Rising Cost of Nursing Homes

This year, Genworth Financial released their 9^th annual Cost of Care Survey. The results serve as a perfect microscope to examine the cost of care state by state, and to understand emerging trends in the cost of care. One of the most striking figures is the cost of a nursing home and their expected increase in price.

In the study, the facilities are broken down into three categories: assisted living facility, nursing home(semi-private room) and nursing home (private room). For this article, we are just focusing on nursing home stays in a semi-private room. Nationwide, the average nursing home costs $200 a day. This figure has increased 3.63% in 2011, and over the next five years it is expected to grow 4.5%.

 Across the United States, it looks like this trend stays true for each state, with some regions being more expensive than others:

•  The North East has some of the most expensive care. In Massachusetts a nursing home stay costs $322 a day, and $117,530 a year. 
•  The cost of care in the West Coast is cheaper than the North East, but is still above the national average. In California a nursing home stay costs $224 a day, and $81,760 a year. 
• Nursing homes in the South are slightly above the national average. 
• In Florida, a nursing home stay costs $215 a day, and $78,475 a year
• The Midwest also is slightly below the national average, with a nursing home in Indiana costing $187 a day, and $68,255 a year.
• The most expensive nursing homes can be found in Alaska, with a nursing home costing $273,750 a year.
• The cheapest nursing homes can be found in Texas with nursing homes costing $47,450 a year.

What does this mean for caregivers? Already, more and more family members are fulfilling the role of caregiver due to the cost of healthcare. With the costs of facility focused care expected to increase at an average of $15,300 a year, more and more family members will become caregivers because facility based care is just too unaffordable.

You can compare costs in your state and others at Genworth’s website, here

Useful Caregiver Tips: Finding Help

As a caregiver, one of the most important things to remember is to ask for help. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day duties of caregiving, and you can easily find yourself incredibly overwhelmed.It’s not first nature to seek out and accept help, but it can be a lifesaver in some situations. Here are some tips for doing that:

Talk to your friends. Keep them updated on your day to day caregiving activities, even when you’re not looking for an extra hand. If they know what’s going on they’ll be able to jump in and take over a few tasks for you.

Remember your other family members. Most of the time, one person assumes most of the caregiving duties. However, look to see if you can use your other family members for chores around the house or other errands that need to be done. Could you pay your son $5 to do the grocery shopping for the week? How about asking your daughter to fold the laundry? These tasks become so much more difficult when caregiving for an adult.

Start making lists. Detailing everything you do will help you identify which chores can be passed on to others.

WeCare+. Our WeCare+ program is designed to support caregivers in multiple ways. We provide guidance and direction regarding what type of assistance your loved one needs, and where to find elder care resources.

Berries Delay Memory Decline

Here’s another great reason to incorporate fruit into your diet: berries may delay memory decline. In a recent study, researchers found that consumption of berries slowed cognitive decline in women 70 or older. In some cases, the cognitive decline was slowed for up to 2.5 years.

Blueberries contain an extremely high amount of flavonoids. These flavonoids are able to cross the blood brain barrier into the hippocampus, which is that part of the brain that is responsible for forming memories and learning. Interestingly, many medications aren’t able to cross this blood brain barrier.

So, be sure to put blueberries on your shopping list this week! You can read the full report here.

Caregivers and Social Media

This week, there has been a lot of discussion about the benefit of social media for caregivers. If you’re a caregiver, social media is a great way create a support group made up of caregivers, and to reconnect with friends and family.

There are many amazing websites that are created specifically to support caregivers, and one of the best features of these websites is the opportunity to vent. Talking to your friends and family can be incredibly helpful, and is a lifesaver on many days, but there is something extremely helpful in venting to a virtual group of caregivers. If you don’t feel like writing about your personal experience, you can read the experience of other caregivers and understand that you’re not alone in your feelings.

Social media is also a perfect way to stay connected with your friends and family. You can stay up to date on everything in their lives, and you can keep them posted on your caregiving duties. The best part about social media is that you don’t have to dedicate your entire day to catching up.

Here is a great piece from HealthyMagination.com with online resources for caregivers: http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/social-media-can-help-reduce-caregiver-stress/

Caregiving and the Importance of Getting Outside

Caregivers are constantly being bombarded with things they should and shouldn’t do to help process the incredible amount of stress involved with caregiving. One thing is frequently overlooked, and it is probably one of the easiest things to do: get outside!

The health benefits of sun exposure and fresh air are incredible. First, it’s important for caregivers because sunlight is a necessary part of the production of Vitamin D. Vitamin D has been credited with reducing the risk of cancer, increasing bone health, reducing the risk of developing osteoporosis, and it is associated with better moods and increased happiness.

Aside from the health benefits, going outside will give you an opportunity to take a break from caregiving. If you incorporate 15-30 minutes of alone time outside, you will see both mental health benefits as well as physical health benefits! As always, be sure to wear sunscreen while outside, and only moderate amounts of sun exposure is recommended!

Click here for a list of 25 health benefits of sun exposure.

Vacationing with an Elderly Loved One

Many times, caregivers caring for senior citizens avoid travel because of some of the hurdles involved with vacationing. Planning a vacation is overwhelming, let alone taking mobility, medications, and other aspects of caregiving for the elderly into consideration. Here at LTS, we think that with a little extra planning, it’s entirely possible to travel with elderly loved ones!


Plan, plan and plan some more:

Extensively research multiple destinations to determine which one will be the most accessible for your elderly loved one. Once you’ve established a destination, figure out the easiest way to travel there. Take time and accessibility into consideration. Would it be easier to take the train? Trains can be more comfortable and less hectic than an airplane, but the travel time may be a little bit longer. Would driving be the best option? Take all of this into consideration, and take your time to research as much as possible. Lastly, contact the transportation company to see if they have senior discounts and accommodations for senior travelers.


Preparation:

Travelers regularly underestimate the amount of paperwork that is necessary when traveling. Make a list of all of the documents you’ll need before you leave, and cross-reference your list a couple of times on your travel day. You need to take all of these documents into consideration:

Passport
License
Medicare Card
Health Insurance Card
Bank Cards
Credit Cards
Checkbook
Tickets
Vacation Itinerary
Medication List
Doctor’s notes

While packing, create a list of all of the items you want to bring. Once that is complete, look through the list again and classify each item as ‘definitely need,’ ‘maybe need’ and ‘don’t need.’ Re-evaluate your list, and try to eliminate as many superfluous items as possible. Remember, the goal is to pack light and pack only what you need.

Travel Day:

The temperature in trains and planes can be unpredictable, so dress your elderly loved one in layers. Wear comfortable, easy to remove shoes. If traveling by airplane, bring extra plastic bags for your items to expedite the security checkpoint process. Go over your necessary documents list, grab the luggage, take a camera, and have fun!

Spring Break for Caregivers

It’s spring break for most colleges, and we think caregivers deserve a break too! Wouldn’t it be great to take two weeks off, jet away to a distant island and shut the world out? Unfortunately, for caregivers that’s not always an option. For the most part, many responsibilities and obligations of caregiving are unpredictable. However, that doesn’t mean caregivers don’t get a vacation! How about a ‘staycation’? ‘Staycations’ have become a more economical alternative to a traditional vacation, but it’s also a perfect option for caregivers! You can be close to home in case an emergency comes up, but you can also get a break from the duties of caregiving.

Where you‘staycate’ can range from in-home to in-state, but it usually requires some creative thinking. It’s easy to get caught up in your daily routine, and miss the opportunities to change things up and enjoy the summer.

Here are some ideas for an in-home ‘staycation’:

Make ice cream sundaes!
Mix up some summer drinks and sit outside in the warm weather!
Have a barbeque with your friends.
Fill up a kiddie pool, and sit in the sun and soak your feet for a little while
Have a movie night in your living room, complete with popcorn and candy!
See if there are any outdoor concerts going on in your town.
Have a tourist day – pretend you are a tourist visiting your town for the first time!

Here are some ideas for an in-state ‘staycation’:

Look at a map of your state, and find one area you’ve never been able to explore before!
Contact your Parks Department to find any hiking trails or reservations you haven’t seen.
Does your state have wineries? Many states do, and it’s a fun distraction!
Visit historic sites in your state.
Go see a sports game!

If you’re looking for some more ideas, contact your state and see what activities they have!

Administration on Aging YouTube Channel

Today, everybody should take some time to watch the YouTube videos that the Administration of Aging has put up on their YouTube channel. They have documented the stories of multiple caregivers, from a widow caring for her mother to a couple caring for both of their aging parents.

As our last post indicated, we think it’s extremely important to document the stories and experiences of caregivers. This is the best way to increase awareness and understanding. The videos from the Administration of Aging do this, and give an opportunity for other caregivers to learn about what resources are out there for them and how other people have successfully fulfilled the role of caregiver.

Click here to see one of those videos about a couple caring for their aging parents, and you can find the Administration of Aging YouTube channel by clicking here.

Elder Appreciation

Today I typed "Elder Appreciation" into Google, hoping I would find some interesting articles about great things communities are doing for their elders, or a nice story on how a school has dedicated lots of time visiting an assisted living facility.  Instead, I found stories dedicated to various Elder Appreciation Days.  While celebrating elders for a day is fantastic, it raises a pertinent question: How do we treat elders on the other 364 days of the year? 

Speaking with others about this topic, I have encountered several different answers.  The best responses I hear always come from people who speak about their parents, and how taking care of them has been such a joy.  A friend of mine, who has three children, told me that every day it gives her so much joy to speak about her children with her own parents.  When her oldest got accepted into college, the first person she called was her mother, and they were both ecstatic at the news.  For me, stories like this were always among the favorites that I shared with my mother and father.  First steps, first words, and any exciting news were always quickly followed by a phone call.  While taking care of my parents often proved difficult and stressful, the joy of speaking with my parents about almost anything as they got older far outweighed the negatives.  They always gave me great wisdom, and I always enjoyed sharing new and old memories with them.