“100 and counting: Lancaster County centenarians continue to live meaningful lives” – LNP – Always Lancaster
Centenarians are more visible than ever before. This article has several portraits of the active 100 + year-olds living in the county. “They are not only living longer but are living better, thanks to relative prosperity, better nutrition and medical advancements.”
“Violet Ickes, 108 – ‘I never thought of getting old. I was just busy living.’”
“Jim Sheffer, 100 – ‘I’ve loved my life. It’s my strong desire to live and live’”
“Aldine Stewart, 106 – ‘The good Lord has sustained me … I know he has the plan’”
“Roberta Frank, 103 – ‘You live one day at a time. That’s my motto.’”
“Marguerite Walters, 100 – ‘I don’t know why I’m here, but I’m having a good time’”
“Anna Weaver, 102 – ‘I’d like to see what he thinks now that I’m 102.’
Do you remember reading this LNP – Always Lancaster article from earlier this year?
“Tiny houses multiply amid big issues as communities tackle homelessness” – The Washington Post
“A project for former service members could become a model for other cities in the United States.”
“In a community of tiny houses in Kansas City, Mo., Air Force veteran Leo Morris now calls #3 his own. (Christopher Smith/For The Washington Post)”
“KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 13 tiny houses sit in neat rows on the small plot of land in south Kansas City. There’s a comforting uniformity to the group, each structure a simple A-frame or slant roof, painted a rich hue: deep blue or dark maroon, slate gray or mustard yellow. An American flag flies outside most of the homes.
The lives inside also match. The men and women here have all served their country in uniform. And every one of them was homeless before arriving this year and being given their own address and key.
“’We build communities — communities that are the beginning of a journey for those who said yes to this country and need someone to say yes back to them,’ said Brandonn Mixon, an entrepreneur who helped to found the Veterans Community Project out of frustration with the usual efforts to get veterans off the streets.”
Continue reading this Washington Post article here.
“Could this curious roommate pairing be the solution to the housing crisis?” – The Boston Globe
Here’s an intriguing concept that can be one small solution to a housing crunch. Tight housing markets present real quandaries for many. Yet this “curious roommate pairing” — or shared housing concept — may be worth looking at … for lots of reasons.
“Dean Kaplan and Sarah Heintz chatted in the apartment they share in Cambridge.” – JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF
“After living with more than a dozen different roommates in his young life, most of them strangers, Dean Kaplan is well-versed in the particulars of those first meetings — the short introductions, the perfunctory pleasantries, and then the quick getting on with life.
“‘After you move enough times,’ said the 25-year-old Baltimore native, there is ‘definitely a high degree of nonchalance.’
“In late August, though, as he stood on the front porch of a sizable multistory house in Cambridge ready to meet his newest roommate, he found himself uncharacteristically nervous and eager to make a good first impression.”
“Of all the roommates he’d had in the previous few years, Sarah Heintz would be the first septuagenarian.”
Read this Boston Globe article in its entirety here.
Can there be complications? Sure, but …
As the National Shared Housing Resource Center points out:
“Home Sharing is a simple idea: a homeowner offers accommodation to a homesharer in exchange for an agreed level of support in the form of financial exchange, assistance with household tasks, or both.
“The community is also a beneficiary of Home Sharing. Shared living makes efficient use of existing housing stock, helps preserve the fabric of the neighborhood and, in certain cases, helps to lessen the need for costly chore/care services and long term institutional care.
“A home sharer might be a senior citizen, a person with disabilities, a working professional, someone at-risk of homelessness, a single parent, or simply a person wishing to share his or her life and home with others. For these people, shared housing offers companionship, affordable housing, security, mutual support and much more.
“Home Sharing programs can offer a more secure alternative to other roommate options. Many programs have staff who are trained to carefully screen each program applicant through interviewing, background checking, and personal references.”
Earlier this month a Pennsylvania Link to Aging and Disability Resources WEBINAR introduced a pilot program that’s operating in northeast Pennsylvania.
You can see the slides from the PowerPoint about this program — in Pike, Wayne, and Monroe Counties — here.
Berks County Link partners’ network collaborates in 1st Annual Scams Against Seniors Symposium
Pennsylvania’s senior population grew by 13.5 percent from 2010 to 2016, according to a recent research report from the Pennsylvania State Data Center, which analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s total population rose just 0.6 percent over that span.
Reports about scammers and con artists targeting persons age 6o and over are increasing. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “senior citizens especially should be aware of fraud schemes for the following reasons:
- Senior citizens are most likely to have a “nest egg,” to own their home, and/or to have excellent credit—all of which make them attractive to con artists.
- People who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were generally raised to be polite and trusting. Con artists exploit these traits, knowing that it is difficult or impossible for these individuals to say “no” or just hang up the telephone.
- Older Americans are less likely to report a fraud because they don’t know who to report it to, are too ashamed at having been scammed, or don’t know they have been scammed. Elderly victims may not report crimes, for example, because they are concerned that relatives may think the victims no longer have the mental capacity to take care of their own financial affairs.
- When an elderly victim does report the crime, they often make poor witnesses. Con artists know the effects of age on memory, and they are counting on elderly victims not being able to supply enough detailed information to investigators. In addition, the victims’ realization that they have been swindled may take weeks—or more likely, months—after contact with the fraudster. This extended time frame makes it even more difficult to remember details from the events.
- Senior citizens are more interested in and susceptible to products promising increased cognitive function, virility, physical conditioning, anti-cancer properties, and so on. In a country where new cures and vaccinations for old diseases have given every American hope for a long and fruitful life, it is not so unbelievable that the con artists’ products can do what they claim.”
Today over 100 persons attended the Scams Against Seniors Symposium — A Michael Meitzler Award Event at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 430 S 7th Ave, Reading, PA 19611. Today’s event featured information tables with local and state resources, speakers, including Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Costen, PhD. & Attorney at Law-Elder Justice Specialist and Mary Bach from AARP’s Consumer Task Force and workshops on frauds, scams and identity theft from the PA Office of Attorney General & The PA Crime Prevention Officers’ Association.
Click on the graphic above to download the program as a .pdf file.
Other resources include:
The Pennsylvania Crime Prevention Officers’ Association
Berks County Area Agency on Aging
Pennsylvania Link to Aging and Disability Resource
More about Michael Meitzler
“Berks man’s legacy helps keep senior citizens safe from scams” – Reading Eagle
“Berks Co. man’s remains found in home nearly 3 years after death” – WFMZ-TV69
Seniors are in denial about their vulnerability | “It’s estimated that one in five Americans over the age of 65 are victims of financial abuse—and the average loss is a staggering $120,300. Financial abuse can the the form of a scam, or it can also be perpetrated by family or friends who syphon off money from older loved ones. Nearly half of older Americans surveyed recently by Wells Fargo reported they know someone who had been a victim of a scam.” – Money Magazine
“Identifying the Unique Challenges of Solo Agers | The Elder Orphan Facebook group finds that many without families lack support” – next avenue
Credit: Adobe Stock
by Carol Marak
“Over 30 years ago, researchers and geriatricians identified an ‘elder orphan’ (sometimes called a ‘solo ager’) as a person aging alone with little support. But when my Elder Orphan Facebook group targeting this population launched over 2 1/2 years ago, little was known about them. Even then, few realized that the hardships faced by older people with no nearby family members could be any different from those of others aging at home.
“Health care professionals and companies tend to lump the older population into four segments: ages 55 to 64, 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and 85 and older. It’s assumed that people in these age brackets deal with, or eventually could deal with, similar concerns relating to health, housing, transportation, caregiving and safety. But those concerns are further magnified for those who do not have a support system, and that number may be higher than you imagine. For example, in Dallas, where I live, 30 percent of people 65 and older live alone.
“Thankfully, through the dedicated service of social workers, gerontologists and geriatricians, the unique challenges of the solo ager have been identified.”
Click here to read this article in its entirety.
“Welcome to the Elder Orphan Facebook Group”
“What would an age-friendly city look like?” – The Guardian
“As the world’s population grows older and more urban, cities around the world must decide how to adapt.
by Alice Grahame
“‘The first year was a bit like the first year of a marriage – but with 25 people rather than just one.’ That is how Jude Tisdall describes joining a co-housing development purpose-built for women over 50. Tisdall, an arts consultant in her early 60s, moved into the New Ground complex in north London just over a year ago.
“‘I had been mulling over how I wanted to live,’ she says. ‘I’m divorced – my daughters and grandchildren were grown up. I didn’t want to get older on my own. It can be harsh living in London as you age.’
“Tisdall, an arts consultant, was lucky to secure one of the 26 apartments in the development, just a short stroll from the high street and tube station. Its L-shaped design, with a single entrance that takes residents past the common room, is intended to foster casual social interaction, and there is a communal garden and space to cook and share meals together. Residents are aged between 50 and 90.”
Constance: “helping in the care of your aging loved one” | A FREE “trial service” offer
“Constance wants to help you care for your aging loved one. We will partner with you by offering you peace of mind and the assurance that you — and they — are not alone.
“We are offering a trial subscription to our basic ‘One Call’ service. One of our friendly, qualified Family Coordinators will call your loved one regularly, asking them basic questions about their mood, diet, and schedule.”
To participate in this free trial of this service, sign up today.
There’s No Place Like Home | New support for those caring for aging loved ones.
As time passes and technology advances, trends come and go, but we think one is here to stay: Aging in place. As the population ages, more and more people are choosing to stay in their own homes longer, or permanently. For some, it’s not a choice: “There is no place like home. Home is where the heart is.”
A study by AARP revealed most seniors share that belief: 90% of seniors stated they plan to live in their own homes for at least the next 5 to 10 years. While the desire to remain at home might be driven by sentimentalities, or by the wish to remain independent and in control, the cost of retirement communities isn’t convincing anyone to pack their bags. Entrance fees to these communities can cost upwards of $100,000, and additional monthly living expenses typically range from $2,000 to $4,000.
New Challenges | Remaining at home doesn’t come without its challenges, and this is especially true as those aging in place begin to require more care and assistance to stay safely at home.
The seniors’ children often fill the caregiver role, assisting their parents in various ways to ensure they are safe and have everything they need while alone at home. This can be difficult, however, as they often have their own nuclear family responsibilities and work commitments to attend to. Two challenges are overwhelmingly present across varying caregiver situations: 1) 24 hours a day is not enough time to manage their loved one’s care, and 2) there is almost constant stress and worry as they think about their loved one’s well-being at home. A majority of caregivers wish they had more help in managing their loved one’s care, and often, they don’t have anyone to help them. That’s why we created Constance.
A New Solution | Constance brings peace of mind to families caring for seniors. With Constance, families know there is always someone looking after their loved one. And when they need help, things will get done with little hassle. Constance calls several seniors every day, to talk about what they’ve eaten, what their plans are, and to make sure they have everything they need. Family members receive a report after the conversation, to let them know how their loved one is doing that day.
It’s Time | If you or someone you know is grappling with the challenges of caring for an aging loved one, there is an opportunity to participate in the support Constance has to offer.
Let us help!
717-500-1386
hello@constance.one
SOURCE: submitted
“In the Nursing Home, Empty Beds and Quiet Halls” – The New York Times
“Fewer patients are winding up in nursing homes, and hundreds of the facilities are closing each year.”
“Patrick Crump, chief executive of the nonprofit Morningside Ministries, at Chandler Estate, a nursing home in San Antonio. The facility closed this year.” – Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times
by Paula Spahn
“For more than 40 years, Morningside Ministries operated a nursing home in San Antonio, caring for as many as 113 elderly residents. The facility, called Chandler Estate, added a small independent living building in the 1980s and an even smaller assisted living center in the 90s, all on the same four-acre campus.
“The whole complex stands empty now. Like many skilled nursing facilities in recent years, Chandler Estate had seen its occupancy rate drop.
“’Every year, it seemed a little worse,’ said Patrick Crump, chief executive of the nonprofit organization, supported by several Protestant groups. ‘We were running at about 80 percent.’”
Continue reading this article at The New York Times, click here.
LGBT Older People: Our right to a peaceful life
Download this file as a .pdf file, click here.
Landis Communities and Friends Life Care Join to Launch Continuing Care at Home program in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties
Lititz, PA – Landis Communities is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Friends Life Care to launch a Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) program in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. This arrangement will allow both organizations to expand their missions through the innovative Friends Life Care service and exceptional senior care. This new offering is a membership-based program designed to help people remain in their home as they age and can be utilized for care at home, if and when needed, and even residence-based care as those needs may evolve. The program, launching in October 2018, will therefore give older adults another option to remain living where they choose for as long as possible.
“Friends Life Care offers the first and largest continuing care at home program in the country,” explained Evon Bergey, VP of Community Initiatives at Landis Communities. “The Friends Life Care program provides a truly unique combination of care coordination and financial benefit needed to help ensure older adults have the resources and support that they will need to remain in their own homes as they age. If care is ever needed, it will be coordinated by Friends Life Care and provided by our trusted network of caregivers.”
“We are delighted to join resources with Landis Communities and bring our distinctive services to Lancaster and Lebanon Counties,” said Carol A. Barbour, president of Friends Life Care. “Friends Life Care’s philosophy is centered upon vitality, independence, growth and resilience and enables us to launch and maintain a strong partnership with Landis Communities.”
The composition of America’s aging population is changing greatly, mainly due to the very important baby boomer generation. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 8.7 million people will be 85 or older by 2030 — the year when all baby boomers join the 65 and older population. According to research, nearly 90% of people want to stay in their own home as they age. This partnership with Friends Life Care to expand the time-tested Continuing Care at Home program provides people with more options to age in place.
Landis Communities and Friends Life Care will begin holding informational seminars in October 2018. These seminars will provide additional detailed information regarding membership in the Continuing Care at Home program. Online webinars will also be made available.
Landis Communities owns and operates Landis Homes, a Continuing Care Retirement Community/ Life Plan Community serving nearly 900 residents, in addition to a number of living options and services for seniors in the area. Friends Life Care is a not-for-profit, mission-focused Quaker-Based organization known for its expertise, integrity and product strength, all vital components for a successful partnership with Landis Communities. More information about Friends Life Care and Landis Communities and dates for seminars and webinars can be found at www.FriendsLifeCare.org/Landis or by calling 1-844-2Landis (1-844-252-6347)
Landis Communities delivers an array of services and housing options throughout the Lancaster County area. Known for enriching lives, they provide caring, high quality service to persons helping them live full lives with access to the services they need. Landis Communities began in the early 1960s when Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (now EMM) started exploring how they might develop a community for retired mission workers, pastors and others. The organization now operates across a widening spectrum of services based on personal preferences, physical needs and financial resources. Landis Communities is a conference related ministry of LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches and Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Friends Life Care offers long-term care protection by providing wellness programs, home health care, related personal care services and facility care to enrolled members in the Philadelphia and Delaware areas. Individuals and couples become members of Friends Life Care in order to protect their independence, guard their financial security and gain peace of mind. All member care is coordinated by a team of credentialed and selected professionals and provided by carefully screened aides.
