Want to live longer?
According to Dr. Patricia Boylehttp://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/627835.html?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_lifestyle, a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. ”…if you find purpose in life, if you find your life is meaningful and if you have goal-directed behavior, you are likely to live longer.”
Did you know dreams continue beyond the age of 35? Want proof? When I started into the senior living industry it was with Brightview Senior Living. The company had six communities with most of the focus on assisted living and dementia care. One community that stood out, and really the person that stood out, was the Activity Director at Brightview of Bel Air. A hairdresser by trade, she engaged the residents (including in the dementia neighborhood) in a way few others can – with a focus on dignity, respect, and the belief that even people living in an assisted living community could thrive, not just survive. This passion played out in two significant ways: 1) she challenged herself and her community to find the dream left unmet for each of her residents and then she would creatively find a way to make that dream a reality 2) she sparked a group of residents to form a singing group that eventually cut a CD and sang the national anthem at Cal Ripken Stadium for a minor-league baseball team.
People, all people, have or want to re-kindle their sense of purpose. What is your purpose? Do you have the key to helping someone else re-kindle their purpose? If so, use it!
In his recent blog http://www.disruptivedemographics.com/ Joseph Coughlin, Director of MIT’s AgeLab clarifies that “Sun and sea alone will not provide regional competitive advantage in light of financial limitations and evolving lifestyle demands.”
This is a show stopper. For the longest time location, location, location was touted as the key ingredient to success for developers in senior living.
Now, with baby boomers spreading their influence throughout the country and really the world based on where and how they are choosing to live, local governments and businesses need to focus energy now to attract and retain this key constituent for the future.
How?
Ask them, challenge them, prioritize the answers, and then invest in the future.
Government and business across the United States need to engage panels of baby boomers who are able to share what they are looking for in terms of an engaging lifestyle, and then collectively develop a plan today to be delivered over the next five to ten years.
Access to on-going learning; volunteer networks that provide meaningful and long-lasting chances to help; walkable paths and exercise venues that are easily accessible; tax structures that benefit engaged citizens, and more.
Too often the focus for those eligible for AARP membership is for society to figure out: ”Oh, how can we care for this person?” ”How can we provide them peace of mind?” Yes, these are important, but should be prioritized relative to the desire for people to live and engage in life!
Life at 93 for a Baltimore County, Maryland Senior – Keep Going Forward and Create a Legacy
A local senior in Baltimore County, Maryland showcases the future trend of those that will be served by senior care and housing providers.
People want to stay involved.
People want to stay engaged.
People want to make a difference in the world, and at the end be able to look back with pride.
As a provider of senior care and housing, all of these factors above should be considered in the daily engagement of those over the age of 55. Without this awareness, we provide care when we should be focused on providing options for a better lifestyle.
County Resident Honored for 75 Years of Teaching
County Executive Jim Smith presents Paul Miller (left) with an executive citation
for his 75 years – and counting – of teaching.
On July 8, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith recognized Paul Miller, 93 year-old Baltimore County resident. For 75 years, about 27,000 days, Miller has been teaching math passionately and devotedly. After high school, Miller attended Teachers College (now Towson University) and became a teacher. He went on to Johns Hopkins University for a master’s degree in math and remained on the faculty there for 40 years. Besides JHU, he has taught at Southern High School, City High School, Goucher College, Loyola University, Towson University, UMBC, Baltimore City Community College, CCBC at Essex, CCBC at Catonsville and others. Miller currently teaches calculus at Baltimore’s Ner Israel High School, where he has been for 51 years.
Today, Congress and the GAO took up the issue of reviewing CCRC regulation throughout the country. They highlighted several risks within the industry, http://aging.senate.gov/letters/gaoccrcreport.pdf however, they only briefly mentioned the positives.
Think of it this way – without a CCRC structure, and especially those that attempt to commit to supporting residents for life regardless of economic circumstances, seniors who are not in a CCRC run the risk of becoming bankrupt and destitute earlier if health care needs exist and there is no government safety net to protect them. If you are an assisted living resident without the support of a CCRC, and you run out of money paying for care along the way, what are you suppose to do? The story that was not told today during the hearings is that CCRCs allow hundreds if not thousands of people to spread risk among many; establish economies and services of scale, and ultimately are a representation of what “community” is really about – helping ones neighbor in a time of need.
CCRCs do involve a contract, so a lawyer is a good idea. At the same time, finding out if there is consumer reviews of a CCRC are also helpful (hence sites like www.seniorDECISION.com). However, if as a senior citizen you have a choice to “go it alone” or share the financial ride with others, there is more power and protection in numbers.
If you could spend a fraction of the cost to house a loved one in your backyard versus having to visit a “senior focused community” would you do it?
This concept is pressing the boundaries and requires companies who have invested millions in infrastructure to really determine how they will compete?
Key discussion points are: the key benefit to social interaction in nature (not yet observed from this incident), and will the senior receive the right dining experience?
There are plenty of questions, but the future is starting to take shape.
Recent article from CNN Money suggested 100 of the best small towns to live in America. Lucky for me, I grew up in town number 98, Beaverton, OR. According to CNN Money the town is a mecca of outdoor activity. For me, it was home. For my parents, it is a place of friendships, memories, and a wonderful farmers’ market.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/top100/
In a society of ratings and reviews (considering my wife and I started http://www.seniorDECISION.com I am a fan of both when it comes to consumer feedback), such a list of towns sparks conversation.
One conversation of interest is shouldn’t the best towns to live in be the best places to retire? Places of engagement, decent economies, and a real sense of community? If you want to live in an assisted living setting, why not be close to one of the best farmers’ markets around? If choosing a nursing home, it would be nice to have a community with a committed education system where students still value the insight of elders. Looking for senior housing, why not a neighborhood that celebrates and invests in staying healthy through an engaged park system?
You can find such locations in this list. Enjoy!
Our Greatest Glory is not in never falling, but in RISING every TIME we fall – Confucius
With millions of seniors coming, the United States is going to have to find creative and bold ways to accommodate the needs of an aging society.
I remember traveling in Italy in 2001 and thinking “wow, a lot of infrastructure has to change in order to accommodate one of the oldest societies in the world.”
And nearly 10 years later, America is faced with a similar challenge. We know people are living longer – this in and of itself is good, but it comes with consequences: more years of medical service, more years of spending assets down after “retirement,” more people dealing with depression and so many other challenges.
BOLD thinking and leadership is required to make difficult decisions.
When one thinks of experts in dealing with change, who does one think of first? What about people who have dealt with retirement, aging, health issues, and even the comings and goings of family and friends? Yes, those recognized as senior citizens in society are experts in change.
In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau there are two key changes that seniors have to deal with. First, seniors have to deal with the stress and changes of moving residences an average of 11.7 times throughout their lives. Second, the life expectancy in the United States has grown to 77.7 years from 61.7 years in 1935. With this additional 16 years comes that many more years of change to plan for and embrace. Fortunately for the seniors struggling to make these difficult choices and changes, with the help of seniorDECISION (www.seniordecision.com), seniors and families can browse through ratings and reviews of senior housing choices, and read reviews from other seniors who have had to make the adjustment to a new lifestyle in senior living communities.
For some steps on how to help seniors through this difficult change, read our full article at seniorDECISION.
Our focus in today’s market is primarily geared towards acquiring new clients rather than retaining existing clients. This should change immediately! According to research, it takes on average five times the cost to acquire a customer than to retain one.
There are a few simple steps to retain customers in the senior care industry, for example, surveying residents more frequently. Too many organizations rely solely on annual satisfaction survey information to garner consumer feedback. By the time the survey is rolled out, collected, and the findings presented, much time has passed. Instead, weekly feedback should be acquired through surveys following key meals, activities, and more. This helps improve operations and subsequently helps retain residents daily. This seniorDECISION article details more of the benefits of focusing on customer retention in the senior housing industry.
Today is the Best Time to Move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) – Really, Right Now!
Are you or a loved one considering a move to a retirement community or independent living? Today is the best time to commit to a move. With the deadline for home buyer tax credits approaching (May 1, 2010) seniors could leave behind as much as $8000 if they don’t act now. A move to senior independent living is an emotionally and financially important one, which means that every benefit seniors can get will help in the transition. Contracts that are created prior to May 1, 2010, and executed on before July 1, 2010 are eligible for the first time home buyer tax credit of up to $8,000 or up to $6500 for an existing home owner who wants to purchase a new home. At seniorDECISION you can browse through ratings and reviews of senior housing choices, and find out not only if your choice for independent living will qualify for the home buyer tax credit, but whether it’s the right type of community for you. Read this seniorDECISION article to understand the benefits of buying before the home buyer tax credit ends.
