“These active adults are the largest, wealthiest and fastest-growing segment in the population and they are searching for products, services and programs that are designed specifically for them,” says Lisa Puma, senior director of Marketing of GHA Community Management. Essentially, these individuals are looking for a maintenance-free, activity-filled, and well-managed community where they can begin their transition into retirement.

An option that perfectly complements the lifestyles of these vigorous individuals””while shifting from the common misconceptions surrounding senior housing””are Active Adult Communities, a unique form of housing where individuals move in at the age of 55 or older to enjoy the perks of various amenities. Many communities offer the option of purchasing a home or renting to further accommodate individual financial needs.

As with any other housing option, it is recommended that individuals speak to residents and the management of prospective communities in order to become familiar with their philosophy. It is also important to understand how the management of active adult communities differs from multi-family management.

“Unlike multi-family, active adult communities are unique because they require more complex management to serve the lifestyle of the homeowners,” says Lisa.”The goal is not only to achieve a successful homeowners association, but to build social involvement, exercise, education, stress reduction and a balanced lifestyle.”

GHA Community Management has a specialty division that provides professional management and lifestyle services to meet the needs of active adult communities. This includes services ranging from in-home maintenance to energy and utility management as well as various consulting services, including those for community lifestyle directors and amenity and recreational building design reviews.

Although many do not offer healthcare services, active adult communities are an appealing housing option with their extensive list of amenities and homes that are low maintenance and easily accessible. The communities are typically adjacent to recreational facilities and golf courses, and often include tennis courts and swimming pools among other perks.

With all of these aspects of a community, it is the responsibility of active adult management and key members of the staff to establish a relationship with residents that ensures the different facets of their home suits their needs and overall lifestyle.

The death of a loved one is a painful, stressful time and dealing with personal effects, wills, finances and funeral preparations is only an added frustration. Many Americans wrongfully assume the preparation for death can wait until they are senior citizens or in a retirement home. The fact is, often times when people wait till this point in life they are simply not in the best state of mind to prepare this type of information.

Terry Ann Black from Lafayette, Calif. knows the story all too well. After the death of her father-in-law, a safe deposit box key was discovered amongst his belongings with no information on where the actual box was located. Terry and her husband searched everywhere for some type of information or records about the box. After days of endless searching, frustration and sadness, Terry and her husband lost hope.

Anecdotes like these demonstrate that it is never too early to begin preparing for death. The best time is now. There are several, important road marks in life that can be great reasons for preparing this type of information; marriage, purchasing of real estate or the birth of children. Any time there is a significant change in life or finances, it is imperative the information and wishes be documented in a safe, secure place.

Many people underestimate the amount of information needed. Gathering all the crucial details can be timely and overwhelming. Important questions that might be overlooked in a will are:
-Where is your will kept?
-Do you have a guardian for your minor children
-Who is it and what is their phone number and address?
-Do you have any hidden assets?
-Do you own real estate other than your home? Where is it located?
-In the event of your death, who would you like notified?

Bringing up the subject of death preparation is both awkward and uncomfortable for everyone involved. This holiday season could be the perfect time to discuss details with your family and prepare and distribute the information. Compile it for your loved ones providing your survivors with a complete list of last wishes and personal records. Peace of mind during a difficult time can be the last and best gift they ever receive.

Caring Is Not Enough is a guidebook offering a simple and efficient way to prepare crucial, personal information before the end of life. The book contains more than 100 crucial questions and is an easy way to address the awkward subject with family members, friends and loved ones. The book is in question/answer format and takes approximately 1-4 hours to complete. Copies of Caring Is Not Enough can be ordered online at www.caringisnotenough.net

The onset of dementia and other illnesses can subtly but seriously impact the driving skills of some individuals when they are still in their 60s, while other individuals have outstanding driving skills in their 80s and beyond. The challenge is to find an objective, standardized, and practical method for reliably assessing the critical cognitive and motor skills needed for safe driving.

The new assessment program being developed by Raydon Corporation and the Eastern Virginia Medical School is called the Functional Driver AssessmentT, or FDAT. It will measure a person’s performance in various cognitive and psychomotor tasks to determine not only a person’s ability to drive, but also to ascertain the person’s overall cognitive abilities.

Raydon is an established leader in military applications of ground vehicle simulation training. Since 1995, the company has been producing and marketing cutting-edge driving simulators to train and evaluate drivers. Raydon simulator programs teach driver education to novice drivers and driver improvement for experienced drivers.

“This validated assessment tool is a perfect complement to our other driving programs as we look to expand the use of Raydon’s commercial simulation technology and to provide affordable solutions for assessing driver performance,” stated Don Ariel, Raydon Founder and CEO.

Barbara Freund, Ph.D., an associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, is a nationally recognized researcher on driver safety among older adults. She developed a simulated driving assessment tool that objectively tests the cognitive and motor skills used in driving. Her computerized assessment tool has been validated against on-road assessments. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) refers elderly drivers to Freund for evaluation.

“DMVs are looking for help on how to evaluate drivers objectively without penalizing them just because they’re old,” said Freund.

Crash rates for drivers 75 and older are second only to the rates of drivers under 24, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Older driver involvement in fatal crashes is projected to increase 155 percent by 2030, accounting for 54 percent of the total projected increase in fatal crashes among all drivers.

“As the population ages, the percentage of older drivers increases and declining driver competence becomes an urgent public health problem,” said Freund.

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of elderly driver restrictions, including accelerated renewal procedures and requirement for vision tests. Two states, Illinois and New Hampshire, mandate road tests for drivers age 75 and older, but few DMVs have personnel trained to objectively evaluate older drivers.

“The DMV is primarily equipped to conduct road tests with novice drivers, not experienced older drivers,” said Freund. In most cases, DMVs refer evaluations to specialists trained to evaluate older drivers. That can be expensive and evaluations are not standardized.

Freund’s 30-minute driver evaluation program requires driving on suburban, urban, and rural roads, with the execution of maneuvers likely to cause stress – for instance, avoiding a pedestrian on a highway. The program evaluates driver performance and categorizes drivers as either safe or unsafe. Because driving requires a range of cognitive functions, the simulator testing may bring attention to a previously undiagnosed cognitive impairment.

“Undiagnosed cognitive impairment and dementia are surprisingly prevalent among older apparently healthy individuals,” Freund said. “This may allow us to recognize the impairment early on and refer the person for treatment.”

Raydon and EVMS plan to begin working on the implementation of the FDA program immediately and expect to release the evaluation program by Fall 2006.

Senior Health Watch focuses on what health care service providers are concentrating on-health issues that are specifically important to seniors and their families. Gerontology programs are among the most technologically advanced programs in area hospitals. From Diabetes to Alzheimer’s and from Cardiology to Orthopaedics, the health problems that directly affect a large majority of the senior population are now, more than ever, on the forefront of the medical community’s mind.

Preparing for the upcoming senior boom, while caring for the nation’s elderly, has already proven to be an arduous task. However, health care service providers have answered this challenges by funneling more financial, technical, and manpower resources toward delivering high quality treatment options for seniors.

Featured Health Issue: Orthopaedics
Orthopaedics focuses on the care and treatment of the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system includes the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and skin. Physicians specializing in this area of medicine are called orthopaedic surgeons or orthopaedists. Orthopaedists treat diseases and conditions ranging from fractures and dislocations to arthritis and osteoporosis. Many of their areas of specialization are especially important to the continued health and mobility of seniors.

Treatment options for orthopaedic problems include medical treatments, rehabilitation, and surgery. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), “Typically, as much as 50 percent of the orthopaedist’s practice is devoted to non-surgical or medical management of injuries or disease and 50 percent to surgical management.”

Surgical procedures can be used to correct problems with bones, joints, muscles, and tendons and restore lost function. One of the most common surgical procedures performed by Orthopaedic surgeons is total joint replacement, during which an injured or diseased joint is replaced with a prosthetic device. The most common joint replacement surgeries are hip replacement and knee replacement. “In 2002, more than 557,000 hip or knee replacement surgeries were performed,” notes AAOS’ website.

Hip replacement surgery is most often performed as a result of a current hip fracture, joint pain from a previous injury, or arthritis. The overall goal of hip replacement surgery is to allow patients to perform most of the activities they did prior to surgery without pain. Before deciding to undergo hip replacement surgery, patients should first attempt to treat their condition with the use of a cane or other walking aid, medication, and physical therapy. Patients should also consult with their Orthopaedist regarding other joint rehabilitation options.

Knee replacement surgery can be helpful for individuals who are suffering from stiff, painful knees that prevent them from performing normal daily activities without pain. Knee pain can be a result of arthritis, a previous injury, joint overuse, or a number of other causes. Like candidates for other joint replacement surgery, Knee replacement patients should exhaust all other treatment options-including the use of walking supports, anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical therapy-before seeking surgery. A qualified orthopaedic surgeon can help patients make a final determination as to whether or not surgery is right for them.

Following joint replacement, patients will spend several days recovering in the hospital and will then be sent home or to a rehabilitation facility to continue the initial healing process. After the initial healing period, patients will generally work with a Physical Therapist for outpatient therapy for another one to two months. With the help of Orthopaedists, Physical Therapists can put together a comprehensive exercise routine that will help patients recover from surgery and regain the ability to perform daily activities without pain.

Aging Joints
While muscle and joint problems are often caused by arthritis or injuries, exercise and a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent problems or relieve pain once it exists. Many patients that experience muscle or joint pain erroneously assume that increased movement will increase their pain. Normal soreness after exercising will likely occur, but with continued activity, many patients actually experience a reduction in pain.

The loss of muscle and bone mass is a normal part of the aging process and cannot be prevented. However, exercising and regulating diet can help to slow the process, thereby reducing the risk of age-related joint and muscle injuries. Stretching, walking, swimming, or engaging in another moderate physical activity for just 30 minutes a day will help to keep muscles and bones strong and healthy.

As the field of Orthopaedics continues to grow, patients are benefiting from an increasingly wide range of options to treat muscle and joint problems. Senior patients in particular have seen a dramatic increase in the treatment options available to remedy painful muscle and joint problems resulting from old injuries, recent falls, or arthritis and other chronic conditions. By making more pro-active personal care decisions and seeking proper treatment from medical professionals, seniors can now experience increased mobility and decreased muscle and joint pain and weakness for generations to come.

Article adapted from information available on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ website. Visit www.aaos.org for more information.

Get Out and Get Moving

Did you know that . . .

Lack of exercise and poor diet are the second largest cause of death in the U.S.

Physical activity helps to delay, or even prevent, diseases like cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

Seniors can improve their muscle mass, balance, and strength by exercising.

Regular exercise can help seniors retain their mobility and avoid disabilities.

Exercise can improve some diseases and disabilities in older people.

Exercise can help relieve depression.

Adapted From: http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/agepages/exercise.htm.

BONE HEALTH: Spotlight on Arthritis

Arthritis . . .

Can cause pain and loss of movement in joints in any part of the body

Is one of the most common diseases in the U.S.

Affects half of all adults over the age of 65

Causes joint pain and lessened mobility

Can lead to serious disabilities

Is most effectively treated by rest and exercise

Improves when sufferers are taught how to properly use their joints

Adapted From: http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/agepages/arthritis.htm

Keeping people motivated comes naturally to this former teacher. Mrs. Bowen taught for 16 years in several different states. After her husband passed away, she retired from teaching and continued to live in their home in Ripley, OH. When she began to experience some health problems, she realized that her two children were too far away to be able to help. During her search for a retirement community near her daughter in Silver Spring, Mrs. Bowen looked at several places, but she knew instantly when she found the perfect fit.

She recalls, “The first time I walked in to Aspenwood I decided that this was where I wanted to live.” The community is not too big and has a friendly atmosphere, she explains. “I love to socialize, and with a community this size, you really get to know most of the residents and the staff,” says Mrs. Bowen.

The people at Aspenwood keep Mrs. Bowen motivated. “The staff members are really great, and I truly enjoy the company of all my friends here,” she says. Her level of involvement demonstrates her happiness. Mrs. Bowen volunteers at the community library, is a member of the bridge club, attends bible study, and participates in special activities and community outings. As a member of the Aspenwood players, she works with her fellow residents to select, rehearse, and perform plays at the community. “We try to do plays that have a theme about senior citizens, and we really like to perform for each other,” she says. For Mrs. Bowen, winding down comes in the form of exercise classes at the community. She notes, “My stretch and tone class is not very long or very strenuous, but I can always tell a difference if I don’t go.”

Mrs. Bowen concludes, “I really like living here. There is so much to do and so many great people.” Making sure she does her fair share to give back to the community certainly keeps her busy.