It Takes A Village

by Patricia Conlon

How many times have we heard that phrase? Usually, we attribute it to raising children. But if we stop for a moment to think, why should we limit our sense of responsibility to children? Aren’t we also, in some way, responsible for our neighbors?

When we see the older neighbor who until recently has always dressed impeccably and now appears disheveled, or the one with the recent dents in the car, or perhaps the one who struggles suddenly to remember our name after we’ve been friends for years, what course of action can we take without seeming like a buttinsky? (My apologies if “Buttinsky” is your last name; I do not mean to offend)

If you’re fortunate enough to have lived in a building long enough, you may have your neighbor’s emergency contact number. (That is something I suggest we all do – more on that another column). If so, and in the kindest manner, let them know that you’re concerned. Don’t offer to put yourself “in charge” unless you’re comfortable doing so. Give the contact person your observations, and hope they will take measures. If the neighbor’s loved ones live out of town, it’s your opportunity to educate them on the resources available in the area: Independent Senior Communities, Assisted Living Facilities, Home Health agencies, Senior Centers or advocacy groups such as the Alzheimer’s Association, Alliance for the Aging and The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

At Pacifica Senior Living Palm Beach , we are committed to our seniors and to serving our residents and the surrounding community. We can help, so call today if you, a loved one or your neighbor need more information. 

Sleep peacefully knowing that you’ve treated your neighbor as you would want to be treated.

Visit us on the web at www.PacificaSeniorLiving.com or call us at 561-434-0434

Patricia Conlon

Marketing Director, Pacifica Senior Living Palm Beach

Credit Score Tips for Seniors

According to a new study published in the CSA Journal (Society of Certified Senior Advisors) seniors build up greater amounts of debt and have more credit report problems than younger people. While 1 in 3 people of all ages find mistakes on their credit reports, an even larger number, 36 percent of seniors found errors. In one of four cases the errors where significant enough to have a negative effect on their credit scores.

The study also concluded that young people watch their credit score more closely, while only 1 in 4 seniors did so. The Society of Certified Senior Advisors urges seniors to regularly check their credit reports. Free consumer credit reports are available at AnnualCreditReport.com.

These are some tips to make sure your credit report is accurate:

Run an annual Credit Report: A free annual credit report is available at AnnualCreditReport.com. To get the actual credit score you’ll have to pay. But the report alone will allow you to check for errors and mistakes.

Fix Errors: By law, credit bureaus are required to correct any errors. If you spot a mistake, contact them either via website or phone or send a letter and explain what’s wrong.

Keep Copies: Make and keep copies of everything you send to the credit bureaus and request a delivery confirmation at the post office to make sure they received your mail.

Beware of Scams: A flood of companies offer to improve your credit score for a fee, but easiest and cheapest method involves a pretty basic technique: Pay your bills on time, stay well under your credit limits and keep your accounts in good standing over many years

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Pay your bills: The best way to boost a credit score is to pay bills on time and keep accounts in good standing over many years. Avoiding credit altogether can do more harm than good, since lenders want to see that consumers have experience managing credit accounts.

Don’t Co-sign for Anyone: Even spouses can harm each other’s credit by co-signing for a credit card. Once your name is on account, you’re responsible for it, even if you break up. So limit your exposure to that risk by avoiding co-signing accounts whenever possible.

Despite rumors to the contrary, having a good job does nothing to boost a credit score. In fact, income has no effect whatsoever on a score. The only thing that matters is your credit history—whether you pay your bills on time.

If you do run into financial trouble and have to resort to filing for bankruptcy, your credit score can begin to rebound after one year of making on-time, regular payments. Then, after seven to 10 years, it can fully recover.

Bottom Line: Use AnnualCreditReport.com once a year to check for any errors on your report and pay bills on time. Consider helping any older relatives to do the same.

Source: Money.USNews.com

Tai Chi Might Help Prevent Dementia

Tai Chi, the gentle ancient Chinese mind-body workout derived from martial arts, might have yet another unaccounted benefit: Increasing the size of the brain – possibly even preventing dementia.  

Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, increased their brain size and improving their test scores on memory tests according to a study by the University of Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai published this week in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

“The Tai-Chi group in the study displayed brain growth of 1 percent over the period of eight months measured through MRIs” said the lead researcher James Mortimer, a USF Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “How exactly that growth occurred and whether genetics or other factors played a role requires further research” he added.

Tai chi has been investigated for its positive impact on cognitive function, but this new report is the first to look at brain volume, he said.

Healthy Eating Tips For Seniors

Remember the old saying, you are what you eat? Try to make it your motto. When you eat a variety of colorful fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins you’ll feel vibrant and healthy, inside and out.

For seniors, the benefits of a healthy eating habit include mental alertness, resistance to illness, increased energy levels and faster recuperation times. As we get older, eating healthy can also be the key to a positive attitude and keeping emotionally balanced. But healthy eating doesn’t have to be dieting and sacrificing. Eating well is all about fresh, colorful food and creativity in the kitchen:

Choose to eat whole fruits over fruit juices as they contain more fiber and vitamins. The darker the greens, the more antioxidants they contain. Greens such as kale, spinach and broccoli are excellent sources. Orange vegetables such as carrots, squash and yams are also very vitamin-rich. Try to eat 2 cups of veggies every day.

Calcium is imperative for maintaining healthy bones and warding off osteoporosis and bone fractures. Seniors need around 1200mg per day. Milk and dairy products such as yogurt and cheese are excellent sources. You can also get your daily calcium fix through non-dairy sources such as broccoli, almonds, kale and tofu.

When it comes to carbs, choose whole grains over processed white flour products for more fiber and nutrients. Try to add whole grain breads and pasta products to your diet.

Protein is very important for maintaining muscle mass. The human body starts to gradually lose muscle mass starting at the age of 30. Seniors need about 0.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. Simply divide your bodyweight in half to know how many grams you need.  Fish, beans, peas, nuts, eggs, milk, cheese, and seeds are all excellent sources of protein.

As we know, the human body is mainly composed of water. Seniors are prone to dehydration because our sense of thirst dulls as we age.  Add little sticky-notes to your apartment reminding you to sip on your water every hour to avoid chronic dehydration.  Drinking sufficient water is also important to avoid constipation and maintaining a healthy digestion.

Try to avoid hidden sugars. Many canned and processed products contain hidden sugars. Make yourself familiar and check the labels for different terms for sugar such as corn syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup, cane juice, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, or maltose.

Avoid too much salt: Often taste and smell diminishes as we age. Seniors tend to lose the ability to taste salty flavors and therefore tend to add too much salt to compensate. Try to use other spices, herbs and healthy oils such as olive oil to season your food.

Cook smart: The best way to prepare veggies is by steaming or sautéing in olive oil to preserve its nutrients.

Caffeine Increases Muscle Strength in Elderly

A new study presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on June 30, 2012 showed that caffeine boosts the muscle strength of elderly, suggesting a reduction of falls and injuries. 

For adults in their prime, caffeine helps muscles to produce more force.  As we age, our muscles naturally change and become weaker. Sports scientists at Coventry University looked for the first time at whether these age-related changes in muscle would alter the effect of caffeine. They found that caffeine continued to enhance muscle performance in two different muscles from mice, although it was less effective in older muscles. 

Jason Tallis, the study's primary author, said: "Despite a reduced effect in the elderly, caffeine may still provide performance-enhancing benefits. With the importance of maintaining a physically active lifestyle to preserve health and functional capacity, the performance-enhancing benefit of caffeine could prove beneficial in the aging population."

Dealing With Acceptance: Understand What's Causing Your Loved One's Resistance And How You Can Encourage Support.

Are you faced with a loved one resisting to any type of care?  This is one of the toughest challenges you can face with your aging loved one.  Through your support and understanding, you can foster acceptance.

What is the root of not wanting assistance?

Understanding what your loved one is going through in the aging process will gain your empathy for him or her.  He or she is most likely dealing with the LOSS of; physical, mental, and independence.  Admitting to care may mean surrendering their privacy, which can result in embarrassment that he or she can no longer take care of things. Remember, your loved one does not want to become a burden on the family, which results in stubbornness and unwilling to participate, but mostly, concerned with financial means. 

What's the best way approach?

If you believe that your loved one needs care, but are afraid to bring up the subject, start communicating openly in a delicate manner:

• Choose a time when you and your loved one are well rested and not hurried.
• Ask questions about your loved one's preferences. You can learn what they are dealing with, and what type of help your loved one needs. 
• Recruit the assistance of family members or friends.
• Don't ever presume that your loved one is unable to discuss care preferences.
• Don't give up.  Getting your loved one to understand his or her needs may take more than once.

Some strategies to encourage cooperation:

• If living at home is not an option, start researching retirement living communities in the area(s) of interest.  Schedule tours.  Don’t make it hard for your loved one to select, pick your top three (3) to visit.
• If one of the communities is of interest, follow up with the community and ask if they have a respite program.  Respite stay gives your loved one the opportunity to try the retirement community for a short period of time, usually between 3 and 30 days.
• Don’t get angry.  Your focus is to get acceptance from your loved one. 
• Explain how perhaps moving to a retirement community may prolong his or her independence. Accepting some assistance may help your loved to be able to enjoy the activities that used to be of interest.
• Help your loved one cope with the loss of independence. If a retirement community is the option, schedule a time with the administrator of the community and ask to meet with residents that have the same interests.  This will give your loved one the opportunity to meet others that have experienced the same scenarios.

The above suggestions would not be appropriate for your loved one if he or she has been diagnosed with dementia.  Your role would be to find a memory care community that will bring you peace of mind that he or she is being well taken care of.

If you are dealing with any of the above circumstances, feel free to phone any of Pacifica's Senior Living full service independent, assisted living and memory care communities.  

Make A Dent

Make A Dent 

by 

Rebekah Martin

This past Valentines Day I came across a quote by Mother Theresa that read “The hunger for love is much harder to remove than the hunger for bread”.  I have the honor of making a dent in this hunger every day through “Legacies” our Memory Care program.

Life in all stages in both challenging & rewarding. However, this Dent we make in weaves the two. Creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind tapestry that becomes the fabric of our lives.

A great example I love to share is one day while working at our Assisted Living Community that specializes in Memory Care, I was rushing from phone calls to reports to a tour to paperwork to moving furniture because someone was moving in…….when I observed a resident – observing me.

After I finished what I was doing I walked over to Mildred. A beautiful black woman with strong ways, strong opinions & very strong affections!

“Hi Mildred. How are you?” I asked.  In that low and smoky voice she replied evenly “Just like a 16 year old”.  “That’s cool.  Me too most of the time.  So where are you going?”.  “Crazy” she cracked.

I gave her a hug, told her I’d be back and headed out to make my rounds at the local hospital. Before closing the door behind me I looked back to see that she began to smile after me.

After arriving at the Hospital, I stepped in the elevator and removed my sun glasses. As the doors closed I remarked to the gentleman riding with me on what a beautiful day it was. It was then I noticed he was still wearing his sun glasses when he replied quietly “I wish it were a better day”. Oh dear I thought. “I’m sorry. Do you have a loved one here?”.

“My wife” he replied “I’m going to her room right now because they’re going to pull the plug. She’s only 44.”

Before those doors opened again I learned his name was Robert and assured him he would be in my prayers.  Because Life has taught me that being there for people who cross our path is what a friend does.

Of course my heart was heavy as I continued to the 4^th floor case management dept. but that’s where I found Faith.

Faith’s mother lived at our Community years ago so when she saw me she knew she didn’t have to keep conversation strictly business. She could tell me anything on her mind.  And that day, she did!  She ended her venting about the lack of rewards in her dept. for those who work harder than the others with “I’m just burned out, I’m burned out, I’m burned out”…….

Thankfully I was able to put a smile on her face before I left (because that’s what we do not only AT our community but also IN our community) by sharing a favorite inspirational quote, but as I walked back to the elevator, I began to wonder what I could do to make a difference for Faith.

People were getting on and off as I headed down, but then the doors opened at the 2^nd floor, and in walked Robert.

And somehow once again he & I ended up being the only 2 on that elevator continuing down to the 1st.

I instinctively placed my arm across his shoulders.

He, uttered 2 words.

“Its over”.

Before we parted I handed him my business card and said “Robert, I want you to pick up the phone any day of your life you need someone to talk to or someone to listen. Every manager at our Community has seen what you’re going through”.

I stayed just long enough to watch him take a seat in the lobby.  It was then it occurred to me he was all alone.

So by the time I reached the parking lot again and my convenient Lexus cage, I thought “Am I the only one that needs a glass of Chardonnay right now?!”.  

And I need an answer.

It came. The answer that is.

I cannot erase Robert’s sorrow.

I cannot change the dynamics at the hospital.

And I cannot cure Alzheimer’s Disease which afflicts so many of our residents

But, I can Make a Dent.

I realized Robert was not entirely alone in his time of need. I was there…

I discovered Faith recently celebrated her 10^th anniversary working at the medical center. We showed our appreciation and what followed is another beautiful story.

And I had the privilege of Co-Chairing Modesto’s 1st Walk To ENDAlzheimer’s through which we exceeded our fundraising goal by almost 20k.

You see, making a dent in this way is what I’ve learned is the “Up” to the “Down”.

Its celebrating Life

Its making meal time an opportunity to share & socialize

Its being a friend

And it’s the expression of confidence our families have in us that we take very seriously.

So, I invite you to join us for an upcoming event at our Community, to volunteer or just for lunch & a tour. Not only because our team knows how to celebrate life like no other, but because its even better with you!

I encourage you to make a Dent. Its your Legacy.

Rebekah Martin 

Community Relations Director

Pacifica Senior Living - Modesto, CA