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NAIPC News February 17, 2016
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In This Week's Issue
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- Highlights from the Caregivers Working Group
- Chapter Updates
- "I Brought 1" List
- The "Age-Friendly" Report
- Housing and the aging population
- The Blue Zones Solution
- Upcoming Events
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Highlights from the Caregivers Working Group
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NAIPC’s recent efforts to foster communication between its members has led to the formation of discussion groups comprised of members who share similar occupations. Each group has become a forum allowing peer groups to have in-depth conversations about the unique experiences of their professions and gain insights from contemporaries around the country.
On January 27, 2016 Tri County of Greater Los Angeles member, Holly Spiegel, and Greater Atlanta chapter member, Dara McMillan, moderated NAIPC’s first Caregivers Working Group. The theme of the first call was “The Caregiving Information Gap: What your clients need to know.” The agenda included topics such as (1) Medicare and the difference between home care and home health, (2) researching caregivers- doing your due diligence, and (3) rights and services available after being discharged from rehab.
The hour long discussion involved a robust conversation amongst attendees on senior’s needs assessments, available resources, and the differences between home health and home care.
Dara and Holly dove into the discussion head first by posing one of the more important questions, “How do we communicate clearly with clients?” Many caregivers and clients, alike, are easily confused by the transposable terms home care vs. home health and what services, under those umbrellas, Medicare will cover. To shed some light on these interchangeably confusing terms Dara and Holly presented the variances of home health (any medical condition requiring assistance, PT, OT, skilled nursing, and so on) and home care (activities of daily living; eating, washing, cleaning). Dara explained that home health requires a prescription from a doctor and is, therefore, usually covered by Medicare or personal insurance. Whereas, home care needs may go unmet because a client is not aware that they have options, or simply think they cannot afford another option.
The working group then discussed local resources for clients who are not covered by Medicare and cannot afford to pay privately. Home care is not covered by personal insurance or Medicare so those who cannot afford to private pay have to look for alternative resources. Holly provided attendees with a list of reliable community resources: 1) family members, neighbors, and churches, 2) area agencies on aging, and 3) local senior centers or caregiver resource centers.
The final topic on the agenda was providing needs assessments for clients. Holly and Dara stressed to the working group the importance of conducting a needs assessment for a client’s personal care, household care, health care, and emotional care on an individual level. If families know what specific needs need to be met they will be better equipped to find a caregiver to provide the required care. Researching caregivers can be a struggle, but knowing what needs must be met is essential.
As a result of this extensive conversation, the need for more homecare education was briefly discussed, and will be a topic continued in future calls.
The Caregivers Working Group will host their next call on Wednesday, April 13th at 3pm EST. Details to come.
Be on the lookout for information from our Home Modification Working Group and our newest working group, Aging in Place in Exurbia, COMING SOON! |
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Chapter Updates
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It’s February and love is already in the air and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is once again drawing attention to NAIPC’s Atlanta Chapter with their latest story “In film ‘The Age of Love,’ seniors learn it’s never too late to date.” The Atlanta Chapter will be sponsoring eight viewings of Steven Loring’s documentary, “The Age of Love,” at local senior centers the week after Valentine’s Day. The free screenings include refreshments and a post-screening discussion. Actual speed dating events will be held at a later date if there is enough interest. To learn more about times and locations, see upcoming events.
NAIPC of New Hampshire member The Voice Library will be hosting the American Pride Event on March 5, 2016. The purpose of American Pride night is to show gratitude to those who have and continue to provide military services to our country. The event benefits The WWII Foundation-Military Families Story Project. The New Hampshire chapter will, also, be present at the event. Click here to learn more about The WWII Foundation-Military Families Story Project. For information on the American Pride Event visit upcoming events.
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“I Brought 1” List:
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The "Age-Friendly" Report |
The term “age-friendly” is becoming more and more common place. A recently published report by AARP, “2015 Age-Friendly Report: Inspiring Communities,” lists ideas from the US and around the world on how to make your home and neighborhood more livable, i.e. “age-friendly.”
Among its top trends AARP’s report considers housing, social participation, transportation, communication, education, and health services to be of the utmost importance. The “age-friendly” report discusses accessory dwelling units (ADUs), intergenerational living, intergenerational playgrounds, building a community, educating older adults about public transit, making cities walkable, and so much more.
Read full article |
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Housing and the aging population |
In this article published on Senior.com, Kim Slowey brings to light the housing crisis facing the aging population.
For low-income seniors without a substantial income or access to resources their most affordable housing option is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 program. Through this program there are two options, (1) project rental assistance contracts that covers the difference in rent payments and cost of operations and (2) HUD pays for the cost of developing, purchasing, or rehabilitating a development without repayment as long as the housing remains available to low-income seniors for at least 40 years. However, with the last round of capital advance funding in 2012 and no current plans to re-start the program HUD is no longer an option.
While homesharing and multigenerational housing are options, Jeff Salter, founder of Caring Senior Service, says the most obvious solution is to find ways that will allow as many seniors as possible to “age in place.” The Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC is exploring avenues that will keep seniors in their homes, from smart home technology to urban planning. Alayna Waldrum, senior housing consultant, advocate and former housing legislative representative for LeadingAge says, “We have a larger percentage of people than ever before who aren’t interested in the policy of housing, and that makes it challenging for us to get our message across.”
Read full article
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The Blue Zones Solution |
What began as a National Geographic expedition to find the longest living cultures evolved into The Blue Zone Solution. During the 42nd Annual Convention of the Actuarial Society of South Africa a presentation by Nick Buettner, The Blue Zones Project, took audience members on a journey to the places in the world with the lowest middle-aged mortality rate, where the populations are living well into their 100s, while maintaining healthy, active lifestyles.
With the help of demographers, doctors, and epidemiologists Dan Buettner and his expedition team studied the habits of five Blue Zones; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Okinawa, Japan; and Nocoya, Costa Rica, where they were able to identify nine common lifestyle traits integrated into the lives of these populations. Aside from revering the elderly, the nine lifestyle traits shared by each community include, a strong sense of purpose, belonging, and a healthy social network. It’s not just about eating healthy, it’s about being healthy and cared for.
Also by Dan Buettner:
Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way
Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer
Read full article
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