Senior Housing and Assisted Living

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius, Assistant Secretary for the Administration on Aging Kathy Greenlee and Maryiln Tavenner from Centers For Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) hosted a web chat to discuss the benefits of the new health reform law as it relates to America’s seniors.  The 30 minute video has 10 minutes of prepared remarks and 20 minutes of Q&A from consumers.  The chat discussed topics such as the doughnut hole and protecting seniors from fraud. An interesting tidbit from the presentation was that their estimates shows there are 34 million seniors and that CMS received 26 million calls last year on 1-800-medicare.  Maybe its time to make things easier?   www.healthreform.gov

DelWebb recently announced that it is expanding its national footprint to the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas as a result of its merge with Centex homes.  As a result, Southshore Falls, a Centex-branded active adult community in Apollo Beach will be rebranded as a Del Webb community, and La Cresta by Del Webb will be renamed to Del Webb Orlando to better align to the draw of the many seeking an active adult lifestyle in the Orlando area.  According to Pulte, the company is seeing positive traffic and market share results are springing from the company’s implementation of its brand program, specifically the recently re-branded communities Alegria by Del Webb in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Rancho Del Lago by Del Webb in Tucson, Arizona.

“One of the benefits of the Centex-Pulte merger is the ability to fully leverage our brands across all buyer segments and look for opportunities to rebrand communities to better reflect what each of the brands stand for,” said Deborah Meyer, senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer for Pulte Homes, Inc., corporate parent of the Del Webb brand. “Del Webb has one of the best brand names in the homebuilding industry and homebuyers know what to expect in a Del Webb community with its rich amenities and facilitated lifestyle. This strong brand has delivered on the lifestyle promise.”

Southshore Falls is a community of approximately 850 homes just south of Tampa that was originally opened in 2004 as a Centex active adult community and is receiving more than $1.5 million in design and lifestyle upgrades to deliver on the Del Webb promise.

Set to grand open in June, La Cresta by Del Webb in Davenport, Fla. will be renamed to Del Webb Orlando. Today, revised construction plan includes approximately 830 homes, plus a much-anticipated $6 million state-of-the-art amenity center with indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, new walking trails, and other amenities.

“Today’s Baby Boomers have a variety of options to where to move to when they retire, but are still lured to Florida by its low cost of living, affordable housing prices, proximity to the coast, no income tax, and tropical climate,” said Scott Campbell, division president of Central Florida operations for Del Webb. “We see a great opportunity to capitalize on this market segment by rebranding Southshore Falls and Del Webb Orlando to drive better results in traffic, sales and profitability.”

The Board of Directors for Alaska Housing Finance Corporation recently announced that it approved an $846,000 mortgage loan to Lumen Park Associates for a 20-unit low- to moderate-income independent senior housing project to be located in South Anchorage, Alaska.  The facility will consist of a three-story building comprised of eight one-bedroom apartments and a dozen two-bedroom units. In addition to the $846,000 mortgage loan from AHFC, Lumen Park Associates intends to use a $1.8 million grant provided under AHFC’s Senior Citizens’ Housing Development Fund and $2.6 million provided under the federal low-income housing tax credit program. 

This is the eighth affordable housing facility in Alaska developed by Trapline-CDI, the developer, and financed by AHFC.  Five of the 20 units will be reserved for residents earning 30 percent or less of median income; five will be for residents earning 50 percent or less, and nine will be for residents earning 60 percent or less.

Ageing Asia Investment Forum (AAIF2010) last week hosted business leaders from 16 countries and 26 business sectors including real estate, healthcare, wellness, finance, planning and architecture are meeting for a two‐day business
conference, in a bid to tap opportunities and seek solutions to Asia’s imminent ‘ageing crisis’.  The conference had presentations from executives in the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore to identify some of the best in class solutions for each country.

According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, by 2050, Asia Pacific will be home to almost two‐thirds of the world’s ageing population of over 60. In a UBS report (24 June, 2008) which provides insights into key investment issues in Asia and the material implications of ageing on the region, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea are all expected to be among the 10 fastest ageing countries globally.

For a copy of the event’s keynote speech, click here.

Adult day care services and centers are needed more and more each day. In these difficult times, adult care services are a lifeline for many who need care. Centers can be a place where adults meet to socialize or a place where those suffering from a mental illness can find treatment. This kind of care is needed in all communities.

These centers are designed to provide adults with some social and health services. Care centers are also able to give those who need supervision a safe place outside of their home. These centers provide both professional and compassionate services to adults within a community-based group setting.

There are many who cannot afford a skilled nursing facility or in-home care. For these people, a care center is a perfect solution. Day centers often cost much less than the other options and are open during normal business hours. Some facilities may even be open during evening hours and on the weekend.

All centers are different. Most offer general services. These are meals and snacks, personal care, therapeutic and social activities. Many centers also give transportation to and from the facility. Many social and therapeutic activities include board games or light cardiovascular workouts. Many will give assistance for daily personal needs like eating, grooming, and toileting.

Centers are generally divided into three types. These are social, medical or health, and specialized. As mentioned above, social centers will offer the more basic services in health but provide meals and recreational activities. Centers which deal with medical and health issues offer the general services with more intensive therapeutic services and more social activities. The third type only provides care to those adults in specific care areas. Most of these treat adults with developmental disabilities or diagnosed dementias. The type of facility needed is entirely based on the level of care needed.

Centers like these provide care for many who would not otherwise be able to afford it. As health care costs continue to rise, these centers will become more necessary. Without them, many adults would have no place to go and would be in an unsafe environment at home alone.

Next, find more resources on finding adult day care providers in your area from online sitting services including the very popular Sittercity.com.

1. Not having a discussions about alternative living arrangements for your parents.

It is critical to be proactive about this! If you start this process early on, it will be a lot easier and much less confrontational. When you start these discussions about options and choices early on, you are able to be much more relaxed and calm about it.

Waiting until after Mom has fallen and broken her hip, there is no time to be relaxed or low key. At that point emotions are running high and you are under the gun to find a solution for Mom’s care quickly.

2. Being in the dark when it comes to your parent’s finances.

Know whether or not they have a long term care policy. If so, you should know where it is and make sure it’s easily accessible. Also, take some time to read through it so you know what it does and does not cover.

If they do not have insurance, what other financial resources do they have? Perhaps it would make sense for you and your parents to talk with an attorney about Medicaid eligibility and spend down rules. Also, if you have a parent who is a Veteran, it’s possible they’re eligible to receive coverage for some services.

3. When your parents’ health starts to fail, thinking that a nursing home is the only option.

These days there are a myriad of choices and options. If one is adamant about staying in his or her own home, there is a good chance they can have care there until they pass.

There are also ways to be very creative about combining several modalities of care. For instance, a family might have their father go to adult day care several times a week during the day, then have a caregiver stay over nights and family members supplement the other times if needed. The possibilities are endless to customize a plan that is just right for your situation.

4. Waiting until the last minute to get help.

When Mom is scheduled to come home from the hospital tomorrow, there are few things more stressful than having to start coming up with a plan of care. In situations like that when there is so much stress, it’s nearly impossible to make a good, rational decision in such a short period of time.

You’ll want to do your research as early as possible. Identify some facilities or agencies and contact them. See which ones you get a good vibe from and build a relationship with them. Arrange for you and/or your parent(s) to visit or have someone come to the home for an assessment. By starting the process sooner rather than later, you can call on people who are familiar with your situation if an emergency occurs.

5. Only looking at cost when deciding between care options.

This can be a tricky one. If you are looking at nursing homes, understand that there are very expensive ones that have poor track records when it comes to care. Fancy brochures, videos or tours don’t count for much. Try your best to talk with residents and their loved ones to get a better feeling about the quality of care the nursing home offers.

When it comes to in-home care, the lowest hourly rate may not be your best option. Keep in mind that good, quality caregivers require a higher salary. The good home care agencies simply can’t offer the lowest rates yet provide the best senior caregivers. And be sure that you meet, and approve of, any caregiver BEFORE they start providing care for your loved one.

Theanna Zika started St. Louis senior home care company, Heavenly Helpers, in 2004. She shares tips, strategies and advice about caring for seniors that she has learned over the years on the blog at her company’s website. The site also features a helpful list of St. Louis senior resources for seniors and their loved ones in the St. Louis Metro area.