Senior Housing and Assisted Living

Are you in a position where it may be important to arrange for aging care? No matter if the place is for yourself or someone you love, determining the right aging care facility is essential. Here we will take a look at some of the different aging care options and how to select the right facility for your needs.

You will need to comprehend that if someone suffers from certain medical conditions they will need very specialised care of which will make some health care choices undesirable. They could include Alzheimer’s or other styles of dementia, care after a massive stroke or heart attack, or even something similar to arthritis, where mobility might possibly be profoundly affected.

Do you feel that you are in good health but need assistance with daily chores and tasks? If you’re still mentally aware, have good balance and mobility, and are not in an altered mental state, you might be able to remain in your home and simply hire a nurse to come in. This can be great for some health conditions such as diabetes, where some specialised foot care may be needed but overall health is still fairly good.

There are also retirement homes, which may also be called assisted living facilities. These are fantastic if your health is good but you no longer want to live in your home or you want more companionship. One of the biggest problems that many elderly people can face is the feeling of isolation and the depression it can bring. Facilities where you still have your own living quarters but are around other people and can take part in activities may be what you need. Many retirement residences are now installing an alarm system into their residents’ rooms so that if there is a medical emergency, staff can be alerted with the press of a button.

Nursing care facilities may be the next step that you will consider. Normally, a person is admitted into a nursing home when they have significant physical or mental impairments that make any level of self-care impossible. They usually have less segregated living arrangements and activities which are less varied or active. People who are suffering from altered mental states due to disease or the after effects of a stroke may require a room in a nursing facility.

Once aging has reached a very advanced stage, you may need to use palliative care to provide you with personal care until you pass on. This can be a hard decision to make especially since it is normally being made on behalf of a loved one, instead of by the loved one themselves.

By asking them questions and making sure that the facility you finally choose meets the wants and lifestyle of your loved one, you can find the best aging care available. New facilities are being built constantly and as technological and medical advances continue your immediate future has never looked better.

Before you go out and buy a policy go to Long Term Care Insurance, ask questions and request a long term care insurance quote. We represent 20 of the top LTCi providers. This gives you tremendous options.

Everybody is aging in today’s society, many countries are approaching a point where people over the age of sixty will outnumber the younger generations. This is because better health care is helping people live longer, more productive lives. Getting the right kind of aging care is important if you want to keep enjoying a good quality of life.

Keep in mind if you’re selecting a health care facility or care method for a loved one, you need to be realistic. It is normally hard to accurately view the health needs of a parent or relative since you want to think they are capable and in good health. But ignoring the needs of certain medical conditions, whether the wandering tendencies of an Alzheimer’s patient or the tremors of a person with Parkinson’s can actually do them harm.

Do you like the idea of staying in your own home? Consider a care provider who will come in and help look after your needs. Think about the specific needs you will want met, and the home itself. If mobility is a problem, someone may need to move to a home with no stairs. If you cannot lift, consider having help with your housework and yard work. You should think carefully about the different things you need to do around the house and make sure that these are taken care of in order to make living at home as successful as possible.

You may look at a retirement residence as a good transition from your home. You want to make sure that the facility you choose has activities you will enjoy and enough privacy and independence that you will feel at home there. Look at this place as somewhere you will want to live for a long time. Health care methods and advances in medical care can keep you around for many years to come.

Nursing care facilities may be the next step that you will consider. Normally, a person is admitted into a nursing home when they have significant physical or mental impairments that make any level of self-care impossible. They usually have less segregated living arrangements and activities which are less varied or active. People who are suffering from altered mental states due to disease or the after effects of a stroke may require a room in a nursing facility.

Once aging has reached a very advanced stage, you may need to use palliative care to provide you with personal care until you pass on. This can be a hard decision to make especially since it is normally being made on behalf of a loved one, instead of by the loved one themselves.

Senior care is quickly turning out to be a growth industry. Everyone is requiring more care for longer periods of time and the different levels of physical needs has caused people to need specialized aging care. Knowing what stage you or a family member has reached is the key to getting the care you, or they, need.

Before you go out and buy a policy see if you qualify for long term care insurance, ask questions and request a long term care insurance quote. We represent 20 of the top US LTCi providers. This gives you tremendous options.

Are you currently in place where it has become important to arrange for aging care? It does not matter if the place is for yourself or someone you love, discovering the right aging care facility is critical. Here are a look at some of the different aging care options and how to select the right facility for your needs.

You need to comprehend that if someone suffers from certain medical ailments they can need very specialised care that will actually make some health care choices unsatisfactory. They can include Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, care following a massive stroke or heart attack, or even something such as arthritis, where mobility is going to be profoundly affected.

Do you feel that you’re in good health but need assistance with daily chores and tasks? Should you be still mentally aware, have good balance and mobility, and are not within a altered mental state, you could possibly remain in your home and simply hire a nurse to come in. This can be great for some health conditions such as diabetes, where some specialised foot care may be needed but overall health is still fairly good.

You may look at a retirement residence as a good transition from your home. You want to make sure that the facility you choose has activities you will enjoy and enough privacy and independence that you will feel at home there. Look at this place as somewhere you will want to live for a long time. Health care methods and advances in medical care can keep you around for many years to come.

Nursing care facilities may be the next step that you will consider. Normally, a person is admitted into a nursing home when they have significant physical or mental impairments that make any level of self-care impossible. They usually have less segregated living arrangements and activities which are less varied or active. People who are suffering from altered mental states due to disease or the after effects of a stroke may require a room in a nursing facility.

Once aging has reached a very advanced stage, you may need to use palliative care to provide you with personal care until you pass on. This can be a hard decision to make especially since it is normally being made on behalf of a loved one, instead of by the loved one themselves.

Senior care is quickly becoming a growth industry. People requiring more care for longer periods of time and the different levels of physical needs has caused people to need specialized aging care. Knowing what stage you or a family member has reached is the key to getting the care you, or they, need.

For more information on how to protect your assets with LTC insurance and about long term care insurance visit us today. We represent 20 from the top LTCi providers.

Fashion trends historically start in Europe and make their way to the US…are retirement trends the next trend to jump across the pond?  The list of countries that are examining raising the retirement age or ones that have already raised continues to grow.  Spain recently announced that it has approved a plan to raise the retirement age to keep funding its pensions despite an aging population by raising the age from 65 to 67.  Greece has been in the press lately with all of its financial problems and recently said it wanted to increase the average retirement age from 61 to 63 by 2015 but that has resulted in massive strikes by workers in the country.  The United Kingdom has discussed eliminating the mandatory retirement age or increasing it stating that it could be a big boost to its economy.

Under current US federal law for Social Security benefits, for people born in 1943 through 1954, the full retirement age is 66. The full retirement age will increase gradually each year until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.  How soon will this go to 68, 69, 70?  America is not immune to the global financial issues and with the federal deficit growing, realistic choices are to raise taxes and/or prolong distribution of Social Security benefits.  Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and economic adviser to President Barack Obama recently advocated gradually raising the retirement age to reduce the stress on the Social Security system from the retiring Baby Boom demographic bulge.  In an interview on Bloomberg Television on Friday, February 19th, Volcker stated that the the Social Security program should raise the retirement age by maybe a year or so and that the increase should be implemented on a gradual basis over 15 to 20 years.

Let’s see how fast this issue bubbles up in the current state of US politics…it will be a bitter pill to swallow for the American public.

www.seniorhousingnews.com

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR) (“Ventas”) announced last week that normalized Funds From Operations (“FFO”) for the year ended December 31, 2009 increased 7.8 percent to $409.0 million, from $379.5 million for the comparable 2008 period.  The normalized FFO excludes net expense from merger-related expenses and deal costs, including fees and expenses incurred to obtain the Ventas’s favorable $101.6 million jury verdict against HCP, Inc. (“HCP”), and loss on extinguishment of debt, offset by income tax benefit.  Ventas’s net income fell to $54.1 million for Q4 2009 from $57.3 million in Q4 2008 and $266 million for FY 2009 versus $222 million in 2008.  Ventas saw average occupancy for its 78 stabilized communities increase to 88.8 percent in the fourth quarter, versus 88.1 percent in the third quarter. NOI for these 78 communities was $32.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to $33.0 million in the third quarter of 2009.

“2009 was a remarkable year for Ventas. Our cash flows from operations grew over ten percent because our high-quality, diversified healthcare and seniors housing assets demonstrated strength and reliability despite a challenging economic environment,” Ventas Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Debra A. Cafaro said. “And we are very pleased to announce that we culminated the decade as the best performing publicly-traded REIT, with a compound annual total shareholder return exceeding 35 percent.

Ventas’s operating portfolio contains 79 seniors housing communities in North America that are managed by Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. (NYSE: SRZ) (“Sunrise”).  NOI for these 79 communities was $33.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2009, compared to $32.2 million for the comparable 2008 period. Total 2009 NOI for the portfolio was $131.0 million, compared to $138.8 for the comparable 2008 period.  These facilities showed an average daily rate that rose 3.6 percent, while expenses increased 0.7 percent. Average occupancy decreased 190 basis points year-over-year, from 90.7 percent to 88.8 percent but same-store occupancy at communities managed by Sunrise rose to 88.8% in Q4, compared with 88.1% in the third quarter.

“Our portfolio of mansion-style, need-driven seniors housing managed by Sunrise continued to gain traction in the fourth quarter, with occupancy increasing to 88.8 percent in the 78 stabilized communities,” Ventas Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Raymond J. Lewis said. “We expect 2010 NOI from our portfolio to grow due to the excellent locations and desirable appearance of our communities, an improving economy and Sunrise management’s renewed focus on operations.”

For the full earnings release, visit:  http://www.ventasreit.com/news/2010/pr20100218.pdf

For the conference call transcript, visit:  http://seekingalpha.com/article/189386-ventas-q4-2009-earnings-call-transcript

Ventas 8-K

Ventas 10-K

Vigilan, provider of software for senior living, recently announced 10 new continuing education courses for assisted living community administrators for licensing requirements in 16 states.  The curriculum includes courses on managing client and residential services, human resources, leadership and governance, physical environment, and finances.  Available through Provider Management Educations Services, the courses are approved by the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators (NAB), endorsed by ACHCA (American College of Health Care Administrators) and recommended by NCAL (National Center for Assisted Living).  Participants earn 10 continuing education credits per training course.

“Continuing education is critical in order to stay up-to-speed on the atest methods and regulations, so we have created a range of curriculum for administrators to remain responsible, innovative, and responsive,” said Doug Fullaway, president and COO of Vigilan. “We work with hundreds of assisted living communities and know what is required to provide the best, quality care.  By helping facilities streamline their operations and finances, making them more efficient and ethically responsible, facilities can put their primary focus on the people.”

For more details, visit http://www.vigilan.com

The role and efficacy of exercise on a joint inflicted with arthritis has been the focus of many studies and clinical research trials across the globe. This article will examine recent literature on the impact that exercise has on arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis.

According to a clinical study published in Arch Phys Med Rehabi 2009 Jun;90(6):897-904, investigators recruited patients inflicted with knee arthritis to investigate whether weight-bearing (WB) exercise enhances functional capacity to a greater extent than nonweight-bearing (NWB) exercise. Participants were randomly assigned to WB exercise, NWB exercise, or a control group (no exercise).

WB exercise and NWB exercise groups underwent an 8-week knee extension-flexion exercise program. Walking speed, muscle torque, and knee reposition error were assessed before and after intervention. Investigators discovered that equally significant improvements were apparent for all outcomes after WB exercise and NWB exercise, except for reposition error, for which improvement was greater in the WB exercise group.

In contrast, there were no improvements in the control group. Simple knee flexion and extension exercises (WB and NWB) performed over 8 weeks resulted in significant improvement in knee strength compared with the control group.

In another study published in BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2007 DEC 7;8: 121, Bennell KL et al showed how Lower limb strengthening exercises are an important component of the treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Strengthening the hip abductor and adductor muscles may influence joint loading and/or OA-related symptoms, but no study has evaluated these hypotheses directly. The aim of this randomised, single-blind controlled trial was to determine whether hip abductor and adductor muscle strengthening can reduce knee load and improve pain and physical function in people with medial compartment knee OA.

88 participants with knee OA were recruited from the community and randomly allocated to a hip strengthening or control group. The hip strengthening group performed 6 exercises to strengthen the hip abductor and adductor muscles at home 5 times per week for 12 weeks. The control group were requested to continue with their usual care. Blinded follow up assessment were conducted at 12 weeks after randomization.

The primary outcome measure was the change in the peak of knee adduction moment measured during walking. Questionnaires were assessed in pain and physical function as well as overall perceived rating of change. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed using linear regression modelling and adjusting for baseline outcome values and other demographic characteristics.

Results from this trial contributed to the evidence regarding the effect of hip strengthening on knee loads and symptoms in people with knee OA. If shown to reduce the knee adduction moment, hip strengthening has the potential to slow disease progression.

Turkish researchers analyzed the effects of exercise on articular cartilage. Ozkan C et al published his findings in Acta Orthop Traumatol. 207;41 Suppl 2:13-8. This article reviews the influence of controlled, passive-active exercise on healing, and on the development of osteoarthritis and the short- and long-term changes in articular cartilage associated with exercise and participation in sports of different duration and intensity.

Joint cartilage, whose water content decreases itself thanks to its unique permeable medium, maintains load distribution and joint function together with the synovial fluid under physiologic conditions and sports activities. The adaptive capacity of joint cartilage is limited under various conditions such as excessive load bearing or prolonged immobilization; however, when these factors are reversed deformed cartilage returns to its former state under normal conditions.

Ozkan et al suggest that exercise contributes to cartilage healing and reduces risk for injury, and that moderate exercise can even decrease the number of cases requiring a hip replacement. Conversely, excessive (harsh) exercise may be associated with increased cartilage damage or degenerative changes. Despite the presence of osteophytic changes in joint cartilage of athletes performing mild sports activities, these may not result in osteoarthritis due to the adaptive feature of joint cartilage.

Similarly, Messier et al (J AM Geriatr Soc. 2000 Feb;48(2):131-8.), examined the effects of 18-month aerobic walking and strength training programs on static postural stability among older adults with knee osteoarthritis.

A cohort of 103 older adults (age = 60 years) with knee osteoarthritis were the participants and randomly assigned to undergo biomechanical testing. The subjects were randomized to one of three treatment arms: (1) aerobic walking; (2) health education control; or (3) weight training. Measures were made under four conditions: eyes open, double- and single-leg stances and eyes closed, double- and single-leg stances.

In the eyes closed, double-leg stance condition, both the aerobic and weight training groups demonstrated significantly better sway measures relative to the health education group. The aerobic group also demonstrated better balance in the eyes open, single-leg stance condition. Results suggested that long-term weight training and aerobic walking programs significantly improved postural sway in older, osteoarthritic adults, thereby decreasing the likelihood of larger postural sway disturbances relative to a control group.

Dr. Jack Haddad, MD, MBA is the founder and owner of King of Home Care, an independently owned non-medical In-home care agency. In addition to his compassion and dedication to the home care industry, Dr. Haddad’s expertise and knowledge with In-Home Care is evident by the clinical research trials that he has conducted over the years.