Leslie Newlife

6 Important Questions to Ask When Looking For a Nursing Home

Looking for a nursing home can be one of the most daunting tasks you may ever experience.  Oftentimes judgment and emotions are running high during this time of transition for your loved one. Therefore, it is crucial to have an objective list of questions ready to guide you through this process.

1. How responsive is the administration?  Leadership starts at the top and should be evident from the first encounter with the nursing home. If there is a long lapse in communication at this point, look into it.

2. How clean does the environment appear & smell?  For an objective list comparing nursing homes and their inspection reports refer to Medicare or the Department of Health in your state.

3. What is the ratio of staff to residents?  This is usually mandated by the state, but make sure you are not seeing a shortage. Unfortunately there can be a high turnover rate in this industry particularly for CNAs.

4. What is the current occupancy rate?  Unless the facility is new it could be cause for concern if there are an abundance of available rooms.

5. What is the protocol in case of a medical emergency and what is the schedule with the attending physician? It is valuable to know how often team meetings between all staff occur as well as the scheduled rounds of the attending physician.

6. How active are the support services?  Are physical and occupational therapy readily available?  Ask to tour the therapy rooms.  Also look at the activities schedule to determine the level of social resources.

Although there are many other questions that will arise during this process these questions are a good way to start the evaluation process. This proper research in the beginning can alleviate many issues in the future.

Click to find nursing homes in your area.

Meeting the Demand for Technology in Senior Living Communities

People are enjoying longer fuller lives nowadays, and aging adults are seeking housing to fit their lifestyles. Senior living communities appeal to potential residents by offering various amenities and services. Today’s senior citizens are quite tech savvy. The PewResearch Center reports that 60% of seniors regularly use the Internet and 77% own cell phones. Retirees expect to find up-to-date technology in their housing options, but meeting these high-tech demands can be challenging for some communities. Housing developers understand this need and integrate technology into building plans. However, existing communities are faced with the challenge of upgrading. Here, we will examine which technologies seniors are seeking and how communities can meet these demands.

Wi-Fi

Internet access is a top priority for seniors who are evaluating their housing options. The web allows them to stay in touch with friends and family, shop, learn, and play. Community operators meet these requirements in a number of ways. Some have created dedicated computer rooms or Internet cafés within the community. This is a wonderful way for residents to gather and socialize while using the Internet. It also provides a space to offer tech programs that teach residents how to use computers, mobile devices, and the Internet. Some communities implement Wi-Fi access throughout the entire facility. It can become expensive for existing communities to upgrade and update their systems. However, with connectivity being in such high demand, Wi-Fi access has become a necessity in order to offer relevant services to potential residents. Other communities opt to let residents obtain and pay for their own wi-fi via the local internet/cable provider.

Efficiency and Effectiveness

While technology provides lots of fun and leisure, it also allows communities to function more efficiently and effectively. High-tech devices are used for many areas of senior care to improve services and in turn, improve the lives of residents. For example, skilled nursing and memory care communities use motion sensors to detect nighttime movement and help them determine if a resident needs assistance. Assisted-living communities use a variety of tech to record work flow and response times. Memory care operators use real time tracking location systems (RTLS) to keep residents safe by tracking their location within the community. Technology is also important for daily business operations, such as payments, billing, purchasing, marketing, medical records, medication management and more. Some communities even use an intranet to get feedback from residents & keep them apprised of events and announcements.

Making it Happen

Community operators know the importance of using current technology. However, in some cases it may be cost prohibitive. Some communities use financing options to afford the necessary upgrades. While the upfront cost may be substantial, community leaders understand the need for forward thinking tech solutions. Current and future residents expect cutting-edge technology and community operators must rise to the challenge.

There is no single, “cookie-cutter” solution. Every community is unique and has its own needs. It’s important to evaluate all the innovations and determine which ones will be most beneficial to the residents while remaining cost effective.

Legal Documents – Are you Ready?

There are so many things to do and factors to consider when a senior decides to move into a community, or needs care. From clearing a home and selling it or making it a safe place to age, to choosing the right senior community or caregiver. Your hands will be full. One thing that can make it all easier is having legal documents in place before there is a need. I’m not just talking about a Will, Power of Attorney, but also, a document outlining your wishes. Sometimes this is an easier approach than talking about plans.

Most people think they have to go to a lawyer to draw up the legal documents they need, but there are other options online now. Law Depot is one site that offers free legal documents, forms and contracts. There are also many examples online to help you make decisions and figure out how to draw it up.

There are also sites and associations like 5 Wishes, dedicated to communicating your preference for care & end of life. These are done in everyday language to help the process flow.

When my husband & I went to a lawyer to have all of my documents drawn up (yes, we did it the old expensive way), she asked so many questions I hadn’t thought of. Who should do what, when & how. This gets more detailed the more stuff you have to deal with (and the more relative there are). As an example, my husband has classic cars, so who has the know-how & time to sell them at a fair price? Many of the things we wanted done aren’t really covered in a Will, so she told us to write out our wishes, and give a copy to everyone mentioned.  This way everyone knows their part.

Make sure your family and those close to you know how and where you want to age. Personally, I look forward to moving into one of the beautiful senior communities I have visited and be surrounded by activities and amenities. I have even picked the Memory Care community I want to go to if I ever need it, and I’ve been sure to tell a lot of people, as I won’t remember by then : )  Things change, so remember to review and update your documents ever 2-5 years.

Do yourself and your family a favor and get your documents in order now. You are never too young. Things happen every day! Don’t make a difficult time even harder on your loved ones.

Understanding What Makes A Good Ad

Digital marketing is an effective and affordable way to gain more visitors to your website, as well as new clients for your business, but how do you attract your target market and close a sale? While the detailed answer to this question is different for everyone, the basic principles are the same. Read on….

Ability To Change

Digital marketing is a powerful tool that allows businesses of all types to create highly targeted and dynamic ads that can provide excellent returns on your investment. Too often, people abandon their ads due to lack of understanding. While the key factors in determining the success of an advertisement online are similar to that of a traditional print advertisement, there are still many differences.

Online advertisements allow a business to create ad campaigns that work within their budget, and target very specific demographics. Additionally, ads that you create with search engines like Google can be monitored 24×7 and changed almost instantly. Say goodbye to typos and the uncertainty of reaching your target market.

Things Change, Things Stay The Same

While online advertisements offer you the ability to make all types of changes as often as you like, they do not guarantee you conversions. Like traditional advertisements, you’re going to need excellent titles, strong calls to action, and you’ll need to understand your audience, but there is even more for you to consider.

Content Is King

An advertisement with weak content and no calls to action is going to see very low response rates, no matter what medium you select. You may know exactly what words to use to attract a client, but if you don’t offer up information that they consider valuable, your chances of success are slim.

Always consider giving your potential clients a wealth of information for free, before attempting to close a sale, this will make your advertisement valuable and more solid as a selling tool. In the digital world, you’re only going to have a limited amount of characters to use in an attempt to entice potential buyers to visit your website or page, and you’ll want to keep them around for as long as possible. Try seeing your advertisements as a free giveaway that will hopefully encourage a potential client to use your strong calls to action and take the next step in your marketing cycle.

Watch Closely

Whether you are opting for traditional, digital, or a combination of both marketing tools, the facts remain the same: You need to provide value to your base in order to see success. Crafting a good advertisement doesn’t need to be difficult, but you should consider a few things before launching your campaign. We wish you success!

Senior Living & Care: 5 Tips For Seniors To Keep Their Balance, and Stay On Their Feet

Keeping our balance is one of those things we often take for granted, just like walking, or breathing easy. However, as we get older, these things that were once easy can turn into chores. Or, in some cases, genuinely difficult tasks.

If falls are a serious risk for you, whatever the reason, then here are some simple things you can do to make sure they happen as rarely as possible in your life.

Tip #1: De-Clutter Your Environment

Take a moment to look around your living space. Are you one of those folks who has a place for everything? Or are you a little more free-form when it comes to your organization skills? Because if you want to avoid falls, then getting rid of clutter is the first thing you should do.

Some de-cluttering steps are obvious. Make sure dirty clothes are in a hamper or a basket, put books and magazines on tables or shelves, and keep your shoes in a cubby rather than on the floor. However, you should also get rid of things like throw rugs, runners, and any decorations that might get under your feet. This is particularly true on and near stairs, where a fall could lead to more than a bruised hip.

Tip #2: No More Slippery Socks

While the idea of house shoes might seem silly, it can be a life saver if you want to avoid falls. Because while fluffy wool socks and floppy slippers are undeniably comfortable, they are also a major tripping hazard. This is especially true if they aren’t on tightly, or if you have hardwood or tile floors in your home (or any of the aforementioned throw rugs that are prone to slip and slide across smooth surfaces). For some extra protection, wear slippers that fit like shoes, or the house socks that have rubber grips on the bottom. They’re just as effective for keeping warm, but they don’t have the risks of they’re smooth-soled cousins.

Tip #3: Listen To Your Body

One of the biggest mistakes we make is to ignore the warning signs when our body is trying to tell us something. If you’re out-of-breath, for example, take a moment to normalize. If you’re feeling dizzy or light-headed, there’s no shame in staying in your seat until the sensation passes. If you need a walking stick, or a brace, then use them. Even when you’re just going down the hall, or it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. It’s always the, “just this onetime,” situations that result in falls, so minimize those occurrences whenever you can.

Tip #4: Exercise Regularly

Exercise is one of those habits a lot of us just don’t bother with once we’re no longer in gym class, but you don’t need to be trying to impress someone to hit the gym. Regular exercise, in addition to just being plain good for you, also keeps your body in working order. Think of it as preventative maintenance. A regular routine will ensure your muscles are responsive, that your joints are in working order, and it will help make sure you have the necessary reflexes to catch yourself before you can fall. And, in the event that you do end up meeting unexpectedly with the floor, you’re likely to sustain fewer injuries if you regularly exercise than you would if you didn’t.

Tip #5: Turn on The Lights

One of the biggest causes of falls is walking around in the dark. While turning on the lights might seem like the most basic thing in the world, many falls are caused by unexpected trips to the bathroom, or short walks to get a glass of water. While it might seem like a momentary frustration when you’retired and used to the dark, just turn on the lights. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

How to Use Extended Tweet Space to Enhance Your Marketing & Brand

Popular microblogging platform, Twitter, recently rocked the short-form content world when it announced an extension to its infamous 140-character post limit. After the initial novelty wore off, content marketers began refining best practices for short-form posts.

Here are some practices to consider and some to avoid in your exploration of this brave new tweeting world.

DON’T:

Ramble

Not every post needs to meet the new character limit. Moreover, not every post should meet the new limit. Industry leaders observe, “280 characters should be used sparingly; just because we have that space doesn’t mean we should feel compelled to use it. Save the multi-point arguments for Facebook and keep Twitter snappy and fun.” Twitter users are accustomed to a fast-paced, concise environment. In testing the new character limit, Twitter reports demonstrated “Only 5% of Tweets sent were longer than 140 characters and only 2% were over 190 characters.” In organic/native marketing strategy, it is best for marketers to align with the practices of the audience.

Abuse the New Limit

As always, your posts should offer audiences a variety—this includes length. If all of your posts are short blips, your audience may not fully engage. Likewise, if each post is heavy and pushes the extended character limit, your audience may lose interest. Continue diversifying your tone, depth, and character count to keep audiences engaged.

Over-Hashtag

With the extra space allotted by the character limit update, content marketers may be tempted to cram additional hashtags into each tweet to take advantage of trending threads. While this strategy seems idyllic, the presentation and lack of relevance may be a turn off for audiences. A single post is relevant to two, maybe three platform discussions—any more is spamming, and your readers will recognize this.

DO:

Use Vertical Space

Your content need not be dense to make a visual impact. Rather than reaching for characters in every post, consider short lists and other quick brief updates with hard returns to create a long and narrow tweet.

Increase Engagement

Use the new breathing room in your tweets to grow engagement by posting deeper, more meaningful commentary and questions to your audiences. Maintain vigilance on grammar and punctuation, as longer posts may become confusing without these standardizations. Consider infusing multiple links within the space to offer additional value to readers.

Fortify Customer Service

More space means more voice. Customer service teams on Twitter now have ample opportunity to demonstrate care and value to consumer inquiries. Outreach and response can now offer additional human-tone and supporting information and links to reinforce connections with customers.

Follow New LifeStyles on Twitter at https://twitter.com/New_LifeStyles or @New_LifeStyles.

Does your senior community or care agency have a Twitter account? If so, share it here, so we can see what you are doing.

Simple Way to Promote Independence in Seniors | Bed Rails

Are you a senior living with a chronic condition like diabetes, heart disease, or stroke? You’re not alone. In fact, the National Council on Aging reports that nearly 80% of all older adults in the U.S. have at least one chronic disease. The very process of aging can make day to day tasks more difficult, much less adding on a chronic condition that affects strength, energy levels, and mobility.

One key to seniors maintaining a sense of self-reliance and warding off feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression is being able to independently care for themselves. Oftentimes employing ease-of-use tools (like car transfer handles or reacher grabbers) and mobility aids (like canes and walkers) can help empower a senior with a chronic illness or disability. When it comes to maintaining safety and independence in the bedroom, however, bed rails are the go-to assistive device.

Repositioning, sitting up, and even turning over in bed can be difficult for seniors with functional limitations. And even the seemingly harmless act of getting in and out of bed can increase risk for falling and injuring yourself. If you are a senior looking to age in place and take advantage of tools that help you stay relatively independent, don’t miss this quick guide to how bed rails can work for you:

What Are Bed Rails and How Do They Work?

Bed rails offer a lot more than just safety. As fixed structures on either side of the bed available in a variety of shapes, designs, and sizes, they also offer support for getting in and out of bed, repositioning, sitting up, and turning over in bed. Some models also have small accessory pouches for keeping personal belongings or medicine handy.

Bed rails are relatively easy to set up and are normally supported by the floor or can be attached to your bed between the box spring and mattress. Some models are attached to both box spring and floor for additional support. Typically, bed rails will have mechanisms to raise up and lower down as needed for getting in and out of bed.

Types of Bed Rails

There are three main types of bed rails, each targeted at different use cases which makes it important to know the right type for your particular needs before buying one.

Safety rails

Just as the name suggests, safety rails are used for fall prevention during sleep. They’re not only ideal for older adults, but also for those who are prone to instability and uneasiness and who may roll out of bed. These bed rails are usually portable and can fit beds of most sizes including twin, queen, king and even electric or manual hospital beds. Depending on whether your bed is right next to a wall or not, you might want to buy one or two safety bed rails.

Bed bumper pads

Also known as bed bumpers and side rail protectors, these work the same way as safety rails. However, they feature thick pads that protect seniors from getting entangled in the rails. Also, they are softer than most safety rails and reduce chances of an elderly adult getting injured by bumping into the rails. Bed bumpers not only prevent falls but also offer an added sense of security.

Bed assist rails

Also known as bed handles, grab bars or transfer bed rails, these support rails for repositioning and rising out of bed are advantageous to unstable or elderly seniors who have difficulty entering or exiting the bed. These also provide support for repositioning, turning over, and simply getting comfortable in bed.

What to Consider When Buying a Bed Rail

It goes without saying that the type of rail you buy should be compatible with the size and type of your bed and mattress. It is ideal to measure your mattress before shopping for these types of assistive tools. If you don’t want them altering your carpet, don’t get rails that need to be fixed on to the floor; and remember, bed rails with big gaps between bars can turn out to be traps for arms and legs.

Another key factor to consider when buying bed rails is to make sure that they fold or collapse easily and don’t block you when you get in and out of the bed. Keep durability, size, and material in mind when examining cost as well, and know most bed rails are fairly inexpensive and offer great value. Your healthcare provider might also be able to suggest the ideal type of bed rail for your mobility level.

4 Website Must-Haves for Senior Communities & Care Providers

Your website is one of the primary ways that you can reach more potential customers. But to get the best results from your website, you need to optimize it for today’s seniors and their families. Here are the top things your senior website must have in order to successfully attract more prospective customers.

1. Large, easy-to-read text. This one should be pretty obvious, but make sure that the content on your website is accessible and easy to read. Use larger font sizes for the text on your website, and stick to a simple, classic font like Arial or Times New Roman to ensure easy readability. Similarly, you will want to make sure that any links are easy to find and click. Stick to simple color schemes with lots of contrast—black text on a white background for the main content on your website is always a safe bet. Leave the fancy, fun fonts and tiny text off of your website— your customers will appreciate it.

2. Contact information,especially a phone number. Of course, you’ll want to give prospects an easy way to reach you — that’s the case with any business! When you work with seniors, though, you will want to carefully consider the contact channels you put on your website. In fact, you will most likely want to include multiple ways your organization can be contacted. Seniors will appreciate it most if you have your company’s phone number prominently displayed on your website so they can call for the information they need and speak directly to a representative, while their family members may prefer digital communication. To be safe and meet both of these needs, offer multiple methods of contact: a form on your website, a phone number, and email address should cover the bases.

3. Photos (and not stock photos). Seniors and their families will appreciate seeing actual photographs of the community and caretakers on your website. Having plenty of photographs offer a better look at what you offer, and builds trust that you are proud of the services and community you offer. You may also want to consider having professional photographs of caretakers and other employees to help prospective customers feel a stronger sense of familiarity and trust when they think of your organization. But make sure that the photographs are high-quality, and consider hiring a professional photographer to make sure that the photographs really put you in a good light.

4. Mobile Compatibility. More and more users are searching online, linking from emails, and visiting social channels online. If your website is not mobile friendly or responsive, you are not only making it difficult for visitors who try to access your site from their phones, but you are being punished by Google. Google promotes sites that are mobile friendly, so if you just can’t get your SEO where you want it, consider this option.

New LifeStyles can help you by updating your site to be search engine and mobile friendly and send a photographer out to shoot pictures of your community. Contact us to learn more. 

Senior Abuse: 4 Ways To Spot Mistreatment of a Loved One

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It’s hard to believe that anyone would cause harm to the elderly anywhere, specifically in a nursing home, but the sad truth is that it happens.  From 2015-2016, investigators found 134 cases of abuse of nursing home residents. Most nursing home residences hold strict codes to ensure these abuses don’t happen, but this article is meant to highlight four warning signs of negligence for you to use as a guideline in protecting your loved ones.

Staff Shortages

A big red flag should go up if you notice a scarce amount staff members working in a senior home. When a facility is short-staffed, it is common for staff members to become overwhelmed from not being able to keep up with workflow and start becoming neglectful to their patients by cutting corners, according to the Nursing Home Abuse Center. Without the adequate amount of staff members, any home runs the risk of committing medical malfeasance, such as poor patient hygiene, bed sores, malnutrition, dehydration, etc..

Bedsores

Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, naturally occurs with infirmed patients who cannot move around without assistance. In a nutshell, a bedsore is tissue damage that, in its beginning stages, looks like a bruise on the upper-layer of the skin. At its worst, stage 4, bedsores become an odorous, open sore exposing a patient’s tendons, muscles, and bones. Regardless, bedsores occur from a patient not being moved or rotated in their gurney, which is a blatant sign of neglect. The Nursing Home Abuse Guide lays out a number of commonly affected body parts that should be scanned for pressure ulcers.

Malnutrition

“Malnutrition is defined as the condition that results from eating an unbalanced diet that lacks the proper amount of nutrients or has too many of certain kind of nutrients.” This is not always the home’s fault, as “elderly people are prone to appetite loss,” says the Nursing Home Abuse Center. Nevertheless, staff members are paid to closely monitor sudden changes of this sort and should make the necessary adjustments to remedy the situation, as well as communicating the issue. As per the Nursing Home Abuse Center, signs of malnutrition are: weight loss, fatigue, dizziness, tooth decay, mental decline, fragile bones, dry and ashen skin, muscle loss, weakness, bloated abdomen, confusion, decreased organ function and swollen or bleeding gums.

Dehydration

As stated by medical professionals, the elderly have a harder time conserving water, so they are at a higher risk of dehydration. What’s more, sense of thirst diminishes in their later years. Some obvious symptoms to look for include: “extreme thirst, less frequent urination, dark-colored urine, fatigue, dizziness, and confusion.” A more thorough way to check hydration levels is to order a blood test.

In Conclusion

There are certainly more warning signs of elder neglect; however, these four are some of the easiest to spot. If you suspect abuse, be sure to bring it to the attention of adminstrators & if needed, contact the authorities and file a grievance with the appropriate state agency.

Addressing Potential Client Fears Directly

 

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Most often, the decision to enter a nursing home is made at a point of crisis for a family that has been discussing it for some time, but has put the decision off out of fear. Marketing departments tend to avoid difficult conversations, but sometimes, speaking directly about family concerns indicates that you understand their worries and are willing to address them. What are these fears, and how can we address them directly to encourage potential residents to choose our facilities over others available?

Ask. When a family comes in to see the facility, you can simply say, “A lot of our families are in crisis when they come here for this discussion. Do you have any immediate needs or concerns?” The industry often feels a need to talk around the issues of aging and death, but that is why people enter nursing facilities. Though they may remain in denial about fatal outcomes, families are certainly aware that their loved ones are significantly altered by age or illness, and even physicians struggle with direct speech about needs and expected outcomes. Families are reassured to discover that their fears are founded, and that someone is interested in providing for their needs at a difficult time.

Listen. In the aftermath of a fall, sudden illness, or decline of a love done, families may be rushed through the medical system, and their concerns dismissed. They may have been told that a parent needs to go into a nursing home, with very little time to discuss specific issues, and may have received only a short, dismissive speech from a busy hospitalist. Allow the family to speak, to tell you about their loved one, and even to share their own feelings. You can gain useful information about a potential client and family in this way, and it assures them that you are interested in the well being of the whole person involved, and not just filling an empty bed.

Provide. Having heard the specific fears, address them. If they are concerned about a fussy eater or dietary restrictions, show them the week’s menu options. If staffing is the issue, show them busy, cheerful hallways. A small volunteer resident welcoming committee, for each unit where it is possible, is a great selling point, indicating that there can still be an active social life, and meaningful friendships to be made after admission for long term care. If it is practical, keep a furnished room or suite for display, to show how personal and home-like facility life will be.

Families may enter facilities in fear, but they can leave in comfort if time is taken to truly hear them. Active listening may be the difference between choosing your facility and another. Each family harbors its own collection of concerns, and the successful facility uses simple terminology to approach them with honesty and respect.