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Feb
22

Brooklyn Assisted Living Homes

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Brooklyn Assisted Living Homes vary from home to home.  

Some Assisted Living Homes Brooklyn, Communities have a memory care floor. Memory care is needed if a home is going to serve people who have some form of dementia. There are also multiple levels of care to consider. Usually if someone needs to be in a secure area, memory care area, they’ll most likely need the highest level of care. The reason for this is a person with dementia will most likely have many abilities of daily living, they’re unable to take care of on their own. The more abilities of daily living a person can’t perform on their own, the more expensive care will be.

A basic plan for somewhat independent living might include meals and laundry.

However, that doesn’t mean you can have anything you want for meals. If organic food, is important, this should be part of the list of thing they are looking for. Well that will depend on the community. Some communities might have organic food or grass fed beef as an option and some assisted living Homes Brooklyn based might not have an option for organic food.

At Golden Maturity we deal with our clients, in a fashion we refer to as white glove. White glove service provides is a lot of assistance and care for a client and or their family. When it comes to figuring out which community works for them, you need to take the time to tour the community. Currently this can be done virtually and then when you get closer to a decision and in person tour would be best. Having worked with many families, I know there are things that you just don’t think of. This is why it is so important you work with someone who has the knowledge and experience to make this journey a smooth one.

If you don’t need much assistance now however, yet you expect to need more individualized assistance down the road, then you should take this into consideration. Moving from community to community can be a traumatic experience. While it might seem like it may not matter where the person is if they have dementia, this would not be true. Even if someone has dementia, they still have routines that they are assisted with. Residents develop routines. Little things like in the same seat for meals, builds familiarity. Developing a routine and feeling comfortable is very important. Maybe the same people sit at a particular table for a meal. The comfort in this is immense.

Moving someone from home to home just is not a good idea. It is much better to take more time in the beginning to look into a community and to make sure they’re a good match for the client. You must do the research to make sure the Brooklyn Assisted Living Homes you spend your time looking at can actually provide the amenities and care you loved one needs.

What types of Assisted Livings are out there

At this time there are several assisted living homes in Brooklyn NY. Many of them have 100 plus beds and feel like a resort. Some have entire floors devoted to memory care. One of the biggest misconceptions of a memory care floor is this is the place where they lock people up. There are systems in place to alert the staff if someone who needs attention is trying to exit the area. Exits aren’t permanently locked. These floors usually have codes to enter. This protects residents from unauthorized people entering the community. Usually alarms will go off if a client of a memory floor tries to exit without putting a keypad code.

Some Brooklyn Assisted Living Homes, contain an elevator.

If there are clients with dementia, a keypad for code entry might be present. It’s all about the safety of the client without imposing any kind of physical restraint and if you want safety look for this.


If you’re the son or daughter of the perspective resident and you want to visit on a regular basis. and you live far away, you might not visit as frequently. You need to figure out who’s going to visit and how often they intend to visit. Should the home be somewhere near where the family lives? Maybe a person is somewhat independent and they want to be near friends. Yikes, lots to consider.

Assisted Living Homes are not necessarily a CCRM, Continuing Care Retirement Community.

A continuing care retirement community is a place where someone usually moves in at an independent level. Many require a substantial investment. The monthly maintenance might change significantly if more than one person is living in the unit. Sometimes a person can get back a portion of the initial investment, when they’ve moved out. A person starting with an independent unit may find themselves in need of assistance and in some cases they can stay in the same unit and receive help. Eventually a nursing care facility may be needed and a CCRC will make this a much easier transition. Without an increase in the monthly cost for care, a resident can move to a nursing unit.

Most CCRCs have are affiliated with a hospital.

As you can see there is plenty to think about when looking at Brooklyn Assisted Living Homes, therefore another thing to look at is the activities that a community offers. Are all activities on the premises, or do they offer a bus and maybe day trips?

DFTA, The Department For the Aging in NYC has many resources to help seniors.

HRA, Human Resources Administration can help with people who may need long term care and can’t afford it.

Assisted Living Brooklyn Who’s Who

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Feb
28

New York will you be able to heat your homes?

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New York, NY with oil prices going up and up, you have to wonder what it will cost to heat your home.

We have programs in place to helps folks in the city.  HEAP home energy assistance is available, however it is not much when you look at the thousands it usually costs to heat a home.

I had a friend send me an email regarding a place called Bakken Shale located in the United States, where there we have a abundance of oil.  This was initially reported back in 2006.  I just don’t understand why our oil prices are going up when this abundance exists.  Here is a link to the info Bakken Shale.  What do you think?

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Feb
23

More Medicare cuts to low income seniors

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I received a letter today from the JASA organization. This is a fantastic organization. As a matter of fact I just recently, Fall 2010, graduated from their IFSA, Institute For Senior Action, training class. The great part about that is it puts me on a list of people who are notified when good and bad things are coming down the pike for seniors. Lately I feel like I’m bring you a lot of info that seems discouraging. What’s important here is these cuts have not taken place yet. So here is a copy of that letter with some links to the various organizations involved. We must contact our elected officials in writing and let them know we strongly disagree with these cuts to senior services.  These cuts will only have a very negative affect on seniors.  You should also call AARP and find out just what this all means to you.

O.K. here is the letter I received.

AARP’s EPIC toll-free number is now operational and anyone concerned about the future of EPIC is encouraged to use it. It will connect people to their state legislators.

The number is 1-800-700-6469.
SAVE EPIC!!
200,000 Older New Yorkers will Lose EPIC Coverage Under Cuomo Budget

New York StateWide Senior Action Council urges seniors, their families and caregivers and the 300,000 older New Yorkers who are enrollees in the EPIC program (Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage) to call their state legislators in their district offices this week while they are not in session in Albany to protest Governor Cuomo’s phasing out of the program. The EPIC program started in 1987 but for lower income seniors has served as a supplement to the Medicare Part D program since that program began in 2006. Governor Cuomo’s budget eliminates EPIC coverage except for drugs not paid in the Medicare donut hole. An estimated 200,000 of the 300,000 EPIC enrollees do not reach the Medicare donut hole or coverage gap which begins when a senior has spent $2840 in annual drug costs. Under Cuomo’s plan, they would not longer receive any support from EPIC.

EPIC has been paying the Medicare deductible and premium costs for lower income New Yorkers as well as subsidizing the co-payments. The elimination of that support will cost enrollees as much as $1000 per year or more, despite the Governor’s pledge to not support new taxes or fees.

EPIC was passed in December 1986 and signed into law by Governor Mario M. Cuomo.

We should be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the passage of EPIC this year, not joining the Governor Andrew Cuomo in preparing for its demise.

If you need phone numbers for your legislators’ district office or for more information contact Maria Alvarez, Executive Director, at maconsult@aol.com or respond to this StateWide e-news email address.

Mary Clark

Citizen Action of NY

HCAN/SSS NYS Coordinator

cabing@citizenactionny.org

607-723-0110

607-232-2084 (cell)

Visit JASA on the Web

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Feb
23

Is in your head or in your thyroid?

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For several years I have had a slow thyroid. I have often wondered what causes this. I have been taking synthroid to help the situation. I just happened to have a couple of minutes when I decided to do a search on community recipes. Far from a search on thyroid issues. There was an advertisement on the page asking a similar question to the one above. It was an entire article about how most of us lack iodine and this is why we have so many folks with a slow thyroid. Iodine is a mineral that is hard to get from food supplements. I’m attaching a link for the article, I’m sure you will find it just as interesting. The article was written by Andrew Jones, MD
Senior Medical Advisor, Women’s Health Institute of Texas

Be well my friends

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Feb
23

NY Senior Centers are about to be slashed.

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More than 100 senior centers in NY state are scheduled to close.  Our budget deficit is so large that drastic cuts need to be made.  These cuts will especially impact those who had a well balance meal at the senior centers.  NY Senior Centers also provide a place for folks to congregate and socialize.    So many programs will be in danger.  What about the social workers located at these senior centers.  Not only will the Social Workers be out of a job, seniors will not have them as a resource.  Senior centers provide access to many needs based programs available throughout our state.  Without the Senior Centers and their staff many of our Seniors would not even no where to begin to get help.

Categories : Senior Centers
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Feb
14

Seniors, will the NY budget cuts shut down your senior center?

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Budget cuts
 
This past Thursday I attended a conference called
by Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis, and Senator Marty Golden, at the Bay Ridge
Community Center, regarding cut backs that could end up going into effect on April 1, 2011.
Also in attendence was Bobby Sackman, Director of Public Policy for the
Council of Senior Centers and Services.  The budget cuts
proposed by Govenor Andrew Cuomo would move 25 million dollars in funds, in title 20 of NY
State Budget from Senior Centers to Child Welfare.  Thus pitting Children against
Seniors.  The result if these NY State budget cuts go into effect, would mean the closing
of 110 Senior Centers State wide and of those 33 % would be in the NYC area.  This is
an outrage.  These monies have been allocated to title 20 for nearly 30 years. 
These are not a part of the budget listed as an entitlement and therefore they are not
guaranteed.  According to Senator Golden "if we loose these funds it would be
highly unlikely for us to ever gain them back."  This is extremely critical to the
quality of life our seniors have.  The senior population is about to explode over the next
couple of decades.  We should be adding senior centers and programs, not shutting
them down.

Executive Director JoAnn Mason of the Senior Center, said last year they wrote 300 of the
17,000 letters received to stop the senior center cuts.  Executive Director Mason now
pledges 600 letters from the member of the Center.  How many letters will you pledge to
make happen?????????

Please take action and send letters immediately to your elected officials, saying no to the title
20 cuts for senior centers.  Please post a link to this info and spread the word before it is
too late.

Thank you

Annette Fisher

Certified Senior Advisor

Golden Maturity, Inc.

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Feb
08

LTC, Long Term Care Insurance are you prepared?

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Most don’t prep for LTC outlays

Sixty-five percent of Americans say they believe that long-term care planning is an important
cost-saving action. But only 44% of them have started taking any steps to prepare for
unanticipated costs, according to a new consumer study from Lincoln Financial.

A common mistake, according to read
more

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Oct
09

Medicare the new rules and time to enroll.

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Medicare and our healthcare system are going through changes.

The baby boomers have arrived. Who ever thought when I'm 65 would come so
soon.  Welcome to seniorville.  If they are already enrolled in Medicare, starting in
2011 they will be entitled to a free annual physical, as well as other preventive services.

Annual enrollment for Medicare for those already enrolled is from November
15th through December 31.  Give yourself or your loved one plenty of time to
review the new Medicare changes.  You can go to Medicare.gov to keep up with what is
happening.  The new handbook is not listed on their site yet, however it
will be sent out soon with a list of Evidence of Coverage listing their current
plan coverage and what it costs and the Annual Notice of Change which lists
changes to the plan for the coming year, beginning January 1, 2011. Seniors really need to pay
attention to this as the ability to change plans when ever they please is not an option.

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Oct
06

Hospital Infections, are they on the rise? My personal experience in Brooklyn NY

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Hospital Infections may be declining with some infections while a large increase is occuring
with others.  Just a few months back I was having a conversation with a couple of
colleagues.  We were discussing a new infection that is rapidly spreading, called
Clostridium difficile aka C-diff.  It is passed through wounds, intravenous lines, and other
means.  If you are taking antibiots and you come in contact with it you may be more
suseptable since the antibiots kill good and bad bacteria at the same time.  Thanks to
colleages, Caryn Isaacs, Patient Advocate, and Ann Hanna, I was made aware of this.
After ending up in the hospital myself this weekend I was horrified to find out that the women
sharing the room with me had C-diff.  I immediately asked for a discharge since I could
continue the medications at home.  They were allowing this patient to walk the
halls.  C-diff is spread by touching things, thus leaving bacteria that others can pick
up.  When I quickly left my room to let them know I wanted to be discharged, I had turned
to notice a sign outside my shared room that read, caution etc.  point being something in
my room was contagious and I was told I was not.  Once you get what you need in the
hospital get out as fast as you can.  I actually had nurses and assistants that were not
changing their gloves between patients, and who were not sanitizing their hands between glove
changes.  It was a breeding ground for germs.  OK some are saying maybe
I’m getting paranoid, however if you don’t control your own destiny to some degree you
may loose control.  I also do not think patients should wait in a doctors office to be
seen.  I bring my own pen for sign in and let them know my tel # so they can let me know
when to come in from my car, parked in the area.  I also carry hand sanitizer with
me.  Think about how many people go to the doctor because they are sick.  I
certainly do not need anything I do not already have.  Touch nothing.  When using
the rest room remember to turn the water on and off with paper towels.  Use a paper
towel to open the door, if hand use is at all necessary.  This is seriously deadly
stuff.  I hope this will keep you out of germs way.  I’m still trying to get the
real low down on whether people with C-diff can be admitted to nursing homes and or assisted
living vacilities.  It seems to me they would need a seperate building or everyone will end
up infected.

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Sep
28

Bay Ridge Center Walk-A-Thon

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The Bay Ridge Center walk-a-thon to help raise funds for
the Bay Ridge Center took place on Saturday September 25, 2010. The Bay
Ridge Center is a place where seniors meet. Joan Mason the Director of the Center was
pleased to see the support. Some of the funds raised will go to support the Meals on
Wheels program at the center. Meals on Wheels is a program, where meals are sent to seniors
in their homes. The center is also located in a NNORC, Neighborhood Naturally Occuring
Retirement Community. There are many activities that take place at the center.
From games, to dance, and lunch too. The Bay Ridge Center the place for you if you are a
senior. Need help accessing services? A social worker at the center can help
you with available programs. Some of our local political figures were there to start off
the fund raising. In attendance were New York State Assembly member Jenelle
Hyer-Spencer, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz,
State Senator Marty Golden, NYC Council Member, Vincent
Gentile. Some local businesses were there as well, Donna McClellan and staff from Connors and
Sullivan, myself, Annette Fisher with TLC reverse programs, a service of Fort Funding Corp, and
founder of PESID.com, Professionals Empowering Senior’s Independance and dignity, Mary
Kae Higgins, Realtor at Coldwell Banker, along Patricia and Peter Killen. There
were many others there as well, and I’m sure the seniors at the center appreciate the
support from their community. We were gathered outside the center to either take part in
the walk or to cheer others on. Starting off the walk was a marching band.

 

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