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Meditation And Assisted Living May Help Ease Loneliness In Seniors
There are numerous reasons why someone might feel assisted living in Vancouver WA would be the right choice. Sometimes the decision to choose assisted living or some other senior housing setting may be due to memory issues or health issues. Sometimes the decision may be due to loneliness. Or perhaps you just want to “downsize” and let the burdens of managing a home fall on someone else so you can take advantage of activities you still enjoy. If your reason for considering some sort of assisted living in Vancouver WA or assisted living in Clark County is due to loneliness, there may be a different solution to try first. Turns out learning to meditate might help ease feelings of loneliness among seniors according to University of California, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University researchers. The participants were mostly women between the ages of 55 and 85. They enrolled in an eight-week program of “mindfulness-based stress reduction.” Randomly selected, some […]
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Discover what your loved one in assisted living, memory care or caregiving maybe experiencing
Just to keep you up to date on local events, we’d like to mention an opportunity for you to see first hand what loved ones might be experiencing if they are suffering from dementia. The Highgate Senior Living in Hazel Dell’s Senior Helpers and Support & Caregivers Resources for Dementia are hosting a Virtual Dementia Tour on September 8th, 2012. Beginning at 2 p.m., the virtual tour will simulate the challenges people with dementia or Alzheimer’s face daily. The event will take place at the Vancouver Hilton (301 W. Sixth Street). To reserve a space, you will need to call the Highgate Senior Living at 360-571-7272 or email Vancouver@highgateseniorliving.com. Understanding what your loved ones may be experiencing in their daily struggles with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease allows you to better understand how to provide or arrange the best caregiving, or arranging alternate senior housing options like a memory care or Alzheimer’s care unit or other assisted living in Vancouver WA. […]
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Assisted Living Choices Appealing
As far as assisted living in Vancouver WA and Clark County, we are lucky to have such a variety of resources. Those resources also include senior housing options like adult family homes, retirement communities, and skilled nursing facilities.  Retirement and assisted living communities can usually be found in quiet residential areas and have many amenities for those who enjoy assorted activities. It’s common to see state of the art safety and emergency communication systems, too.  In fact, of the various communities and facilities, there are appealing aspects to each. Recently it was reported that one of our post acute rehabilitation facilities was awarded a five-star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Fort Vancouver Convalescent Center earned the excellent rating based meeting specific criteria in the areas of staffing, health inspections and quality care. We offer a “congratulations” to them! It’s nice to know that Clark County has a lot to offer when it comes […]
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Assisted Living Laws Protect
Washington State’s assisted living laws have been in place for nearly twenty years and have served as a functional model for other states.  Recently, we ran across a policy paper on Washington’s assisted living laws we thought you might find interesting. Originally enacted in 1994, the regulations were designed to extend the federally protected rights of nursing home, veteran’s home, and boarding home residents. Two of the guiding principles include that resident rights be meaningful and that assisted living facilities provide reasonable accommodations for the changing needs and preferences of the residents. Washington State also instituted a meaningful system of enforcement. Based on a policy study of our assisted living laws, the Assisted Living Consumer Alliance (ALCA), a national advocacy organization, terminology in Washington laws may still have some room for improvement, but, evidently, the laws are better than those of numerous states, so the ALCA encourages customer advocates to push for better clarification of the laws in all […]
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Assisted Living Helped Rank Our Area High
We’ve been hearing a lot about our community and its readiness in caring for its aging population, whether they are residing in assisted living or not. There is good news for those who plan to remain in the area after age 65! Out of 359 “small” and “large” metro areas, the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton metro area in the “Large Metros” category ranked 24th overall on the list “Best Cities for Successful Aging.”  According to the recent Columbian article, criteria included “cost of living, crime rates, employment for the 65 to 79 age group, living arrangements, health care, wellness, financial, transportation and community engagement.” While we have made great progress in some areas, we know that there is work to be done in better preparing our community for the numbers of baby boomers and their parents and the non-profit Santa Monica-based think tank, Milken Institute, agrees. We do better for the 80 and older category than the 65 to 79 category. But […]
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Assisted Living And Retirement Communities Have Many Benefits
Relocating to a retirement community doesn’t necessarily mean your health and cognitive capacity has declined. There are many reasons to move into an assisted living setting and there are many requests for assisted living.  Many times moving to assisted living in Vancouver or Clark County means you can retain the independence you want by adding the assistance you need. Retirement communities can range from no assistance to much assistance and some communities offer step down levels of care to make any transitions to increased assistance easier. Some people prefer to move on their own terms before there is a significant decline. Others prefer to have a more enhanced support system available in a more secure environment. Being in a retirement community can mean more freedom and feeling safer. Studies show that residents in a secure community tend to walk more, which is beneficial physically, mentally and emotionally. One women’s study found that walking about two hours a week increases […]
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Assisted Living Or Not
When is the right time to start making decisions on behalf of your loved one? When is it time to move to assisted living? Many of us who have loved ones who require care ask these perplexing questions. Studies show that many caregivers go beyond their capacity trying to fill the needs of their loved one, leaving the caregiver at risk; the emotional and physical toll can take years off the life of the caregiver. So, reaching out to the numerous available resources is important for both the caregiver and their loved one. Clark County is fortunate to have resources in the community to assist the caregiver or someone who has a loved one who can no longer function independently. Those resources include various senior agencies, programs, workshops and conferences. We are more than happy to help you find those senior resources. Asking questions and reaching out for assistance is healthy and wise. With our population aging, you are not […]
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Assisted Living Can Be Postponed
With the recently honored work of agencies like the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and Disabilities, assisted living in Vancouver WA can be postponed. Back in 2009, the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and Disabilities helped sponsor a forum on aging, the “Get Ready for Aging Boom”. Knowing the impact of aging baby boomers and their goal to remain independent as long as possible without the need for assisted living, the federally designated agency has continued its mission to promote independence, choice, well being and dignity for persons aged 60 and over, adults with disabilities and their families through a comprehensive, coordinated system of home and community based services. This month the agency was honored at an annual conference. The Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and Disabilities has received an Aging Achievement Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging for it Aging Boom forum. The 2009 forum involved more than 180 participants ranging from local service providers, […]
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Assisted Living And Other Clark County Senior Housing Options May Be Better Than Most
Clark County has an advantage over many communities across the nation when it comes to senior housing options. Vancouver and Clark County have a number of adult family homes and assisted living settings as well as retirement communities, memory care units, skilled nursing facilities, and residential care facilities that other communities may not have. Why does this matter? Because nationwide our population is aging. By 2030, one in four Clark County residents will be at least 60 years or older. This means housing needs are changing. Older adults usually experience a decrease in income, physical agility, and support systems. This creates the necessity to start changing our neighborhoods now if the goal is to assist older adults to remain in the communities they are accustomed to. Of course, building safe neighborhoods with affordable housing and nearby essential services is a lengthy process. Being sure older adults and their loved ones are informed about senior housing and assisted living opportunities and […]
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Caring For Aging Skin25 Feb 2016
You may notice the following changes as your skin ages. It becomes thinner and loses fat, looking less smooth than it used to. Veins and bones become more prominent through the skin. Scratches, cuts and […]
Short Term Options2 Feb 2016
Many seniors who are looking for senior housing don’t know about short term stay options that are available at many senior living communities. There are a few different reasons you or your loved one might […]