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Assisted Living: 4 Questions You Need to Ask

If you have an elderly loved one who is going to need some help with daily tasks and/or medical problems, you need to look into the assisted living options that are in your area. A retirement community may be simply that- a community where people are retired. Or, it may be a secure unit nursing home that gives residents a lot of help in their daily lives. Some residents need more assistance than others.

To be well, assisted living is a great option for many elderly people. It gives them the help they need when they need it. Some residents need to have help with things like hygiene and getting out of bed. Others need a higher level of nursing care because of ill health. When you’re assessing the extended home living residences in your area, make sure you know which types of care they provide.

When you are called to a care residential facility, this may mean that there is a problem with your loved one. There are times when the assisted living facility will call you and want to update you or to call you to come in because of a problem. Take time to tour the facility before they move in.

At a certain point, we all have to explore our senior living options for the long term — either for ourselves or the ones we love. Caring for an elderly loved one yourself is very commendable, but it can also be a source of overwhelming stress. Even if your loved one is highly functioning in both body and mind, he or she may still need assistance with certain tasks. That’s why so many loving family caregivers eventually look into an assisted living community.

Understandably, most people have a lot of questions about assisted living services. If you’re wondering about the options at your disposal, a senior referral service can help you focus on what type of care is best for your situation. To assist you in this process, we’ve made a short list of the four questions you should ask assisted living services to determine whether they’re right for you and your loved one:

  1. What exactly is assisted living?With so many different tiers and types of long term care, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or confused. Think of assisted living communities as one step up from independent living. While an independent senior living community lets residents be entirely on their own within a retirement community, assisted living is a residential option that provides assistance for certain daily activities. When researching a specific facility, make sure you are 100% clear on the services they do and do not offer.
  2. What amenities are provided?Assisted living services will vary a bit depending on the facility, but there are some core features that they usually provide. Typically, assisted living services will include help with bathing, dressing, eating, toiletries, walking and transportation, laundry, and housework. They’ll usually provide 24-hour supervision when necessary and a secure environment. Most provide three meals per day (plus snacks) in a dining room, access to medical services, fitness programs, medication management, and social activities all in a secure environment. Staff members can also help with other needs or unanticipated problems. In assisted living, medical assistance can be obtained much more quickly than in an independent facility in the event of an emergency. If there’s a particular amenity your loved one would benefit from, make sure to ask your senior referral service if it’s included before choosing an assisted living facility.
  3. How can I tell if my loved one is ready for assisted living?Although many seniors would like to live at home for the remainder of their life, this often proves to be difficult or nearly impossible. Even if you live in close proximity to your loved one, caring for a family member yourself can take its toll. If the needs of your loved one have become more than you can handle yourself, even with in-home help, it’s probably time to consider another option. If you have concerns that your loved one might be in an unsafe environment, has trouble getting around, or may feel socially isolated, assisted living can be an immense help. If you notice that your loved one is neglecting personal hygiene, proper nutrition, or household maintenance — or feel they’re acting strangely or have sustained physical injury when on their own — you should definitely consider calling assisted living services.
  4. Will assisted living cost more than a nursing home?The cost of senior care varies a lot depending on the facility you choose and the area in which you’re located. However, assisted living may actually cost less than a nursing home or even in-home care, depending on certain factors. Long term care insurance and community-based waivers can help pay for the cost of assisted living facilities. And of course, using a senior living referral service can help you to locate a great facility that’s within financial reach for your family.

Looking to find out more about the senior living options that are available to you in Tucson, AZ? We can help you and your loved one find the best facility for your situation and preferences. Please contact us today to get started.

 

Tips for Finding the Right Short-Term Rehabilitation Care Facility

Physiotherapist massaging patientIf you have a serious and long-term illness, you are probably concerned about becoming a burden to the people in your life you love and who love you. This is a common fear among people in a long-term facility. This fear surpasses the fear of death for many. This is also what leads some to go into a short-term rehabilitation care facility after a surgery or sudden medical problem.

If you are looking into a short-term rehabilitation care facility, here are some things to look for and ask when picking one.

Talk to your health insurance carrier about in-network facilities. Talk to them about the different facilities they have. They may have information beyond who is in the network and who is not. Some have different rating systems. Talk to them about their recommendations.

Talk to your friends and family.You may know someone who has been in a short-term rehabilitation care facility and they may have recommendations. It is always good to get a recommendation from someone who has been to the center or has known someone who has. They may also have suggestions about place you should avoid at all costs.

Talk to your doctor. The doctor treating you for the condition for which you want to enter a short-term rehabilitation care center knows best exactly what kind of care you will need and probably knows the best places to provide it. Not all facilities offer the same services, nor do they offer the same level of care. Going to a facility that focuses more on stroke or heart care may not work if you are having your hip replaced.

Go to the short-term rehabilitation care facility. If you can, you should visit the facility. Do this unannounced and ask to take a look at what they have to offer. Take in the whole feel of the place. How do the people who are there are the time look? Are they happy? Do they look well cared for? How are the staff? Are they willing to answer your questions? Do they engage the current residents? All of these things make a difference. If you do not like the way they treat the people there when you visit, go someplace else as you will be one of those people if you do not.

Do they have the equipment you will need in your recovery? Different conditions require different things for recovery. You may need help with balance after a surgery, what do they have to help you with that? Ask them detailed questions about this sort of thing. You need specific answers not a generic, “We have stuff to help with that.”

Do they have a particular emphasis? As already mentioned, some short-term rehabilitation care facilities will specialize in a condition or injury and only pay passing attention to others. You need a place that, even if they do not totally specialize in your issue, can give you and your problem the attention you need and deserve.

Where is it? You want a place that is close enough so that your friends and family can come visit often enough to make the experience as pleasant as possible for everyone. Having this experience can change how successful your rehab is.

Both long and short-term rehabilitation care facilities offer a lot to their residents. When people enter retirement, for instance, they worry about maintaining their independent living arrangements. The irony is that people who enter retirement communities and up being much happier than they ever expected they would be. This could be because they find more opportunities to meet new people and engage in activities they like in a senior living community than their home. Today, the average person retires at 63, which is pretty young. You have a lot of living to do after 63.

Regardless of the reason you are looking for a long or short-term rehabilitation care facility, the things to look for are pretty much the same. You need to know it is a place that can help you with your medical problem and be happy there. Luckily, there are a lot of facilities all over the country that you can choose from. Do your research and you will find one you like.

How to Buy Sheet Sets: A Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Investment in a Great Night’s Sleep

how to buy sheet setsYou may think you already know how to buy sheet sets that suit your wants and needs, but there’s always more that you can learn. The average person spends about one-third of their life laying in bed, so you should be doing everything in your power to get the best night’s sleep possible.

If you’ve ever wondered how to buy sheet sets that are comfortable and built to last, there’s just two words you need to remember: organic linen. Pure linen sheets provide the best night’s sleep of any material, bar none. The benefits they offer are truly infinite, and you’ll quickly wonder how you ever slept on anything but linen.

A common issue for most people is staying warm or cool when the temperature gets to be extreme. Whether it’s the middle of summer or the dead of winter, it’s never easy to stay comfortable through the entire night if you don’t have the right sheets. Organic sheet sets eliminate this issue, regardless of the season.

In fact, studies have found that a person wearing or sleeping on linen perspires 1.5 times less than when dressed in cotton clothes. Additionally, they perspire half as much as people dressed viscose clothes. At the same time, linen is an ideal way to stay warm in cold temperatures.

If “How to Buy Sheet Sets: 101″ was a college course, perhaps the first lesson would be on finding sheets that don’t accumulate static electricity. As you may have already guessed, organic linen is the only material that can prevent you from random shocks in the morning. Linen cloth does not accumulate static electricity, and even a small, 10% addition of flax fibers a cloth is enough to eliminate the static electricity effect.

Last but not least, you want to get the best bargain possible. When you opt for organic linen sheets, you’re making more of an investment than a purchase. Flax fabrics actually increase about 20% in strength after wetting, which means linen becomes stronger when being washed. This helps linen sheets last longer than other textiles, becoming softer and improving in comfort over time.

If you’ve been wondering how to buy sheet sets that are built to last, look no further than organic linen.

Tips for Finding the Best Therapy Services

Psychotherapy is beneficial for many people around the world. People seek out therapists to help with a host of issues and problems ranging from depression and post traumatic stress disorder to concerns about their marriages. Even more could benefit as at least 50% of people who suffer from major depression do not get any treatment at all. Approximately 350 million people are adversely impacted by depression across the globe. If you are looking for therapy services for yourself or a loved one, there are a number of things to consider. Here are some tips for what to look for and ask.

Tips for Finding the Best Therapy Services:

  • What is covered by your insurance? Many health insurance carriers do cover therapy services but have different requirements for how to take advantage of those benefits. Some require you to get a pre-certification to be able to see a therapist or counselor. You also may have to see someone who is in their network. Before you find a therapist you want to see, check with your carrier to see what their requirements are.
    What kind of therapy do you need? If you are looking for couples counseling that will be a lot different than individual therapy. Think about what kind therapy you are looking for but be at least a little open to new techniques and methods. Not every kind of therapy works for every person or every situation. Do not judge your couples counselor on the experiences you may have had with an individual therapist or vice versa. If you had a bad experience with one, that does not mean you will have the same kind of experience with another.
  • Do you think you need medication?  Psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe medication. Psychologists are not. You can get very good treatment from both but should know what to expect when you go to either.
  • Talk to your friends and family. Many more people have sought out the help of a therapist or received some kind of therapy services in their lives. It is not something everyone feels comfortable about telling people so you may know a lot of people who have seen and been helped by a therapist. Ask them not just for recommendations for good therapists but also how they found the person and even if they had a bad experience.
  • Talk to more than one therapist. If you go for therapy services and have a bad experience, do not let that turn you off from getting any counseling at all. You need to be comfortable with the person because you are going to share some really personal parts of your life and that can be extremely difficult under even the best of circumstances. It is vitally important that you be able to relate and communicate with the therapist. If you cannot do that, any time you spend with them is a waste of your time and money.
  • Ask for references. Before you go into see a therapist, look them up online. There are a lot of sites out there devoted to rating doctors and therapists. Remember that people are much more likely to complain than compliment so take that into account when you read reviews. Also, one person’s experience with a therapist may be very different from another’s so look at the totality of the reviews and the details that are given about the experiences before you weigh them too heavily.

Many people who could benefit from therapy services never go into get them because of the social stigma that currently surrounds mental health issues. This is unfortunate and costs the economy a lot. Depression costs the United States economy $80 billion (yes billion, with a “b”) in lost productivity and health care costs. Far too many people suffer needlessly because they are too ashamed to seek treatment and get help. A number of people find themselves in the criminal justice system rather than in treatment as mental health issues are often related to substance abuse and addiction. If you or someone you love is suffering from mental health issues, there is no shame in asking for help. Rather it takes courage and strength to do so.