Changing Aging

For consumers, navigating the world of long-term care can be absolutely exhausting and frustrating.  People don’t know what to look for, what questions to ask, where to turn for information and how to cut through all the jargon.  And if they want to keep their loved one at home, they often have no idea where to turn.

A number of people have shared what IT is on this blog.  Thank you.  Now . . . what are real-life examples or stories that really show what IT is and bring it to life?    To get an idea of such stories read the comments from Mary Ann and Leah. 

What are your stories or examples?  We’d love to hear them.  Share your example or story that shows IT  in the comments section here.

Ian Morrisson is a futurist who deals a lot in healthcare and has spoken at a number of long-term care conferences.  He’ll be one of the headliners at Mayo Clinic’s 2008 National Symposium on Health Care Reform.  It’s kind of interesting to take a look back at what a futurist says and then what actually happens.  Check out this excerpt from a 1999 Nursing Home magazine interview with Ian:

 Changing demographics related to an increase in the aging population continue to fuel the post-acute care industry. What are your thoughts on public policy in this area as we look ahead?

It won’t be a surprise when , one of the pioneers in developing Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), enters Minnesota.  They have a lot of appealing features that people would dig here.

Check out this Erickson Retirement Communities  commercial.  It hits directly at what a lot of what people are thinking, . . . they want something different.   

What are your thoughts on the commercial?

At Left, Leah-Killian Smith, leader at The Villages of North Branch is warmly greeted by resident Edna Holmgren during one of the last days of a former county nursing home in North Branch, Minn.  Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune.

“This is going to be so different.  My new room will be nice.  But the rest of the place is so interesting that I don’t think I’ll be spending much time in my room anymore.”

 Posted by Robin R. Krause, Vice President of Human Resources

I was meeting with a colleague recently talking about HR issues.  She is conducting a national research project on why people leave their jobs.  She said the information so far is not shocking and more or less confirms what all of us already know.  The main reason people leave their jobs is that they do not feel appreciated.  We know that the reverse is true as well – one of the top reasons people stay in their jobs is that they feel “in on things” and that they “make a difference” or in other words: appreciated. 

July 4th , of course, celebrates our country’s independence.  Many of the people we and our colleagues serve around the country in assisted living and nursing homes are the ones who put their lives on the line to ensure that we have that independence.

Last week I sat in on testimony given by family members and others before Governor Pawlenty’s Veterans Home commission, which has been charged to come up with recommendations on how to fix what has been a debacle at the Minneapolis Veterans Home. (Ecumen leader Kathryn Roberts is a member of the commission.)

Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts has been named to the board of directors of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).  AAHSA is a national trade association that represents nearly 6,000 non-profit senior housing and services organizations.

Kathryn will serve a three-year term on the board of directors.  AAHSA’s board of directors is responsible for the governance of the association, providing strategic direction, fiduciary oversight and policy development.

“I am extremely honored to be joining the AAHSA board of directors and I look forward to joining others from across the United States in the work of transformation and helping shape our country’s and profession’s future,” said Kathryn.

Interesting series by ABC News and USA Today begins today.  It’s called “Role Reversal.”  Looks at children taking care of their older parents. 

This “sandwich generation” presents a great opportunity for senior housing and aging services organizations to serve a much younger clientele and more broadly share its expertise.

The first story today looks at how senior care is moving away from nursing homes.  Looking at our Age Wave Study, it’s clear that baby boomers want to continue this direction.  Another interesting story is about technology, which we are users of here.

Technology is such a tremendous opportunity for the senior housing and aging services professionals in helping people connect and learn from each other.  The applications are endless — and they don’t have to be expensive.  It’s a great area for our profession to be entrepreneurial.  Our Age Wave Study, shows that baby boomers (the next generation of seniors) are all about technology to stay connected.

 On that note, we want to send our congratulations to CaringBridge, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Millions of people have stayed connected with loved ones experiencing injury and illness.