work along side of you. It’s not a one man show. Communication doesn’t just mean complaints or demands. Comunicate with your coworkers when there is a shift change. When you come in to work ask if there are any new duties (i.e. Mr. Williams doctor prescribed him some new medication that he needs to be reminded of before he goes to bed, or Ms. Johnson had a fall and needs her dinner brought to her room). When leaving your shift make sure you don’t leave a job half done and make the next shift aware of any changes. Always look into someone’s eyes when he/she is speaking and repeat back what has been communicated so that it is understood. If we would communicate, work together and everyone do their part there would be a lower turn over in care staff.
If a fellow care worker calls in sick do not become angry and wonder if he/she is faking but at the same time voice to your employer that you can’t always “pick up the slack”. There should be a call-in care worker for such cases. There is no reason that you should have to continue to work double shifts. There may be emergency cases that you will have to work a double shift. On the other hand if you are sick you should give as much notice as possible to your employer. Do not come to work as a care attendant/CNA sick. You cannot be caring for the elderly that have low immune systems when you are contageous.
Be honest and encouraging to your co-workers.
“his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”
-I Corinthians 3:13
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09.28.07
Posted in Alzheimer's Disease, Assisted Living, Caregiver, Dimentia, Elder Care, Elderly Care, Home Health Care, Nursing home, Nursing home alternative, Senior Citizen, Senior Citizen Fathers, Taking Care of a Loved One, care at home at 3:29 pm by admin
When illness turns family members into caregivers there is often strong emotional experiences that the caregiver goes through.
Sadness: It is disturbing to see a loved one rendered physically helpless, particularly if the injury had a sudden onset. But the advent of cognitive deficits, causing changes in the patients personality and behavior, are generally found by researchers to be far more wrenching for families. When even so simple a task for the caregiver as sharing the events of one’s day and being understood is precluding by a patients dimentia, the loss of companionship is profound. Decreases in functioning, especially intellectual capacity, will often force patients who were working to retire, creating economical hardships for the family. When other family members shift to shoulder the bread-winning burden while also assisting the patient more at home with daily activities, they suffer dramamtically increased workloads and drastically reduced personal time. Some caregivers find relief in tears and take solace from sharing their mornful feelings with others who respond understandingly. Many caregivers however feel uncomfortable about expressing sadness and shame. They typicallycite several objections: 1-”I don’t want to feel sad because it will make me depressed.” 2-”I don’t want to express sadness because other people will think that I’m weak.” 3-”What do I have to feel sad about when I’m not the one who is disabled?” or 4-”I’m afraid that if I express sadness, it will make my loved one feel worse.” Generally though empathizing with the caregiver’s sadness is one of the most effective ways that a patient can give back something meaningful to the person who has made sacrifices on his behalf. When a caregiver is willing to take the risk of expressing sadness to a loved one in a non-blaming way, it most often results in a greater feeling of comunion or shared mission between the two that helps them both feel better understood and supported.
Anger: Caregiver anger depends mostly on the relationship between the patient and the caregiver before the illness. At its simplest, it takes the form of blaming the patient for bringing the tragedy upon the family. The sting of being unjustly trapped often lies at the root of anger. Sometimes the anger isn’t toward the patient but at God. Anger must be dealt with promptly or it will turn into bitterness.
Worry: Every family member of one who is suffering worries. But a caregiver must be careful not to worry him or herself too much or he/she will get burned out.
Guilt: Many family members feel guilty that their loved ones have become ill as if it is their fault. A family member might feel guilty that he or she hasn’t visited a loved one in the nursing home. Also there may be guilt because a relationship went soar before the illness took place. It is never too late to love. Visit that family member in the nursing home. Start talking and praying for him or her.
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