Senior Housing and Assisted Living

The Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, located in San Diego, California, recently celebrated its grand opening and will serve as Senior Community Centers’ flagship facility.  The Gary and Mary West Foundation’s $4 million gift was instrumental in making the center and its innovative programming possible.  The facility’s uses of natural resources and technology helped the facility earn its LEED Gold Certification for energy efficiency.  Acquisition and renovation costs for the project totaled over $8 million and Senior Community Centers is working with the local community to help raise the final $1.8 million to fund the remaining parts of the project.

“The concept of retirement and aging as we know it is constantly evolving, and today’s senior is not one to sit home alone in a rocking chair,” said Paul Downey, president and CEO of Senior Community Centers. “Age is not a barrier to learning, contributing to the community and participating in active, healthy lifestyles.”

Back in the fall, Suburban Alternatives Land Trust (SALT) and Northbay Family Homes (NFH) held a competition for Senior Housing Design in California that accepted applications from from all across the world that reflected SALT’s mission of assisting low-income individuals and families to secure good housing, become homeowners and improve their economic position by working with donors of land to maximize and leverage tax advantages and benefits generated in the course of developing a full array for land use options for each parcel, including affordable homes, jobs, recreation, agriculture and open space.  Finalists have been selected but all the finalists and the honorable mention entries have all been posted in the gallery.  Visit the Design Gallery for some interesting perspective on California Senior Housing Design. 

HCP (NYSE:HCP) announced results for the quarter that showed a profit of $81 million which was up from $48 million in Q1 2009.  Revenues for the quarter rose to $295 million as HCP saw rental revenues rise and interest income increase by 32%. FFO applicable to common shares was $158.7 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, compared to FFO applicable to common shares of $128.0 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago period.

As part of the events for HCP in the first quarter, it announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with Erickson Retirement Communities ("Erickson"), which filed for bankruptcy in October 2009.  The settlement agreement provides that HCP is entitled to: (i) retain deposits held by us with balances of $5 million as of March 31, 2010; and (ii) receive an additional $9.6 million. During the quarter ended March 31, 2010, HCP recognized aggregate income of $11.9 million, which represents impairment recoveries of portions of previous impairment charges related to investments in three direct financing leases and a participation interest in a senior construction loan related to Erickson.

HCP Q1 2010 8-K

Long distance caregiving poses some unique challenges, as it is difficult to physically check-in on your loved one in their own home. Instead, you must rely on periodic visits and the reports of others. However, there are solutions to most concerns.

Concern: Your loved one cannot leave home to go grocery shopping or has a habit of buying junk food.

Solution: Help your elderly family member set up an online account at a grocery store, so he can order from home and have his groceries delivered. You can even order for him if you’d prefer to choose the food items yourself. If you’d rather order pre-made meals DineWise delivers meals nationwide. They have options for people on special low-calorie, low-fat, or low-sodium diets. This is the perfect solution for diabetics or those with high cholesterol.

Concern: Your loved one isn’t getting the most out of his doctor’s appointments.

Solution: Ask your loved-one to sign a release form the next time he is at the doctor’s office, so you can have access to his medical files and permission to talk to the doctor about confidential information. This way, you can speak with the doctor before or after an appointment to discuss your loved one’s treatment plan. Another solution is to schedule doctor’s appointments when you are going to be in town, so you can accompany your elderly family member. This way, you can talk to the doctor in person and let him know of any problems you have observed.

Concern: Your loved one does not want to move, but you don’t believe he is safe enough to live at home.

Solution: First, you can ask neighbors to stop by and say hi, just to make sure everything is ok. If you’d prefer a more thorough, technological approach, you can have a monitoring system installed. A remote monitoring system can be programmed to have a live video feed. It can also be used to set alarms, adjust the lighting, and change the temperature. It helps create the ultimate piece of mind for a long distance caregiver. If you are more concerned about your loved one getting injured or having a medical emergency, a Medical Alert System. The system includes a panic button; when pressed, the button prompts a separate unit to call a live dispatcher. The dispatcher can then send whatever help is needed. The button itself can be worn as a pendent, watch, or on a belt clip.

Long distance caregiving isn’t easy, but technology has made it simpler than ever. The products designed for home care have made a huge impact on many people’s lives and will continue to do so.

Looking to find the best deal on home caregiving products, then visit www.HomeCaregiverStore.com to find the best selection of senior care products for your long distance caregiving needs.