Retirement Living » Pro Aging Network

People on the Move – Dementia Experts Win the Community Business Partnership’s Business Plan Competition

Steve Gurney — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:38:38 +0000

FIT Interactive, a start-up company from Falls Church, VA, has won the Community Business Partnership’s 12th annual Business Plan Competition for its FIT Kits™, dementia care engagement products that help improve the quality of life for people living with dementia and those who care about them. FIT Kits™ are the creation of two Northern Virginia gerontologists and dementia care experts, Karen Love and Elia Femia, PhD. Matt Whitaker, one of the competition judges, noted that the FIT Kits™ business plan was the best he has reviewed in his four years of judging the contest.

“One of the biggest challenges in dementia is helping individuals and those who care about them stay connected,” said Dr. Femia. “Having ways to stay connected and be meaningfully engaged to experience fun and joy are important for their well-being and quality of life.”

The FIT Kits™, which cost $39.95 and can be purchased online at www.fitkits.org, contain a variety of engagement materials such as puzzles, picture books, and other interactive items that serve as tools to spark interest, engagement, and fun. “Besides supporting well-being for individuals who have dementia, there are benefits for caregivers too. It is very rewarding to be the person helping to spark the smiles, laughter and fun,” said Ms. Love.

Dementia care creates enormous financial burdens not just for individual families, but for the U.S. economy as a whole. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that dementia costs the U.S. over $160 billion a year making it a greater financial cost than cancer or heart disease. Figuring out how to maximize quality of life for people with dementia is the most important policy issue in dementia care worldwide according to a report from the National Academy on an Aging Society. “As a non-pharmacological treatment, FIT Kits™ can play an important part in improving quality of life for people living with dementia,” Dr. Femia said.

The Community Business Partnership (CBP) is a non-profit organization and a sponsored program of the Mason Enterprise Center at George Mason University that includes the Business Incubation Center, the Business Finance Center, the Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia, and the South Fairfax Small Business Development Center. The 12th Annual Business Plan Competition is sponsored by Capital One Bank, BAE Systems, Harris IT, and United Bank.

Canadian Soccer Stars in US Retirement Community

Steve Gurney — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:33:50 +0000

Radio documentary profiles the two bronze medal winning Canadian Soccer Players living in a retirement community while they play on the Washington Spirit Womens Professional Soccer Team.

Robyn Gayle and Diana Matheson —veterans of Canada’s bronze-medal-winning Olympic soccer team — are turning heads both on and off the pitch this season.

Gayle and Matheson are playing for the Washington Spirit in the brand new National Women’s Soccer League. Matheson leads the team in goals, Gayle is a key defender.

Since April Gayle and Matheson have been living free of charge in an old folks’ home in Rockville, Maryland. It’s part of an innovative social experiment.

Drum Circles for Dementia – Washington Post Article

Steve Gurney — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:29:16 +0000

Washington Post article, Seniors with dementia express themselves, connect with others in drumming circle features an innovative program, The Beat Goes On, an organization that brings drum circles — more commonly associated with college campuses and hippie gatherings — to seniors.

Read article

People on the Move – Home Physicians

Steve Gurney — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:11:21 +0000

We at Home Physicians are excited to announce the addition of two new staff members to our team. We are pleased to have Barbara Losin and Brandi Perry join our marketing team.

They have been working closely with our current marketer Jack Davidson, as he prepares for his retirement.

Barbara and Brandi will be in the community to help educate all potential recipients about their benefits. They will also work closely with the various care providers, facilities, and groups in the community, as we all strive to provide the proper care for clients when needed.

Brandi and Barbara have over 22 years of combined experience in the health care market.

They have various experience ranging from management in a primary care office, to durable medical equipment, to assisted living, to rehabilitation services.

Their wide variety of experience will lend well to them to help meet the needs of clients and patients in the region.

We have announced recent expansion in the Maryland area to now include Harford, Frederick, and Carroll counties. We will be coming to Charles county ( Maryland ) and Washington D.C. on Oct 1^st 2013.

This expansion is a natural progression of the need for Home Physicians in the region.

We will continue to provide our Primary Care and Podiatry services to all regions. If you have questions about who would qualify for these services please feel free to reach out to us.

We wish Jack Davidson the best of luck for his well earned retirement. Jack has been an asset to Home Physicians, as well as a resource for many in our community.

Thank you all, and we look forward to introducing you to Barbara and Brandi in the near future.

Casey Young
Director of Mid-Atlantic Operations
Home Physicians
705 Digital Drive Suite G
Linthicum Heights, Md. 21090
410 636 3060 ( office )

Survey Results – Mobility & Transportation Options for Older Adults – Fairfax County

Steve Gurney — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:10:07 +0000

Key Findings

Twenty-seven percent of respondents were unable to get to a destination in the past month.
The majority were unaware of the free travel training programs.
Those with the lowest annual household incomes are most likely to not leave their homes in a typical week.
A significant number restrict driving to avoid rush hours, inclement weather, and driving after dark.
Thirty-four percent of older adults and people with disabilities who have difficulty finding transportation are not aware of any fare discounts, or taxi subsidies.
Inaccessible bus stops, unsafe pedestrian crossings, and limited service prevent use of public transit.

Recommendations

Mobility Management
Establish a mobility management coalition, managed by a staff coordinator, to foster collaboration to expand transportation options for older adults and people with disabilities.
Public Transit
Off-Peak Service: Increase bus service during off-peak times to connect neighborhoods with shopping centers, senior centers, recreation centers, and libraries as well as transfer points at main-line transit stops.
Fares: Expand the locations where people can buy Senior SmarTrip cards and Metro Disability ID cards. Display Metrorail parking policies and fees more prominently.
Stop Announcements: Install automated bus stop annunciators and visual LED displays. Upgrade communications equipment and train operators to announce stations clearly.
Accessibility: Conduct PSAs about priority seating areas. Improve way-finding signage, as well as lighting at Metrorail stations. Ensure that escalator and elevator outages are fixed expeditiously and publicize ELES alerts notifying riders of elevator and escalator outages. Provide elevator redundancy at new Metrorail station.
Empowerment: Provide contact information at transit stops to enable riders to report deficiencies in service.
Bus Stop Accessibility and Pedestrian Issues
Pathways: Prioritize bus stop accessibility improvements by constructing sidewalks and curb cuts leading to stops, installing pedestrian signals and crosswalks, and adding shelters with sufficient seating.
Empowerment: Provide contact information at bus stops to enable residents to report inaccessible bus stops.
Paratransit – MetroAccess
Fare Policy: Provide a consistent, affordable fare structure that is easy to understand, especially for individuals with cognitive disabilities.
Service Area Policy: Provide consistent service hours throughout the MetroAccess service area, particularly to subsidized housing complexes built for older adults or people with disabilities.

Click to download survey results

Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease: 10 Things You Should Know

Steve Gurney — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:59:25 +0000

Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease: 10 Things You Should Know, According to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America

1. “Old age” is not an excuse.

2. Look for patterns.

3. Symptoms can mimic other conditions.

4. Not every case is the same.

5. Alzheimer’s impacts day-to-day living.

6. Alzheimer’s disease has cognitive symptoms.

7. Alzheimer’s disease has behavioral symptoms.

8. Check out warning signs.

9. Diagnosis is 90 percent accurate.

10. Don’t just take the diagnosis and run.

For more details on this list see PBS NewsHour http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/05/signs-of-alzheimers-disease-10-things-you-should-know.html

Research – Debt of the Elderly Increases

Steve Gurney — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:32:41 +0000

American families headed by individuals age 75 or older had increases in the incidence of debt, the average amount of debt held, and debt as a percentage of assets in 2010, according to research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

The EBRI analysis notes that the driver of debt for families with a head age 55 or older was housing debt: Almost three-fourths of debt payments go to pay for housing debt among these families; among those age 75 or older, housing debt accounted for two-thirds of their debt payments.

The debt levels among those with housing debt have obvious and serious implications for the future retirement security of these Americans. Perhaps most significantly, these families are potentially at risk of losing what is typically their most important asset—their home.

Additionally, older families that take on higher housing debt may well have difficulty avoiding a major lifestyle change in living arrangements for the remainder of their retirement, certainly if they plan to rely on their home as a financial asset.

More information about the EBRI analysis is available in the EBRI Notes article, “Debt of the Elderly and Near Elderly, 1992–2010,” online at http://bit.ly/11bI0We

Study Reveals MTV Generation/Gen X Similar to Baby Boomers

Steve Gurney — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:27:17 +0000

They may have been known as the MTV Generation or sometimes “the slackers,” when they first started entering the workforce more than 25 years ago, but members of Generation X (Gen X, those born between 1965 and 1976) are now as affluent, stable and saddled with responsibility as their parents were at the same age.

A new study from the MetLife Mature Market Institute, The MetLife Study of Generation X: The MTV Generation Moves into Mid-Life, reports that 70% of Gen Xers live with a spouse or partner. They have an average of 2.5 children and 82% own their own homes, though 17% of those report that the value of those homes is less than the debt attached to them. Forty-three percent have remained in the same type of career throughout their working years and just more than 40% have been with the same employer for 10 years or more. 75% are working full or part-time. Most are part of a dual-earner household.

Now approaching or in middle age, Gen Xers are part of the sandwich generation because many are caring for both their children and their parents. 10% are grandparents. The economy has not been too tough on the group, now aged 36 to 47. Just 19% earn less than $35,000 per year and fully 29% earn more than $100,000. They are arguably better educated than any generation before them-43% graduated from college. Only 50% say they are behind on their retirement savings; they have relatively high ownership rates of 401K plans (66%).

“The Gen Xers have suffered from the ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia’ syndrome since they’ve been compared with The Brady Bunch daughter, Jan, the frequently unnoticed middle child,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “Because they followed the Baby Boomers, it took a while for them to make their mark. That was also due to the fact that they’re small in number – just 50 million compared to 77 million boomers – and entered the workforce later than their predecessors.”

The moniker Generation X originated in the 1991 novel, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland (St. Martin’s Press). At the time, the group was perceived as unfocused 20-somethings, lacking drive and taking an extraordinarily long time to grow up. They were the first to be associated with the term, “emerging adulthood” because they were thought to have put off being fully self-sufficient until their late 20s.

The GenXers grew up in the 1980′s and 90′s listening to Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. They spent their childhood and adolescence watching MTV and The Cosby Show and, identified with the characters in the movies, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Fully 46% were latch-key children whose parents both went to work.

Other aspects of Generation X revealed in the study include the following:

The majority (63%) of Gen Xers still have both parents living and almost two in 10 regularly provide care for their aging parent(s).
Almost six in 10 Gen Xers report they include exercise in their daily routines.
Approximately 20% have never been married.
70% of Gen Xers are not confident that Social Security will be there to provide benefits when they retire.
Most would like to retire at age 62, but believe working until at least age 67 is inevitable.
Many Gen Xers identify as Baby Boomers.
Two in ten Gen Xers have been married more than once.
On average, Gen Xers own about four financial products, with those in higher income brackets much more likely to own more products.

Methodology

The nationally representative survey for The MetLife Study of Generation X: The MTV Generation Moves into Mid-Life was conducted by GfK Custom Research North America on behalf of the MetLife Mature Market Institute between November 29, 2012 and December 19, 2012. A total of 1,000 interviews were completed by phone – respondents were all born between the years of 1965 and 1976. Data were weighted by demographics to reflect the total Gen X population.

The MetLife Mature Market Institute®

Now in its 16th year, the MetLife Mature Market Institute is Metropolitan Life Insurance Company’s (MetLife) center of expertise in aging, longevity and the generations and is a recognized thought leader by business, the media, opinion leaders and the public. The Institute’s groundbreaking research, insights, strategic partnerships and consumer education expand the knowledge and choices for those in, approaching or working with the mature market.

The Institute supports MetLife’s long-standing commitment to identifying emerging issues and innovative solutions for the challenges of life. MetLife, Inc. is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit: www.MatureMarketInstitute.com.

People on the Move – Homecrest House

Steve Gurney — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:21:08 +0000

Homecrest House is excited to announce that they have hired a Marketing/Wellness Coordinator, Esther Kaleko-Kravitz to help support our missionary based affordable senior community and reach out to local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and physician offices. Esther will work closely with our strategically aligned partners and health care providers to promote wellness and supportive care to our residents.

Listed below are the Homecrest Partners who work collaboratively with our team to provide a holistic approach to caring for the low income, elderly members of our community.

Premier Homecare, provides assistance with the activities of daily living, homemaking and care management.
Jewish Social Service Agency, provides case management and in-home counseling.
Dr. Barwell, an Audiologist to help with hearing related issues.
Dr. Ratner, a Dermatologist that provides skin care treatment.
Dr. Mantoni, a dentist who provides dental care on site.
Potomac Home Health Care, provides physical and occupational therapy, skilled nursing and are Medicare certified.
Top Banana, providing home delivery of groceries.
Kensington Pharmacy, provides free prescription delivery service.
Home Physicians, provides a Registered Nurse Practitioner for health evaluations and prescriptions and podiatrist.

B’nai B’rith Homecrest House is an interfaith, nonprofit senior residence located at 14508 Homecrest Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20906. Nestled amidst 10 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds with its own lake, the three buildings of Homecrest House provide 235 apartments for independent senior living and 42 apartments for personal care services. There are also a limited number of apartments for adults with physical mobility challenges. Homecrest apartments are eligible for subsidies to assist seniors with limited incomes. For more information contact Maria Karavangelos, Marketing and Development Coordinator, at 301-598-4000, Extension 79.

People on the Move – Cleveland Park Village

Steve Gurney — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:18:58 +0000

Veteran health and education activist Susan Hester takes office as founding Executive Director of Cleveland Park Village. “For the first year, my vision for Cleveland Park Village has four aspects,” she told a gathering at the Cleveland Park Congregational Church in March. “To make it a reliable neighborhood resource; to create a corps of dependable volunteers; to become a visible neighborhood presence; and to enhance community spirit.”
A North Carolina native, Hester has lived in Washington since she arrived in 1980 as a chapter coordinator for the National Organization for Women (NOW). With a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Iowa, Hester worked previously in her family’s private education business, Hester’s Creative Schools, and managed the business’s ten preschools serving more than 1,000 families.
Susan’s resume showcases the skills she will need in her new job. She was development director for the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) in its major growth years from 1982-87; then a fundraising consultant; and then founder in 1990 and executive director of the Mautner Project for Lesbians With Cancer. There she launched programs of education, advocacy, research and training, including the National Breast Cancer Coalition. She has also served as executive director of the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing.
Susan Hester has won many awards for her service to the Washington community, including in 2011 the Barbara Seaman Award for Activism in Women’s Health, from the National Women’s Health Network. Her knowledge of health care, organizational development, fundraising and management bode well for the future of Cleveland Park Village.
The Cleveland Park Village is a neighborhood organization committed to building community and helping our neighbors age safely and confidently in their own homes through the support of a network of dedicated neighborhood volunteers. Services include practical help with grocery shopping, rides to doctor’s appointments, errands, figuring out tasks on the computer, and help with simple household tasks. Other resources include social, cultural, and educational activities and events. There are 20 Villages in the DC metro area and more than 100 across the country, all with a track record of success in making their communities a better place for neighbors of all ages.

Cleveland Park Village

P.O. Box 11231

Washington, DC 20008

202-716-9005