Downsizing & Retiring the Right Way

General Posted by anthony Date September 18, 2013

Caroline Casetti is a new homeowner, humanitarian, freelance writer, and an aspiring artist. While she typically writes about community involvement and ways to give back, she has taken the time to share her recent relocation experience and how downsizing can help bring families together.
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It all kind of happened at the same time:åÊ My husband, Frank, and I were in the middle of downsizing and were about to move from Texas to our first-ever home together in Decatur, GA.åÊ It was 2012, and I was beyond excited.åÊ And then we got a phone call from my mother-in-law.

My father-in-law (who I refer to as dad) was 81 and had fallen and injured his hip.åÊ My in-laws had a quaint little house up in New Jersey, and every morning dad would walk from his front porch to the mailbox with his golden retriever to get the morning paper.åÊ Apparently the ice was pretty thick one winter morning and dad fell on his way to the driveway.åÊ Frank and I were terrified; we couldnÛªt shake this helpless feeling because they were so far away. And then we thought, ÛÏHey! WeÛªre moving to Decatur, maybe we should move them too.Û Wasting no time at all, we found a great little apartment complex for them only a few miles from our new home-to-be.

And so began the long, arduous process of downsizing not one, but two separate families! åÊThough we were all excited about living so close to each other, the move itself was a nightmareÛÓwe simply had too many things. While I was excited to move to a new city where our in-laws would be near us, I was not looking forward to packing up both my and my in-lawÛªs stuff.

Frank and I immediately booked a flight to Jersey and a week later we were helping them sort through 50 yearsÛª worth of love, life and memories into one small moving truck.åÊ Saying it was hard to go through their basement filled with antique chairs and various photo albums of Frank as a blonde haired, blued eyed boy deciding what was and wasnÛªt worth keeping is an understatement:åÊ It was brutal.åÊ Dad was still in rehab at the hospital and mom was so overrun with grief that it was hard to motivate her.åÊ I knew they wanted to move, itÛªs just that the process itself was so difficult.åÊ We ended up storing a lot of their cherished belongings in a Storage Postfacility, which really helped make the whole process easier.

The in-laws moved down here about a month after I first bounced the thought in my head.åÊ Though the whole process was tough, it didnÛªt take long for them to settle in.åÊ Dad in particular seemed to thrive in the warmer climate and I know mom is much happier being closer to us.åÊ Before, the in-laws would call maybe once or twice a month, now we see them almost every other day.åÊ

Fast forward a year and a half and we all couldnÛªt be happier.åÊ In fact, IÛªm having the family over for dinner tomorrow night!åÊ Now that he has more free time, Dad spends most of his time outdoors with a glass of sweet tea and a nice book.åÊ HeÛªs fully mobile again, and with this wonderful southern climate, worrying about the ice is (almost) a thing of the past.åÊ IÛªm happy to announce how close weÛªve grown this past year, and I canÛªt believe it took a potential catastrophe for me to realize just how dear family is.åÊ Bringing them here, within a few minutes from us, was one of the best decisions Frank and I ever made.åÊ

While downsizing and retiring can be an overwhelming process, finding the good in situations can make all the difference. ItÛªs important to keep loved ones close at heart and near in proximity, and to realize that itÛªs never too late to reconnect with family.

Hip Fracture Recovery Better If You Are Healthy (Video)

General Posted by anthony Date September 17, 2013

[embed_youtube”420″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/zo5c2X0BQkU”]

Hip Fracture Recovery Better If You Are Healthy

General Posted by anthony Date September 16, 2013

Seniors who have a hip fracture or another serious fall injury are significantly more likely to recover if they had little or no disabilities before the accident, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine assessed more than 100 seniors who had fallen within the past year. They found that a year after the incident, those with no disability had a 45% probability of a rapid recovery and a 38% probability of gradual recovery.åÊ

Conversely, those with a progressive disability before the fall had a 70% chance of no recovery, and those with a severe disability had a 100% chance of no recovery.åÊ

Thirteen activities were used to classify disability levels. They included: bathing, dressing, walking inside the house, transferring from a chair; shopping, housework, meal preparation, taking medications, managing finances; mobility; climbing a flight of stairs; lifting or carrying 10 pounds; driving.

Needing assistance with at least 10 of the 13 activities signified severe disability.

Ten Caregivers of Seniors Earn "Caring Champion" Awards

General Posted by anthony Date September 13, 2013

Selena Brown’s senior care journey began caring for her grandmother at the young age of 14 and lasted through her high school years. Later, she served in the United States Army, learning more about loyalty, commitment and dedication — traits that shine through in her current work as a professional caregiver of seniors.

“Being a caregiver is truly in her blood and is what she was meant to do in life,” said Chelsea Smith, business manager at Rest Assured Nursing, Inc., an in-home care agency and Selena’s employer, which nominated her for Caring.com’s “Caring Champion” award. “Selena is the definition of a true veteran and humanitarian for our country as a whole, but most importantly for our senior community.”
Selena is one of more than 80 professional caregivers nominated this summer as “Caring Champions.” Caring.com — the leading senior care website for family caregivers and the Web’s #1 source of senior care reviews — launched this unique program in June to honor and reward professional caregivers of seniors at home care agencies and senior living communities in the United States. When the caregivers’ extraordinary senior care stories were published in July, Caring.com’s online community of nearly two million monthly visitors cast votes for their favorites — using social media buttons on each caregiver’s story page and article comment feature. Caring.com’s judging committee used this feedback and other subjective criteria to choose the following top-ten caregivers to receive cash bonuses:

Selena Brown of Rest Assured Nursing, Inc. in Marina Del Rey, California
Charity Ntim of Homewatch CareGivers in Northbrook, Illinois
Cathy Miller of Emeritus Senior Living in Woodstock, Georgia
Maria Steider of Aspen House in Loveland, Colorado
Joseph O’Kelley II of Home Instead Senior Care in Huntsville, Alabama
Eve Barnett of Seniority Lifecare at Home in Sonora, California
Abby Schroeder of Boardman Lake Glens in Traverse City, Michigan
Bunny Curry of Azura Memory Care in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Dawn Lamb of Roland Park Place in Baltimore, Maryland
Dorothy Boozer of Autumn Cove Retirement Community in Anniston, Alabama

Selena earned the grand prize of $500, and the nine runners-up each get a bonus check of $100. In addition to counting the social votes, Caring.com also considered the compelling attributes of each senior care story, the volume and sentiment of reader comments, expert recommendations for hiring an in-home caregiver or becoming a professional caregiver, and more.
“I looked for high praise from the families they serve, the caregiver’s tenure, and most important, how much they were positively influencing not only the senior and senior’s loved ones, but also their peers and others as a valuable, helpful resource who was deserving of this special recognition,” said Caring Champion judge Caitlin Morgan, a family advisor and expert at Caring.com and geriatric consultant specializing in dementia care. “As someone who’s worked in senior care for 28 years, I understand many of the challenges — and rewards — that come with being a professional caregiver, and I really appreciated reading each and every one of these senior care stories.”
Families trust professional caregivers to provide high-quality, compassionate care for their senior loved ones — often during a time of debilitating illness or difficult transitions and aging challenges. With so many professional caregivers nominated as Caring Champions in 2013 and more than 5000 social media votes cast in praise for their work, this program demonstrated how well the senior care industry is delivering on its mission.
“While we host tens of thousands of positive consumer reviews about professional senior care providers, we launched Caring Champions to do something extra to recognize those who choose senior care as their profession or life’s work,” said Caring.com CEO and co-founder Andy Cohen. “We were so pleased with the amount of participation in the program, and truly touched by the individual stories showcased — some tearjerkers, some humorous, all worthy of being shared and celebrated.”

More information about the Caring Champions program is available on Caring.com here: http://www.caring.com/championcaregivers