Assisted Living Directory Blog

It’s always amazing to me how I learn about new things, and meet new people. I stumbled upon a great site through the course of some general surfing around last week – the National University of Singapore, and I noticed that they have an initiative spearheaded by the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre called InnoAge – where among other things their projects include assistive technologies – (a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities, including the elderly).

I had a question about the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, and e-mailed David Lim – the  Associate Director for the Centre.  David is truly a delightful fellow – we have had a really nice e-mail conversation – I had mentioned to him that when I was a kid, I had a pen-pal from Singapore, and actually learned quite a bit about the country.  David really encouraged me to visit Singapore (my wife and I keep talking about taking some trips in the next few years) and it sounds like Singapore is really evolving into a wonderful place to spend some time, and then “hop off to the rest of Asia” as David put it.  David says that some people call it “Little Red Dot”  because of Singapore’s flag.

I spent some time today looking at some of the incredible projects the Centre is working on – like a “Haptic Knob: A Robotic Device For Rehabilitation After Stroke” or a “Augmented reality-based virtual keyboard for Elderly & Disabled.”

Truly amazing stuff.  I really encourage anyone interested in assistive technologies, or anyone who works with the disabled or elderly to check out the Centre  – they’re really onto some great stuff.  I wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavors!

It looks like Frasier Meadows retirement community in Boulder, Colorado is doing some pretty substantial construction! A friend of mine was in Boulder yesterday and took this photo from his I-Phone, and sent it to me (Technology never ceases to amaze me, even with something as simple as taking a photo from a phone and then e-mailing it). My friend Dave also asked me if I thought the assisted living market was seeing any effect from this bad economy. I told him that to some degree, probably yes – however, every day I see a new news article about how such-and-such assisted living company is pumping x-number of millions of dollars into a new facility….or how such-and-such company is showing profits, etc. I think it is an industry that is somewhat insulated from the current economic crisis – after all, you can’t stop aging, and Alzheimer’s, and especially now, it may be very difficult for family members to act as caregivers, as the responsibilities for work, or for finding a job are increased. Also, many families may be looking at having their homes foreclosed on, making them, and perhaps an aging parent, find housing elsewhere – which might mean assisted living. Anyways, that’s my 2 cents worth. Here’s the photo my friend took of Frasier Meadows:

Frasier Meadows, Boulder CO

Every day I seem to learn something new about the Assisted Living industry – which is great, since, at times, I do wonder if I have seen or heard it all.

This week, I learned that there is such a thing as “Eco-friendly” assisted living.   I learned this through a listing that was submitted to the site.

At first I thought that it might be a gimmick – I mean, really, how “green” or “eco-friendly” can an assisted living facility be?  Of course, you can recycle your cans, office paper, and plastic bottles, but is that enough to allow yourself to be called eco-friendly, or ‘green?’  Maybe 20 years ago, but probably not today.

The facility in question – Crismon Peaks Eco-Friendly Assisted Living in Mesa, Arizona really seems to capture what being ‘eco-friendly’ is really about.   Not only is their facility Eco-Certified and constructed with many green materials, they also feature Air, Water, and Laundry purification systems [to remove the toxicity from their residents' daily lives] as well as an Organic Beauty Salon/Barber Shop on location.

We applaud Crismon Peaks for being a leader in providing Eco-friendly assisted living services.   We hope that more facilities will follow suit.   Any green or eco-friendly effort not only helps our planet, but also helps to create a healthy living environment within our own walls – even if it is an assisted living facility.

Yesterday, January 12, in sub-zero temperatures, partners in a Plainfield, Indiana assisted-living community broke ground.   We want to wish Sugar Grove Senior Living a successful development and business, especially in this ecomomic climate where new residential development can be wobbly at best.

Sugar Grove Senior Living is an an 18-acre campus  that will boast 76 assisted living units, and 40 units for memory care patients.  The location of the project will be at 4900 S. County Road 600 East.

Rents will range from $850 for an efficiency apartment to $2,850 a month in the assisted living center.

I completely forgot – that last week (the 7th through the 13th) was National Assisted Living week.  Gee whiz, I need to take my head out of the sand!  However, I’ll have to admit, this ‘event’ is a little bit obscure, kind of like Secretary’s day – something that doesn’t get a lot of national press or attention.

It should – as this is one of the fastest growing markets in our country, serving one of the fastest demographics in our country.

“The bond between staffers of assisted living facilities across the state and the seniors they help care for is the focus of National Assisted Living Week” as was proclaimed by Governor Dave Heineman of Nebraska.

I’ll try not to forget next year – not to say that if I forget, I will do anything differently – but, at least I will be able to write about it before it has passed!

The Maine state Department of Health and Human Services cut funding to about 120 assisted living facilities that provide care for 4,000 residents.    The funding  “was being paid to assisted living facilities’ operators to ensure that residents with illnesses would not lose their beds during periods of prolonged hospitalization.”

Naturally, there were some strong reactions to this on both sides of the issue.    You can read the full article here.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time, the head of the Maine Health Care Association was quoted as saying.

There are a lot of wealthy seniors out there, which is driving a new segment of the assisted living industry – upscale assisted living.     These fancy facilities could be confused with a high-end country club – often times having their own spa’s, golf courses in some instances, full-sized movie theaters, and other amenities that you might expect to see if you were visiting a hotel in Beverly Hills.

A report published recently from Kalorama Information called ‘Long Term Care Markets” talks about this emerging transformation.    The report also cited the factors that will lead to a 12 % annual growth rate in this market for the next 4 years.

Aside from the fact that the elderly population is growing at almost 3 times the rate of the overall US population, many of these seniors are retiring with a high net worth, allowing them the option for more amenities, and more discretionary expenses when they choose assisted living.   Many seniors will sell their existing homes, which may be worth a large amount, to pay for their assisted living costs.

Almost daily now I see news articles about assisted living facilities being shut down or losing their license. Just today Florida regulators have shut down an assisted living facility that allegedly failed to report injuries and or notice a missing resident (this out of Ormond Beach, Florida). This facility had been penalized before, but failed to take care of it’s residents safely.

This is always disturbing to read not only because of the horrors that happen at some assisted living facilities on a daily basis, but also in terms of the trauma caused to the residents when they are told that they have to move. Try telling this to someone suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Many states still don’t have strong regulations when it comes to assisted living facilities. This is very unfortunate, as this industry is growing at an almost uncontrollable rate.

I was pleased to read about the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance which is “A new organization of consumers, family members and advocates for the elderly and persons with disabilities is pushing for quality standards in Pennsylvania state regulations covering assisted living facilities.”

I hope more states follow suit with organizations such as this. Assisted living handles the elderly, the frail, and the weak. There is little room for mistakes or safety violations, and plenty of room for improvement in standards in many cases.

The days of the old stereotype of assisted living and nursing homes seems to be coming to a close. With the “hip” baby boomers of the 60′s reaching retirement age, I think we are on the verge of seeing many new flavors and varieties of assisted living – some that almost call up images of a party-like atmosphere. I have written a bit about assisted living for alternative lifestyles, but not until today had I ever considered assisted living in the buff. I am not sure the visual on this is really a good one, but, to each their own.
An article out of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida reported last week that Nudists are considering creating an assisted living facility for those who don’t like to wear a whole lot. “What’s going to happen to me and my friends when we have to have heart surgery or a hip replacement?” wondered April Genter, a 46-year-old nudist real-estate agent whose primary customer base is others who share her lifestyle.”
I applaud this idea, and I think the whole idea and appeal of assisted living will gain more acceptance if we can cater to everyone – regardless of hobby, orientation, religion, or anything else. It will be very interesting to see what other types of facilities and concepts come up in the next few years.
You can read the full article from the St. Petersburg Times here

I was at a bus stop yesterday, and on the side of the bus was a banner that said “Notes Don’t Always Work” (I honestly don’t know exactly what that means) and then it said “Check 41 on your tax returns…Become A Champion.” It was sponsored by the Alzheimer’s association, I believe.

At any rate, after looking into it, apparently if you live in Colorado, you can donate part of your tax returns to the Alzheimer’s association. Look for checkbox or #41 on your returns, and you should be able to give something to this great organization.