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5 Effective Ways to Handle Common Problems and Complaints in Nursing Homes

As an adult child, caring for your elderly parents who can no longer look after themselves can be a challenge. You may find that juggling between their needs and your responsibilities can become unmanageable in the long run. Although this may be a difficult choice, you may need to think about sending your loved one to a nursing home or consider in-home care. All in all, you want your parents in an environment where they can thrive and enjoy a quality life.

Nursing homes provide care to millions of senior citizens in the United States. These facilities provide compassionate quality care from the professionals most of the time. However, family members or even residents may sometimes complain about the quality of care. Feel free to speak out if you have concerns about a specific incident or an ongoing situation. Read on to learn how to problem-solve in nursing homes to get results.

How to Handle Common Problems and Complaints in a Nursing Home

The nursing home industry is constantly faced with various challenges due to ever-changing regulations, staffing shortages, and declining profits. These may lead to negligence issues since the available staff is expected to perform complex treatments with limited resources.

While some actions may cause inconveniences but no harm to the overall health of patients, others may cause pain and even serious harm. Physical abuse and neglect are major causes of concern because they put your loved one in immediate danger of severe injury or death.

Here are practical steps to take if you have concerns about the quality of care in a nursing home.

Investigate Before You Complain to the Staff or Administration

There are various forms of complaints in nursing homes. While many are valid and need immediate action, some are personal views about the lack of quality care among residents and family members with straightforward solutions. Be sure to talk to primary caregivers and get details before complaining to the staff or administration. It might just be a misunderstanding with a simple explanation. Some common complaints include:

Roommate Conflicts

There is always a possibility of conflict when people share a room due to differences in personalities and interests. It is best to give the residents a period of adjustment to know each other if the facility lacks private rooms or if you cannot afford one. Also, many nursing homes allow room change if the conflict cannot be resolved.

Lost Items

Items are likely to get lost in shared spaces. They may not be necessarily stolen but can be misplaced. It is advisable to have an insurance cover on items that get easily lost, like eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dentures.

Food Issues

There is no doubt that home meals are better than nursing facility food. As people age, they tend to lose taste making it impossible to enjoy even good food. This may lead to malnutrition if left unchecked. You can ask the caregivers about the kinds of food allowed within the facility and bring some whenever you visit. Just ensure that the meals are within their special diet list.

Work To Establish Good Relationships with the Nursing Aides

The aides are the people who look after your loved ones. Build trust and friendship between them, your family, and other residents. Make an effort to know them as individuals and appreciate the excellent work they do. You can also help them understand your mother’s habits, preferences, and quirks. This allows the staff to take good care of your loved ones. For instance, they may know to whom the hearing aids they found in the bundled bedsheets belong.

Get Involved in the Nursing Home

Do you have any talent that you can share with the residents? Most times, there is nothing much for the elderly to do, leading to another common problem in nursing homes, boredom. You can volunteer your skills during regular events and become a familiar face in the community. The skills can be music, computer instruction, storytelling, or art. 

At times, all your parents need is to spend some quality time with their loved ones. Ask your family and friends to join in the fun and become part of the community. Your parents are more likely to participate in group activities, keeping them engaged. Also, become a regular visitor, show up any time of the day, and make yourself a welcome presence among staff and residents. It allows you to observe, note, and report serious lapses in care such as neglect of personal hygiene, weight loss, illness, or apparent deterioration.

Don’t Miss Important Meetings

Nursing homes have regular meetings, quarterly or yearly. You can ask the staff for the dates and times of such meetings and include them in your calendar. Take this opportunity to understand how things run in the facility and give suggestions where needed. Compliment the staff when they are doing well, and they will be more inclined to change when things go wrong

You can also ask questions and raise your concerns with the direct caregivers regarding your family member. Be sure to consider what the staff says since they spend more time than anyone with the residents. They may know your loved one needs more than you may like to admit.

Follow Chain of Command in Case of Serious Problems

It is a good idea to try solving things with the staff or organization first. You can talk to the individual in question or manager to put things right through an informal conversation. However, you should launch a formal complaint about serious issues such as verbal, physical, and sexual abuse to the nursing home administration, an ombudsman, and the department of health in your state.

Wrapping Up

Nursing homes provide 24/7 skilled nursing and supportive care to aging and disabled adults. While most residents and their families have a positive experience with nursing facilities, problems may sometimes arise. Raising concerns is crucial in protecting the rights of the elderly and improving the quality of nursing home services. Ensure to approach the issue with a mindset of problem-solving as opposed to blaming. And if all this doesn’t work, email [email protected] and someone on our corporate team will contact you.

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Senior Communities Specifically Combat The Nature Of Loneliness In Isolation

Winter, both literally and figuratively, can be a lonely time. This is especially true in someone living alone, growing old alone, without frequent visits and calls from friends and loved ones. Their heartache falls heavy on our shoulders.

The pandemic has dramatically increased physical isolation and the feelings of loneliness so suddenly, and for such a long period, that there is no way that these feelings aren’t damaging to our loved ones who are living alone. When evidence of loneliness arises, it’s essential to know how to combat the negative feelings and reach out for contact.

The Nature of Loneliness

Loneliness is personal and difficult to explain. Many people associate loneliness with being physically alone, but you can feel even more alone in a room full of people. We feel lonely when we cannot, for one reason or another, seem to connect on a personal level with another person. We need to feel understood by someone, and we need to feel valued.

Everyone is different in the amount of connection needed to meet their needs. People with close friends that they have continuous contact with, a family that they routinely see, and an active social calendar are less lonely.

Almost 30% of our elderly population currently live alone. Over time, so many people that they knew, that made them feel valued and safe, have been lost to time. It can be difficult for aging parents to accept nurturing and reassurance from their children because they are the ones who are supposed to be doing the nurturing and the reassuring. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has taken us away from our extended family members who need us and has replaced much of our face-to-face contact with phone calls and sporadic visits that can leave us feeling more guilty than when we arrived.

Many in our senior population have never used a computer, let alone Zoom. Phone calls are great when issues are discussed, gossip is shared, and laughs are had, but superficial calls may have little benefit when loneliness is concerned.

Our remaining time with our loved ones shouldn’t be this way. Do you know how to tell if your loved one is lonely in the isolation that still defines our day-to-day schedules?

Effects of Loneliness and the Pandemic

Loneliness increases a person’s sensitivity towards what they consider a threat, especially socially. The longer that they are separated from the community outside, the more the outside world seems too fast and too far away.

The coronavirus and the resulting quarantine are each major life events that cause both emotional and psychological damages in the elderly, many of whom already feel they are in a precarious place with their health. They need to connect with us, and we need to connect with them, meaningfully. And science has proven that we cannot exist without human contact.

Some of our loved ones may feel secure enough to express their emotions while others may not know how. Signs of loneliness in our elderly population include:

• Increased/Decreased sleeping hours
• Higher anxiety
• Neglecting hygiene
• Increased/Decreased weight, eating problems
• Increased amount of time online chatting with total strangers
• Making important decisions erratically
• Increasing mental health distress
• Excessive changes in ‘calming’ activities, such as shopping or showering

When our loved ones are lonely, they are more prone to falls, cognitive decline, and feelings of hopelessness. Loneliness can wreak havoc on your immune system and increase inflammation in the body. Serious heart events can happen, and dementia symptoms can worsen by up to 50%.

As their loneliness increases, their related problems increase and the less they will want to bother you. They are more likely to fall and less likely to tell you about it. Again, they are more likely to sink into depression and less likely to tell you how they feel.

The coronavirus has prevented us from physically being there to observe how they walk, how they are taking care of themselves, and gauge how they feel. They need to be heard, they need to be seen, and they need to be a part of a supportive community. The pandemic seems to have taken some very important options from us.

Combating Loneliness by Staying Active with Purpose

The most effective way to support your loved ones is to give them the community that they need to grow. Loneliness decreases with physical and mental activities that support healthy cognitive functions. The unfortunate truth is that, as much as we want to, we can’t always be there when we want to be. We have careers, children, and social lives that are already difficult to balance, and help is both needed and desired.

Your loved one needs, and deserves, physical activities, mental challenges, and friends to share their experiences with. For example, when many people hear about senior communities, their minds have already pulled up images of movie-quality nursing homes, complete with neglected patients, dirty rooms, and abusive staff. This simply isn’t the case in reality.

A senior-based community allows our elderly loved ones to live in an environment with a slightly slower pace, where they have plenty of activities to choose from and plenty of people to converse with when you can’t be there. Possible activities include, but are definitely not limited to:

• Structured exercise based upon ability: low impact chair exercises, pool aerobics, walking clubs, physical therapy, etc.
• Specialized groups, such as informal book clubs, singing groups, church meetings, etc.
• Crafts and hobbies
• Computer classes geared towards the elderly
• Volunteering for a cause
• Field trips with new friends: shopping, going to the movies, going out to dinner

Senior communities don’t exist singularly for older adults who can no longer care for themselves. Many people are now making a move earlier in their lives, choosing to live out their retirement in an independent apartment in the community, where life moves a little slower, they can get used to the environment, and where help is just a hop and a skip away.

Peace of Mind for All

Rates of loneliness and isolation decrease in senior communities due to their growing options for activities, ways to live independently, and resemblance to a fancy hotel, rather than a hospital. Fine dining, plenty of safe social activities, and wellness support all contribute to a comfortable, and nurturing environment.

Senior communities, and their related activities, specifically combat the nature of loneliness in isolation. A senior community can offer your loved ones many of the choices that COVID-19 has taken away from them.

Unfortunately, the pandemic seems far from being over. Right now would be an excellent time to contact us about our community and the full services we can offer you. Accel Longmont can not only relieve the loneliness in your loved one’s life, but they can also take at least some worry and responsibility off your shoulders. Freedom can be the greatest gift.

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Choosing a Good Nursing Facility: 5 Things to Consider

With over 15,000 nursing homes across the United States, choosing the best nursing facility for your loved ones can be a struggle. According to the CDC, around 1.7 million people stay in one of these nursing homes each year, making your selection even more crucial.

You want to ensure that you or your loved ones still feel safe and comfortable in their temporary home away from home. Are they living in a safe and healthy environment? Do they receive proper care and support to help them recover fast? What kind of foods do they eat? What of the physical and wellness activities offered? Is there Medicare for seniors?

Choosing a good nursing facility is the gateway to quality care and fast recovery. The process may be tedious, but with these 5 easy steps, you can quickly tell a good rehab hospital from a bad one before enrolling.

Points to Consider When Choosing a Good Nursing Facility

Whether searching for a nursing home for you or your loved ones, these 5 key points will help you make the best decision possible.

How Can I Tell If It’s a Good Nursing Facility?

Skilled nursing facilities provide care for people discharged from the hospital but cannot take care of themselves at home yet. A great rehab hospital will speed up recovery and even enable you or your loved one to return home sooner than anticipated.

But how can you tell if it’s a good nursing facility?

● Location: The nursing facility should be close to your home. The closer it is, the easier it is to get visits from friends and family.

● Attractive food: A rehab hospital should serve a balanced, well-cooked diet, special meals for those with diet and health problems, and have a skilled nursing staff that monitors the residents’ nutritional intake.

● Safety: A good nursing facility is well maintained, right from the building to the facilities and furnishing. There should also be fire extinguishers and exit doors in case of emergencies.

● Sufficient staff: Every good rehab hospital should have adequate staff and different professionals such as physicians, physical therapists, and family counselors, among others. Skill nursing is a crucial part of a nursing facility; thus, every nursing home should have enough registered nurses and nursing assistants.

● Friendly Atmosphere: A good nursing facility should have a welcoming environment where everyone feels safe and free. This begins from the design of the buildings, shared spaces, rehabilitation units and goes all the way to the sub-acute rooms designated for short-term rehab stays. All the facility managers and staff should also be welcoming.

● Flexible visitation: Most nursing homes understandably tightened their visitations due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, a good nursing facility will still find ways to allow interactions, even if it’s through window visits or video calls.

What Should I Bring to the First Appointment?

During your visit to the nursing home, make plans to talk with both the facility director and the nursing director to gather more information about the rehab hospital.

On your first appointment, make sure you have:

● An order from the physician requesting admission at a nursing facility

● Medical history and physical examination of the person seeking admission

● A state-required form that shows that the patient meets all the requirements for nursing facility admission

● Healthcare tests

● An order from the physician requesting medications and treatment of the patient

What Should I Look For on the Tour?

Before visiting a rehab hospital, write down all your specific needs and keep them in mind during your visit. The Medicare Nursing Home Checklist has some great ideas to consider when writing your list.

Be as observant during your tour and note every tiny but necessary detail. Here are some of the things to look for:

● The staff’s interaction with the residents: For example, do they yell at those with hearing problems?

● The hygienic state of the facility: Does it smell of disinfectants or urine? Bad odors indicate that sheets and clothing are not changed frequently.

● Observe the residents: Do they have untreated bedsores? Are they well-groomed? Do they have jewelry on?

● The facility’s atmosphere: Is the feeling homey?

● Observe the surrounding environment: Can you see plants, lamps, or paintings that add a homey atmosphere?

● Check lounges: Do they feel comfortable?

● Activities and entertainment: Are they offered? If yes, which ones? Are they easy to read (activities displayed on posters, if any)

● Rooms: Are they clearly marked? Is there important information displayed on them?

What Questions Should I Ask?

Do not be afraid to ask questions during your visit. Below are questions that should help you choose a good nursing facility.

1. Is the facility certified by Medicaid and Medicare? For how long has it been certified?

2. Does the nursing home have a Dementia unit or any other special care area designed for people with special needs?

3. What are the facility’s visiting hours?

4. How are residents with medical issues, e.g., a broken hip, handled?

5. Is the rehab hospital well lit, secure, clean, and with a friendly atmosphere?

6. What is the ratio of the staff to residents per shift?

7. Is there a library for those with audiobooks and large print?

8. Is there a safe space where residents can enjoy the outdoors, such as an enclosed garden?

9. Do the residents share a room or bathroom with one or more residents?

10. Are meals served together in one dining hall, or do the residents get their meals from their rooms?

11. Are there non-emergency medical services provided, such as dialysis? If not, how is the transportation arranged?

Where Should I Start?

Knowing where to start with your search for a suitable nursing facility may seem like a difficult task, but with proper help and research, you will find a good rehab hospital sooner than you think.

1. Start by seeking recommendations from the hospital staff. Due to their experience, they can help you find a nursing facility that provides care that suits your needs.

2. Know what you want. What can’t you compromise? Is it the nursing care, religion, meals, physical therapy, or a special care unit?

3. Talk to friends and family: Ask for suggestions from friends, social workers, doctors, family, pastors, etc.

4. Contact different nursing facilities: Get in touch with every facility on your list

5. Visit the facility

6. Ask questions during your visit

7. Visit the second time: On a different day of the week and without an appointment

8. Carefully go through your contract once you select a nursing facility before signing.

Contact StoneGate Senior Living Today

While selecting a good nursing facility can be a challenging process, these 5 tips will help ease your selection process and enable you to choose a facility that meets your needs.

Your care and those of your loved ones deserve great attention. At StoneGate Senior Living, we strive to offer the best care and living conditions any resident can get. Contact us today for our services or inquiries.

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Support Ideas for Seniors Spending the Holidays in Senior Living!

Options

The holidays can be a lonely time of year for many groups, and one of those groups is seniors who live outside the home. While many senior living options do the best to keep the festive spirit, it isn’t the same as a holiday at home surrounded by family. Unfortunately, it isn’t always an option to bring the seniors you love home for the holidays, especially if they are in a skilled nursing facility, so you have to come up with other options to make their holiday stress-free and heartwarming. These ideas may not be the solution that we would all love, but they will help ease the stress of the holiday season and remind your seniors that they are still in your heart and in your mind.

Keep It Positive

The holidays can be a depressing time for a lot of people, especially seniors. It tends to serve as a reminder about who is not there to celebrate anymore and how they cannot go to where everyone else is gathering. Try to keep things upbeat by only talking about happy memories, and don’t spend too much time talking about your holiday plans away from them. Remind them that they are still an essential part of your life and your family, and be gracious and thankful for any gifts you receive from them, because even if it seems minor to you, it may be a massive gesture for them.

Visit

If your senior can’t come to a Christmas get-together, bring the part to them instead. Many assisted living, and nursing homes have a room that you can use for an event. The room may already be set up for Christmas, but if it isn’t, show up a little early with a tree and some decorations to make the room feel like Christmas at home. A big family get-together may be just what your loved one needs to make it through the holiday season with cheer in their hearts. This is the perfect opportunity for a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange as seeing so many people open gifts will surely bring joy to your senior’s heart.

Organize an Event

If you can’t make it to your loved one’s assisted living home, it doesn’t mean you are completely helpless; there is still a lot you can do to make their season bright. For example, work with a local school to see if their choir can visit the home and sing some carols or have a local preschool visit to do some holiday arts and crafts. Another option

is to live stream holiday events like school plays and concerts if you are looking for a socially distant event. Even sponsoring a holiday-themed soiree in the community space with apple cider and Christmas cookies will remind not just your senior but all the seniors that there are people out there who love them and are thinking about them during the season.

Send a Gift Package

Organizing an event may not be an option, but there are other ways you can let your seniors know you are thinking about them. Compile a care package full of all sorts of things to bring holiday joy. Of course, any goodies will likely be loved, but homemade items will help to bring back those happy memories of holiday baking. It doesn’t have to be just consumables either, add some other items to bring holiday cheer like a classic Christmas film or album that they can enjoy.

Support the Staff

Sometimes the best way to support your loved one over the holiday season is to support the respite care staff that takes care of them. In partnership with their facility, these caregivers are already doing a lot to make the holiday comfortable and happy for the one you love. There may not be a lot you can do to support them in their position, but you can let them know that you appreciate the care they give. Whether it is a gift card for coffee, a care package, or just a heartfelt letter letting them know how much they are appreciated, any support you give them will be passed on to the people in their care.

Make Them Feel Loved

The holidays are often a time when seniors reflect on what they don’t have more than what they have. Help them feel loved and be in the moment by creating new memories with them. Organize a picture campaign where all family members, not just the immediate family but the extended family too, send recent pictures to your senior. The pictures will probably brighten their day, but if you are close enough to visit and help make a collage they can hang in their room, that is even better. Along with the picture, have them send a brief Christmas letter highlighting only the most positive things in the past year. Add things like births and graduations and omit the more somber parts of the year. Unfortunately, many people in assisted living and skilled nursing homes are too familiar with Christmas cards being reminders of people who have passed and other unfortunate events of the year. At the end of the letter, add a personalized touch, so your loved one knows that they are being thought of and not just sent a generic letter that you send everyone else.

The True Meaning of the Holidays

As we go through life, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays as we are pulled in so many different directions. The seniors that we care about have only time to think and reflect on the holiday season’s good and not so good. It helps to pause and think about them in this busy time, as they can use our support, and we can learn something from them about the true meaning of Christmas. If you are worried about a senior spending their first year in an assisted living facility or have any other questions about how we can work together to give them a stress-free season, contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

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Why Seniors Should Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines have now been available for a while, but not everyone has availed themselves of the opportunity. Many of the people who have yet to get vaccinated do not understand the safety, effectiveness, and benefits of these shots. Explaining it to them can be tough. Here are some key takeaways to show just how important it is.

Why are Vaccines Important?

COVID-19 is the worst pandemic since the “Spanish” flu. (Note: It did not, in fact, originate in Spain.) That pandemic did resolve without vaccines, but not before at least 50 million people died of the virus.

Pandemics fade out when there are no longer enough vulnerable people for them to rapidly spread. In most cases, pandemic diseases then become endemic nuisances (Descendants of the Spanish flu virus are still around as seasonal flu).

The two most recent pandemics that significantly affected the United States were the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009 and the 1968 flu pandemic. The H1N1 pandemic started in the United States and spread quickly, killing anywhere from 151,000 to 575,400 people worldwide, but not spreading as widely as COVID-19.

In 1968, the pandemic was caused by an avian influenza virus. It killed about 1 million people worldwide, mostly seniors. This virus also still circulates and continues to be associated with severe disease in older people. A vaccine was developed, but too late; by the time it was introduced, the pandemic had already peaked.

With COVID-19 we have found a vaccine before the pandemic peaked and it has significantly reduced the number of deaths even with an imperfect and uneven rollout.

What are the Benefits of Being Vaccinated?

According to Dianne K. Sullivan-Slaziyk, MBA, BSN, RN, our CCO/SVP of Clinical Operations, “Getting the COVID-19 vaccine protects you from getting sick and assists in preventing the spread to your family and the vulnerable seniors whom we serve. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, getting the vaccine is a powerful step in taking charge of your health. The vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the coronavirus if you are exposed to it. The more people who receive the coronavirus vaccines, the sooner vulnerable people can feel safe among others.”

The primary benefit of the COVID-19 vaccine is a substantial reduction in the risk of serious illness or death. While the vaccine does not provide 100% protection from catching COVID or getting symptoms, it will keep you out of the hospital or the morgue.

“The vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the coronavirus if you are exposed to it.” — Dianne K. Sullivan-Slaziyk, CCO/SVP of Clinical Operations, StoneGate Senior Living

Even with the more contagious and slightly vaccine-resistant delta variant (which has become dominant), unvaccinated people are five times more likely to be infected and 25 times more likely to be hospitalized. When vaccinated people are infected, symptoms are much milder, often resembling a bad cold, and they recover faster. While serious breakthrough events are more common in the elderly and immunocompromised, even for seniors, the risk drops substantially.

Vaccinated people are still also less likely to pass the disease on to others, including people who can’t be vaccinated. There’s some early evidence that vaccinated people can transmit delta, but with the lower infection rate and shorter course of the disease, they are much less likely to do so.

Why are Seniors More at Risk from the Virus

Seniors are at higher risk simply because their immune systems are not as good as they used to be. As you age, your immune system becomes slower to respond, especially to a threat it has not seen before. It also loses some of its ability to properly detect viruses.

Another reason is that severe illness with COVID-19 is more likely if you have certain underlying conditions. Specifically, increased risk has been determined if you have:

• Any kind of cancer, partly because many cancer treatments suppress the immune system.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• Any kind of chronic lung disease, including COPD and pulmonary hypertension.
• Dementia or other neurological conditions.
• Diabetes.
• Down syndrome.
• Heart conditions including congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and possibly hypertension.
• HIV infection.
• Weakened immune system.
• Liver disease.
• Obesity.
• Pregnancy.
• Sickle cell disease.
• Having ever smoked.
• Having received a transplant.
• Having had a stroke.
• Substance use disorders.

Some, although not all, of these conditions are more common in older people. Older people are more likely to have COPD, heart conditions, and kidney and liver problems as well as type II diabetes. Because of social changes, older people are more likely to smoke or to have smoked in the past.

Put together, this explains why hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 were more common in seniors. Deaths have become less common, but that is only because so many seniors have already been vaccinated.

Is the Vaccine Enough Protection?

The vaccines we have against COVID-19 are excellent. However, they are not perfect.

Seniors who have been vaccinated should still wear masks at indoor public spaces if community spread is high in their area as well as if they are going to be in a crowded area where others might not be vaccinated, or if they live with somebody who has a weakened immune system or with unvaccinated children.

Seniors who are living in retirement facilities should absolutely mask up in public until the current delta wave has receded.

Seniors should continue to wash their hands and avoid very close contact with others until community spread is down. However, their risk of severe illness is low.

What if Somebody in the Household Won’t Get Vaccinated?

If you live with a younger person who is refusing to get the vaccine, then you should wear a mask in public to avoid bringing COVID back to them.

You should also talk to the unvaccinated person about all the things in this article. Tell them that the vaccine is safe and effective. In some cases, you might have to put social pressure, such as refusing to go to a restaurant with them.

If you are the younger person living with a senior, you should get vaccinated as soon as you can. Although it won’t completely prevent you from giving them the virus, it will greatly reduce the risk.

How Can I Get the Shots?

For the duration of the pandemic emergency, all COVID-19 vaccines are free. They have already been paid for by the government. In some cases, the provider might bill your insurer for an administration fee, but they cannot bill you for one.

NOTE: Vaccines.gov makes it easy to find COVID-19 vaccination sites. The vaccines are free and available to anyone who wants one.

You can get your [free] COVID-19 vaccine at any pharmacist locations or through your doctor. In addition, there are pop-up vaccination clinics, and you should check with local public health.

StoneGate facilities are also providing vaccines for our employees and residents. Contact us today to find out more about how we offer quality independent and assisted living for you or your loved one.

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Summer-Friendly Vacations for Seniors With Disabilities

For older adults who wish to travel alone or with their loved ones, details are key. Critical elements such as comfort during movement, assistance for persons with disabilities, and wheelchair access make all the difference.

Indeed, traveling as a senior with disabilities raises multiple questions. For example, what should you do before you leave? Are there resorts just for seniors with handicaps?

Can seniors living in an assisted-living community take a vacation? Are staycations a better option for seniors with mobility issues? If so, what are the best staycation ideas? Read on to find out.

Travel Hacks for Seniors With Disabilities

Choose Companies With Disability Assistance

When you book a bus, train, or flight, review the company’s policy on accessible travel and available provisions. Most travel companies offer assistance for people with wheelchairs, and mobility restrictions, hearing and vision disabilities as required by the law.

In most cases, you can make special travel arrangements beforehand by contacting a helpdesk.

The assistance may include a personal assistant to help you board, and with going through safety-based searches, and push a wheelchair around a station. Communicating beforehand (at least 24-48 hours) is critical because the travel company must confirm sufficient space for your wheelchair, especially if you plan to travel in it.

If you are traveling in a foldable wheelchair, check the policy on packing, folding, and storage restrictions. For example, are there any size or weight requirements? Should you place the wheelchair in a special storage slot?

There are also provisions for traveling with service animals. As with special seating space, communication is vital before you book a ticket. Find out the necessary paperwork to bring your service animal on board, including this U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Service Animal Air Transportation form to prove that the animal is in good health and behavior to go on board.

Confirm the State of Facilities

While public buildings and travel stations are legally required to make provisions for people with disabilities or have mobility restrictions, it’s always wise to confirm the state of facilities before travel. Confirm if the airport, train, or bus station has wide lanes, especially for wheelchairs.

Also check for accessible vehicle parking, accessible bathrooms, and on-board assistance when you need to use the bathroom.

In addition, ensure your vacation address is also accessible.

When researching hotels, check if they have disability assistance, especially to move you from the airport, bus and train stations, and elevators. Book rooms in hotels and AirBnBs with accessible communication channels, such as telephones that support typing and texting for seniors hard of hearing. Ask if there are assistants who understand sign language. Also check into whether there are sensors and a vibrate feature on the beds and doorbells to help a senior to identify emergency warnings or visitors.

Fortunately, when you book a hotel or Airbnb online, you can choose accessibility filters to narrow your search. For example, there are filters for roll-in showers, a bathtub with a seat, handheld showerheads, accessible parking space, accessible bathroom, accessible bed height, door handles, and proper lighting to facilitate movement.

Must-Carry Items

Must-carry items that are critical to your trip. For example, doctor reports to help others understand your disability, medication and direct communication lines to your doctor. This would also include similar documents for service animals and personal assistants.

The must-carry-items may will vary depending on the disability. For instance, for seniors that are hard of hearing, hearing aids, batteries, or backup chargers for hearing devices and instant transcription apps are crucial.

Luggage Shipping

Luggage is one of the most challenging parts of any vacation. As a senior with a disability, moving your luggage through a station and carrying in and out of vehicles can be difficult. Paying for luggage shipping directly to your vacation destination is a great way to avoid struggling with your luggage. The courier company can pick the luggage at your doorstep and ship it to your holiday address.

Use Online Resources

Some vacation destinations are more accessible and accommodating for senior adults. Narrow your online searches by using online resources dedicated to senior adults with disabilities. For example, WheelChair Travel and Friendship Circle publish hacks and destination ideas for senior adults and people with disabilities, especially those using wheelchairs.

Some recommendable vacation spots for senior adults include beaches in Honolulu, Miami, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Theme parks, museums, and theatres are also excellent spots to visit, especially for people with mobility restrictions and wheelchairs.

Some of the best cities for senior adults with disabilities include Scottsdale, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Overland Park, St. Louis, and Huntington Beach. If you can organize a vacation in an accessible city, do so.

Staycation Ideas for Seniors With Disabilities

One of the best parts about staycations is that you already know where you’re traveling. So you don’t have to worry about a new language, culture, laws and regulations, insurance, and other challenges when traveling across borders.

One of the best parts about staycations is that you already know where you’re traveling.

Staycations are an excellent choice for seniors with disabilities because they include limited movement, a vacation in familiar territory, and proximity to health care providers.

Communicating with the host beforehand can help you plan for any changes or get a house tour before booking a home. For example, ask if the host provides special assistance with meals and laundry or if you should travel with a personal assistant for the best vacation experience.

Group Tours and Travel Companies For Seniors With Disabilities

Taking a vacation with a group tour or travel company is an efficient way to enjoy a holiday tour. Tour companies such as Collete, Globus, Grand Circle Travel, Trafalgar, and Road Scholar organize trips for senior adults in independent-living and assisted-living facilities. The tour companies provide trained chaperons who cater to individual needs and organize activities for senior adults with disabilities.

Conclusion

At StoneGate Senior Living, we assist senior adults in independent living and assisted-living facilities. We are ready to help you or your senior adult with a disability enjoy a comfortable home independently or with assistance. Reach out for more information on vacations for seniors with disabilities.

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Stroke Awareness Month: Good Stroke Recovery Care

A stroke is a devastating emergency. It calls for quick medical intervention and professional care, without which the situation could get out of hand. But how do you deal with the situation in the subsequent days or weeks after you or your loved one has suffered a stroke?

Sometimes the recovery process may be slow since different patients respond to treatment in different ways. Although recovery may vary from one patient to another, understanding the recovery timeline and the best stroke recovery care is important. It helps you understand how stroke recovery works under different circumstances. It also helps you know what to expect if your loved one has suffered a stroke.

Recovery After Stroke

After a stroke experience, the first step to recovery is always the initial treatment. You or your loved one will most likely be admitted into emergency care to assess your condition and determine the type and magnitude of your stroke. For instance, if you suffered an ischemic stroke caused by clotting of blood, then the doctors can administer clot-busting medication to mitigate the long-term effects of the condition.

Depending on how severe your condition is, the doctors might suggest a few days in intensive care. Typically, you could be out of danger after around seven days in intensive or specialized care. This is also dependent on whether you received the correct stroke diagnosis and treatment.

As you embark on your journey to recovery, the following are common effects of stroke you might experience and, which could make the idea of going for rehab more important.

• • Severe joint pains.
  • Numbness or painful sensations.
  • Difficulty with chewing and swallowing food.
  • Inability to control bladder and bowels.
  • Depression

• Speech Problems: You may experience trouble controlling or eloquently expressing your emotions.
• Memory Problems: It’s normal to develop problems with thinking, attention, awareness, judgment, and memory lapses after a stroke.
• Paralysis: Paralysis is the inability to move certain parts of the body, such as the neck or arms. You may also experience weakness on one or both sides of your body.

Once you’ve received the necessary treatment for stroke, rehabilitation is an important phase in stroke recovery. Typically, you should begin rehabilitation as soon as 24 hours after a stroke.

A team of neurologists, psychiatrists, physical therapists, and speech or language pathologists together with their nurses should conduct the rehabilitation treatment. Every hour, for the two to three days, they will administer some form of therapy, assess your condition, monitor your progress, and recommend new treatment options that may be deemed necessary.

Why Rehab is Important for You

The goal of rehabilitation as part of stroke treatment and recovery is to help you improve your physical or cognitive bodily functions. It is aimed at helping you relearn whatever skills you have lost or help with your memory problems.

Typically, you should begin rehabilitation as soon as 24 hours after a stroke.

Overall, rehabilitation enables you to regain and improve your quality of life and go back to your normal independent self. Recovering from a stroke may take time. However, recent studies have shown that early, and effective rehabilitation treatments can significantly speed up recovery. Therefore, knowing this, your stroke rehabilitation journey will most likely begin as soon as your condition has stabilized and continues until the day of your discharge.

Importance of Skilled Nursing Care

Since a stroke is a delicate situation, it calls for professional care to ensure a smooth and successful recovery. Having skilled nurse care for you or your loved one after a stroke may be beneficial in the following ways.

Knowledge And Experience

When dealing with a stroke patient, it’s vital to know the impact and normal side effects of stroke. A skilled nurse is better placed to properly prepare for any potential side effects that may arise. The nurse will be able to assist the patient professionally and efficiently.

They will also ensure the patient has the right medication and necessary tools to mitigate the side effects from escalating. Skilled nurses are available to care for the patient at any time, so this can assure you that your loved ones are in safe hands and will get better.

How to Tell if Stroke Recovery Care is Good

After some time in rehab, you might want to be certain that your loved one is receiving proper care and is on the right track to recovery. Here is how to tell if the stroke recovery care is effective and good for your loved one:

• Notable progress after a few weeks of rehabilitation
• Increased independence with daily living activities. For example, the patient might not request assistance to visit the toilet after some time in rehab
• Ability to cross legs within the first few weeks of rehab care
• Improved quality sleep and increased appetite
• Improved emotions and reduced signs of depression

Benefits of the AlterG! Anti-Gravity Treadmill in Rehab

The Anti Gravity treadmill, otherwise known as the AlterG.

Anti Gravity treadmill, otherwise known as the AlterG®, is new equipment designed for everyone recovering from a stroke or surgery. It helps improve the body’s natural mechanics, among other benefits. The benefits of an Alter G machine in rehab for stroke treatment include:

• A minimum of three hours a day of uninterrupted rehab with psychiatrist services and physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
• 24-hour access to nurses and doctors. This ensures quick medical response in case of emergencies.
• An inpatient rehab facility can be within a large health facility. This proximity ensures unlimited access to any medical service.

Why Skilled Nursing is the Best Option for Stroke Recovery

In certain circumstances, skilled nurses can be a better option for you or your loved one who’s recovering from a stroke. Here’s why.

• Caring for a stroke survivor can be emotionally draining, time-consuming, and mostly need specialized care.
• A skilled nurse can effectively take the worry and burden off your hands as you focus on other important areas of life.
• Nurses have professional skills to detect potential future outcomes and risks and prepare for them accordingly.
• Skilled nurses can effectively monitor and measure their progress to tell if they are on the right recovery path.

Contact us for more information.

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New Technology and Occupational Therapy

Technology is revolutionizing how seniors receive and practice occupational therapy.

Many seniors want and need to do daily activities to care for themselves. Unfortunately, due to complications that develop with age, performing once effortless actions become challenging. Occupational therapy at skilled nursing facilities and skilled nursing hospitals helps seniors learn how to do household chores, groom themselves, engage in hobbies, and enjoy social activities.

As we celebrate Occupational Therapy Month, we recognize the efforts and dedication occupational therapists show in their service delivery. With this in mind, let’s explore some technologies that help Occupational Therapists and facilities get seniors back on their feet.

Apps

Dexteria is an app that promotes hand dexterity and fine motor skills for users working on hand movement and use. The app provides hand exercises that a senior can practice in the comfort of their homes. Dexteria also an excellent way to build hand activity required for handwriting.

Some activities include tapping, stretching, pinching, gripping, and writing. The exercises slowly build up in complexity and encourage the learner to push their hand motion further and exercise precision in their hand movements. Seniors using this app regain their writing abilities and improve their overall ability to hold items, cook, and use devices alone. Using Dexteria is a fun way to extend rehab therapy beyond the skilled nursing facility and improve skills at home.

After gaining the basic motor skills, Piano Tiles is an excellent tool to practice coordination and accuracy. Piano Tiles is a game that requires the player to tap the tile going down the screen to “play the piano.” As the game progresses, the tiles’ speed increases, which means that the player needs to use more strength and focus.

Visual training apps are also great for seniors. The Eye Movement Training app provides items on a screen for a person to track visually. It’s a great exercise for an elderly person training their vision.

Cognition apps such as Rehab Coach are excellent for patients recovering from a stroke. The app offers memory, math, literacy, and drawing activities to help a patient make a slow recovery, even at home.

Video Games

Spatial reasoning helps a person manipulate 2-D and 3-D objects. For seniors, practicing spatial reasoning helps them understand location and dimensions better. Activities such as wearing shoes correctly, buttoning a shirt, navigating the surrounding environment, and assembling household items need a reasonable understanding of the items, dimensions, and locations.

Video games help seniors practice spatial reasoning without leaving their homes. Simple driving games, for instance, are a great way to improve spatial reasoning and hand motion.

Visual Aids

Visual aids have come a long way from basic glasses, especially to assist the elderly in the tech world. OrCam MyEye 2.0 is a game-changer for seniors. It’s a small computer that’s attached to glasses.

Users enjoy assistive reading capabilities such as magnification to read text better. The device also has a scanner for text and barcodes. The text-speech output is excellent for clients struggling to read. Seniors can use OrCam MyEye 2.0 to improve reading, enjoy entertainment, read menus, ingredients and generally improve the quality of senior living.

Hearing Assistive Technologies

Unfortunately, turning up the volume is simply not enough for seniors with difficulty in hearing. There are several assistive devices in the market for seniors with hearing challenges.

• Hypersound Clear Speakers: These speakers amplify the volume and send a narrow sound beam that a person in the listening zone can pick up. The speakers also improve the clarity and help your senior listen without the need for headphones. Hypersound clear speakers are great for any home to help seniors watch their favorite shows, listen to playlists and enjoy video calls with the family.
• CaptionCall Amplified Phone: For seniors with hearing challenges, a standard phone is stressful and sometimes impossible to use. CaptionCall improves phone calls by using voice recognition technology that creates captions on a large screen. The user can then read the words and respond.

Virtual Assistant Technology

Virtual assistants such as the Alexa® and the Google Assistant® have become part of our daily lives. The Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers help seniors connect with virtual assistants that recognize the user’s voice and perform actions. Smart speakers are flexible and connect with different devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and televisions.

Your senior can use virtual assistant technologies to play music, games, favorite shows, and control other smart devices without moving around or asking for assistance. You can also schedule rehab therapy for your senior, and when a reminder comes up, the VA voices the reminder to your loved one.

Robotics and Computerization

Seniors with mobility restrictions need rehabilitation to help them regain strength and mobility in their legs. New equipment used in rehab therapy now incorporates computerization to improve therapy.

• New innovations in rehab has given birth to tools such as TheraSuit. The suit helps a senior learn how to move correctly. When wearing the suit, users develop correct reflexes and reduce the pressure on the muscles and tendons. Therasuit also helps with balance and coordination, over time, helps users build bone density.
• Another notable innovation in rehab is the AMADEO System. This robotic equipment helps seniors regain hand control and movement. Skilled staff can control the equipment through software to meet an individual’s needs. The AMADEO System stimulates hand motion such as grasping to improve sensory skills, reduce spasticity and improve sensitivity.
• Lokomat is another innovation in rehab that is improving the quality of Occupational Therapy in skilled nursing facilities. Lokomat encapsulates the legs and mimics leg motion and the pelvis’s movement to help seniors improve their walking. As the robots are in motion, they transfer the weight from one leg to another. Over time, the staff can adjust the weight through a computerized system to build resilience.

Smart Shoes

Medical complications, illnesses, and injuries can make it harder for seniors to walk without assistive equipment. Delivering comfort to the feet by finding the right shoes also makes it easier for your loved one to walk. AposTherapy creates smart shoes that reduce the pressure on the damaged parts of the feet and transfer forces to improve walking.

Occupational Therapy at Accel at Longmont

Things are changing in occupational therapy, and fortunately for the better. Technology is revolutionizing how seniors receive and practice Occupational Therapy for improved senior living. For more information about occupational therapy for your loved one, contact us today.

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