How to Find Affordable Senior Living in Los Angeles

Whether you are a senior ready for retirement or the caretaker of an aging parent wanting some assistance, one thing is for sure: time is money! The time a resident spends at a nursing home or assisted living facility can lead to very high monthly costs, particularly in California. Does this mean that you have to pack up and leave The Golden State, just as life was getting good? Not at all. It will however require a thorough search for affordable senior living in Los Angeles.

Different Affordable Senior Living Options in Los Angeles

What makes nursing homes and assisted living facilities so expensive? All senior living housing requires some expense from the cost of maintaining property to the cost of food, materials and medical supplies to the cost of hiring a full staff. Group activities like games, musical or pet therapies, rehabilitative or educational programs and field trips also cost the facility a fair amount of money. All of these expenses combined can easily range into the tens of thousands, justifying monthly costs of $2,000 per resident. It doesn't help that California is one of the most expensive states in the country, and it's probably true that if you left the state you could find more affordable residential family living.

However, home is where the heart is, and many California residents have strong roots in the state, not to mention immediate and extended family members close by. Seniors who are just retiring from the workforce may find a total change in state scenery too drastic to comfortably live with. How can you find affordable senior living in Los Angeles?

The first consideration is to look specifically for low-income homes. There are centers for affordable senior living in Los Angeles, that is, units specially designed for lower-income families. They may be HUD sponsored homes, which is a project by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to help families find affordable housing for seniors. Don't immediately believe that all of these low-income retirement homes are of low quality. While it may be true that the center cannot afford the best of amenities or the finest facilities in the state, the senior home's staff may very considerate and trained to provide the best health care possible.

Prices of Affordable Senior Living in Los Angeles

How much does affordable senior living in Los Angeles cost these days? It largely depends on what you're looking for from a facility, as well as the type of services provided. An assisted living home does not provide any medical attention, only non-medical supervision for residents, which may include bathing, dressing, grooming and custodial work. Assisted living homes allow a degree of independence and thus are usually less expensive than nursing homes. Monthly fees start at $1,500 a month and may be as high as $6,000 a month. There is a slight discount for double occupancy, which may be $1,000 to $2,500 per month. The cost of assisted living homes are directly affected by the regularity of services provided. Board and care rooms are shared houses and tend to be less expensive than assisted living facilities, about $850.00 to start, though private rooms can range as high as $5,000 per month. Nursing homes are usually the most expensive investment, as they have a full nursing staff on-hand and provide constant monitoring. Nursing homes may be as low as $110.00 per day, though higher quality homes may charge as much as $400.00 a day. It's not uncommon to see the best nursing homes charge $12,000 a month.

Retirement communities and continuing care facilities are figured differently in comparing affordable senior living in Los Angeles. Retirement communities usually do not provide much in the way of monitoring or custodial work and may only charge a tenant $1,000 per month. Continuing care communities offer much more individual care and usually involve lifetime accommodations that change with the health of the resident. It is not unheard of for these homes to charge $20,000 to $40,000 a month or more.

Solutions to Affordable Senior Living in Los Angeles

If you are having difficulty locating an affordable senior home, then there are least two solutions that can help your search. First, look into your Medicaid plan. Medicaid may partially cover the rent of low-income seniors. If you find a board and care or assisted living facility for about a $1,500 a month, then a partial Medicaid payment along with your own income may be just enough to handle the costs.

You can also enlist the professional help of a senior housing locator. ElderHomeFinders specializes in finding affordable senior living in Los Angeles and in surrounding areas. If you have special needs for a resident, or are a senior looking for an affordable retirement community -- and most importantly are on a tight budget -- then we can work with you to find the best possible match. And what's more affordable than free? ElderHomeFinders provides this service at no charge to the resident. You don't have to leave the state you love to find quality senior care at an affordable price.

How to Help Elderly People Adjust to Nursing Home Living

As people have reached a certain age, they tend to produce an impairment of their functions and capabilities. When they are unable to perform their regular duties, often assisted by another person is necessary. If it is necessary to require assistance of another individual, this can be difficult for the older people. It's the same difficulty level with the person who provided care for an elderly patient. The best way to provide effective care and support for older people is to understand their needs. There may be making unreasonable demands at some point, but merely serves as an extension of their desire to achieve the goals you still want to achieve. If you have been accustomed to being independent, then you understand the feeling of no control over what can and constantly having to depend on someone to perform certain tasks. It is therefore important that caregiver for the elderly to understand and fulfill its service, this will promotes the elder confidence in their ability, and confidence to make their career.

What are the steps?

Apart from the difficulties involved in physical and emotional care of the elderly is a multifaceted undertaking involving both medical and non-medical aspects arising from the care of an elderly parent or relative. To ensure that quality care and service are provided for the elderly, the following should be considered and addressed:
• Provide a space efficient and practical life and a condition for the person who took account of their special needs.
• Legal and reliable support.
• Manage the financial responsibilities for caring for an elderly.
• Hire a nurse or caregiver for more help or care when someone in the family is able to provide this service.
• Consideration of health issues that older people can suffer.
• Keep Active older and live their last years at his full potential.

Challenges for elderly care

After considering all the factors of elderly care, you probably know by now the nature of multi-side makes it difficult. In fact, it's a huge responsibility in this; it is easy to overlook one at the same time taking care of others. Before acting on the needs of elderly health problems, resulting from aging, and decline of these elderly.

If it is difficult to manage personal care, and more parents themselves who have to deal with them. If you find this difficult and seemingly insurmountable challenge, then keep in mind the following tips:

• Find senior supportive care organization that helps provide counseling and professional support to their elderly patients.
• Make sure you have enough free time. Caring for a parent is a difficult task, which can download a lot of energy. Therefore, you should allow yourself to have a few breaks from these increasing demands.
• Seek help from other family members. You can get more success with elderly care if everyone in the family is involved, instead you do it alone.

Dementia

Dementia is one of the most common conditions set by the elderly. It's associate with decreasing the amount of independence, and inability to protect the security at home. There is a wide range of activities it can influence, which includes swimming the most basic, such as self-care, hygiene procedures, administration, medicine, food preparation, lack coordination, lack of attention to risks in the environment, communication skills impaired, and more. These problems can either be subtle or blatant forms, but still requires constant attention and immediate action. Consulting a professional if dementia is extremely important because some cases may be potentially dangerous for the individual, it takes the right medication.

Functional limitations in elderly

When cases such as dementia began to be performed by a person ages, the functional limitations that are present in older people require a great deal of attention directed toward the media. This means that you should keep a watchful eye on all their daily activities, from simple to complex. This is to ensure that not only meet your needs, but also for their safety. Therefore, some people who care for elderly at home to install the safety modifications to their homes to the limited functions of these people. Therefore, they have now reached a certain level of independence without compromising their safety.

Home Cooked Meals and Nutrition - Assisted Living Homes

Many people who are considering assisted living arrangements are worried about the food that they or their loved ones will be served. Most assisted living homes offer home cooked, nutritious meals. Getting the right balance of foods and making them palatable plays a huge roll in wellness. Assisted living homes typically offer food just like the resident would cook themselves, or their family would cook for them. What's more, in smaller assisted living homes, the resident may be able to participate in shared common kitchen. This offers a unique opportunity to come together as a "family" and cook and eat together. This type of sharing is encouraged to foster stronger bonds among the residents and staff.

Cooking Together

In many adult group homes cooking as part of a group is very welcome. The residents under supervision of the staff many times will cook their meals together. Of course this is not mandatory but it is a fun way to share recipes and ideas. Many times the meals are cooked via a pre made menu and recipes that are prepared by a dietitian or facility manager.

Typically the main meal of the day is the meal that the residents will cook together, dinner and special occasions are prime time for this activity. Many times there will be cooking classes that are offered so these folks are well prepared to cook up food that is not only very palatable but chock full of nutrition.

Prepared Meals

When the residents are not cooking, the meals are normally prepared by a cook that follows a dietitian's menu. This ensures that the residents get the best nutrition possible. The meals are cooked using wholesome ingredients that most folks use in their own homes.

Most meals are prepared by the cook who might also double as a staff member. The meals are well balanced and are based on the older adults' daily requirements. Special dietary restrictions are always considered and the meals are geared toward being adjusted to reflect the same. Typically there are several items on the menu that are nutritionally sound.

Snacks

Assisted living homes are just an extension of the home that the resident is used to living in. Unlike in a hospital setting, residents that are hungry between meals also have an opportunity to be served snacks. Some residents may keep their own snacks in their rooms, while the dietary staff will also prepare snacks at particular times of day that residents may choose to eat if they wish.

Good food that is good for you can really make a difference. Assisted living homes know that feeding the stomach also fuels the body and the soul. Home cooked meals are a way to keep the quality of life strong, making sure that the residents have the opportunity if they so choose to participate in the preparation of their meals also feeds the soul and allows independence and decision making in one's own life.

Retirement House Plans: Age-In-Place Design Elements to Consider

Multi-generational house plans are increasingly popular because lengthening life expectancy is allowing more of us to stay in our homes longer, rather than being shuffled off to a nursing home. Fortunately, these "retirement house plans" are also ideal for more youthful age groups. A few carefully designed features establish universal access for every individual. If you'd like your floor plans to serve as home plans for seniors as well, meditate on the following gathering of age-in-place design ingredients.

Common Characteristics of Age-In-Place Home Plans

1. Counters at multiple levels, or which may be adjusted in height, so people of all heights and those in wheelchairs can use them. (Age-in-place adjustments should include wheelchair users, since many of us must transition to wheelchairs as we get on in years.)

2. Anti-slip surfaces, to decrease the chances of taking a nasty tumble.

3. Single-story house plans. As we age, it becomes increasingly difficult to ascend and descend stairs. Once we shift to using walkers and wheelchairs, stairs become an impossibility.

4. Shelving Accessories, such as Pullout Gliders. Arthritis makes it hard for seniors to reach into deep cabinets. But in truth, people of all ages prefer pullout and pull-down shelving solutions - they make it much easier to organize and access cabinet contents.

5. Grip Bars in the bath and wherever a fall might happen, or where a person might need assistance in standing.

6. Elevators in Homes with Multiple Levels. This allows older people to easily access upper and lower stories.

7. Less than 5 Pounds Required. As we grow long in the tooth, our strength tends to fade. To adjust multi-generational house plans for this tendency, home designers make sure that nothing requires more than five pounds of force to operate.

8. Lever-style door handles are a good idea in home plans for seniors, since arthritis can make it difficult to perform twisting actions.

9. Total Wheelchair Access, particularly in bathrooms. To allow wheelchairs to enter, retirement house plans often incorporate walk-in tubs and lip-free showers. Moreover, there must be at least 60" by 60" of space in all living areas, so as to allow a wheelchair to turn. Lastly, it's smart to put a fold-down seat in the shower, to allow older people to rest as needed.

10. Lever Faucets. As with doorknobs, faucets in retirement home plans should be in the lever style, which is easier for those with arthritis to control.

11. Windows and Blinds that Operate Via Remote Control. Especially conscientious house plans for seniors will include remote-control functions for hard-to-reach elements.

12. Open Designs, which feature combined common rooms and minimize unnecessary walls. Open house plans for seniors might include a shared living/kitchen/dining area, which will allow more room for wheelchair users to maneuver. Moreover, open floor plans endow multi-generational house plans with increased visibility and more lines-of-sight. That way, occupants can monitor their environment by sight, rather than by sound. (Again, one's sense of hearing tends to deteriorate with age.)

13. Strong, Effective Lighting. To limit eyestrain and enable those with waning eyesight to carry out task work, home plans for seniors should feature bright task lighting near each comfortable chair and work area.

To double-check that your retirement house plans are truly universal in design, compare them against the ADA standards, sometimes referred to as ANSI A117.1.

Enhance Memory Fitness And Brain Performance With Gary Small - Q and A Session - Part 2

Question: How do we encourage patients, and people in general, to have hope without encouraging "false hope" (and quack medicine)? Answer: Omega-3 fish oil use is associated with better cognitive and heart health, as well as improved mood. The Amer. Heart Assoc. recommends people eat fish 2X per week, and the Amer. Psychiatric Assoc. recommends fish oil capsules for people who are depressed.

Question: Can you say more about the UCLA Memory Training programs? Who is involved? How do you assess success? etc. Answer: I think the best way to help people separate hype from hope is to translate the science into every day language so people can grasp the significance and limitations of findings for themselves.

Question: Does training people to use memory enhancing techniques has the same effect on everyday memory as brain training using memory, attention games, etc.? Answer: We have several programs at UCLA - Memory Training is a 4-week program taught by volunteer trainers. Memory Fitness is a 6-week program designed for assisted living facilities. Anyone interested in obtaining an institutional or individual license should visit longevity.ucla.edu. Also, Dr. Karen Miller published our most recent study performed at Erickson Living in the Am. J. Geriatr. Psyschiatry.

Question: According to news.scotsman.com, an Edinburgh University study, just published in the journal Nature, "showed that brain cells are genetically different to other cells in the body and are genetically distinct from each other." If this is the case, what might be the implications for brain fitness research and techniques? Answer: I think that in order for people "transfer" their memory techniques to everyday life, they do better if they are provided specific exercises in this method. It depends, Jeanette, on how the cells in the brain differ. Our research has found that new mental activities will stimulate neural circuitry throughout the brain and when people become familiar with a mental task, their brain cells become less active but more efficient.

Question: The current environment in education seems to be on teaching to the test and the focus is on the "average" learner. Do you have any recommendations for maximizing learning potential, specifically memory, in children? This question suggests an important dimension: how do we intervene earlier in life in order to prevent bad events later on? A big part of health promotion. Answer: Lindy, I think that we need to individualize training. A recent study found that when training of working memory in pre-teens was too challenging, there was no improvement in fluid intelligence.

Question: What is the point of brain training for children without deficiencies? Aren't they training their brain everyday at school and in life in general? Answer: Alvaro, I say it is never too early to start training the brain. We tend to wait until people have symptoms. The brain fitness strategies for middle-aged and older adults should be adapted for a younger audience.

Question: What intervention strategies should we be recommending for people earlier in life- beyond individual differences? Answer: Pascale, Yes, young people are training their brains; however, today the average young person spends 11.5 hours each day with technology (computers, smart phones, etc.). That may have a negative effect on important mental skills involving face-to-face communication.

Question: This is fascinating because it's somehow counter-intuitive. Does it mean that physical exercise or social connection is more important than working on the computer (in terms of brain health)? Answer: Alvaro, I suggest a few skills for young people: -specific memory techniques -face-to-face communication skills (eye contact, non-verbal cues during conversation)

Question: What is the neuro evidence that technology actually changes the brain, structurally and/or behaviorally? Answer: I think physical exercise, social connection, and computer skills are all important, but we need to maintain a balance in our lives.

Question: We have less than 15 minutes left. If you have questions, be sure to send them in soon. The MEMORY BIBLE now has been out for a while now. What's the big development or insight you'd point to that's happened recently that readers need to know about? Answer: Our study "Your brain on Google: Patterns of cerebral activation during Internet searching" (American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2009;17:116-126) showed that Internet savvy older adults had significantly greater neural activity searching online compared with internet naive controls. Our follow up of this study showed that after one week of searching, there were significant increases in brain activity in the previously naive subjects.

Question: What mnemonic technique would work for the occasional lapse of recall of a word, a common word that one uses every day? I teach a memory improvement class-mostly seniors-and this is one issue I'm not sure how to approach. Answer: I think that people are concerned not just in improving their memory ability, but also in lowering their risk for developing dementia. Drug development thus far has been disappointing, but some of the lifestyle strategies described in The Memory Bible also appear to delay the onset of dementia symptoms. In "The Alzheimer's Prevention Program" we describe a technique specific for these tip-of-the-tongue memory lapses. It involves writing down clues to the word when you can't think of that word; looking it up later; and then using basic mnemonic techniques to restore the word's place in memory.

Question: what is your opinion on acetyllcarnitene, phosphatidylserine; phosphosterycholine; and coenzyme Q10 as memory or brain enhancment supplements Answer: Michelle, Controlled trials of phosphatidylserine have demonstrated short-term benefits in people with normal aging. I am not aware of similar clinical trial evidence for the other supplements you mention, although they have been found to have antioxidant and other properties that may be brain protective.

Question: Gary, you've worked many years in this field. Let us in on the secret. What do YOU do you, personally, to promote your own brain fitness? Answer: I try to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic conditioning each day; try to minimize my stress by staying connected with family and friends; generally eat a brain healthy diet (fish, fruits, vegetables), and try to balance my online time with my offline time. Which reminds me, I think it is almost time for me to sign off line.

Question: You're right about timing, Gary. Good advice for all of us. We want to thank everyone for participating in today's most interesting session. In particular, we thank Answer for sharing his scientific expertise with our audience. Answer: Thank all of you who participated for you excellent questions.

Packing for an Assisted Living Home

If you or a loved one are moving to an assisted living home, you may be wondering what items you should pack. There are many factors to consider, including space, regulations and your preferences. By following these tips, you should be able to narrow down your most beloved possessions so that you can take them with you to your new home.

Space

Before you start trying to decide which items to take with you, look at the space that you will have in your room. If it is very small, you will only need to pack the essentials. If you have a larger apartment, you will have more freedom in choosing which belongings to take with you.

For smaller rooms, check the layout of the room. If the layout is flexible, you will be able to choose where to put your bed, television, chair and other items. You can then design the room to better accommodate your furniture. Use multipurpose furniture when possible in order to fit more into your small space. For example, choose an ottoman that opens up so that you can store your favorite books or magazines inside. Take a walker that can double as a chair, or pack an ultra lightweight wheelchair that you can fold up and store when you aren't using it.

Regulations

Some assisted living centers are very strict about what you may bring, while others are very relaxed. Find out exactly what is allowed and what isn't, then plan accordingly. They may also provide furniture for you, such as beds, chairs and televisions.

If you have a pet, you will need to consider its needs before you make your move. Again, some centers allow pets, while others do not. If you will not be allowed to take your pet with you or if you think your pet will not adjust well to the move, ask a loved one to care for your pet. He can then bring the dog or cat to see you when he visits.

Preferences

This can be the hardest part of packing because so many memories are alive in your possessions. However, it is important that you take only the essentials to your new home. Photo albums and pictures are an excellent way to make the center feel like home. If possible, leave your books behind because the center will probably have a library that you can enjoy. If you have a hobby, such as knitting or carving, take your basic tools and leave the rest where they are easy for a friend or family member to locate. You can ask them to bring the extra items to you only when you need them.

It is important to make your new assisted living center feel like home, but it can be hard to choose which items to take or leave behind. When you take these tips into consideration, you may find that you can keep your favorite possessions nearby and feel comfortable in your new home.

Pros and Cons of Using a Professional Linen Services

Many larger businesses and facilities that deal with linens on a daily basis turn to the use of a professional linen service in order to get those items cleaned, pressed and ready for use. However, a laundry service is not always the best option, just like hiring individuals to launder those linens, for some companies, is also inefficient. For nursing homes, hospitals, restaurants and hotels, there are many positives and negatives as far as sorting out linen are concerned.

On the positive side, linen services save the establishment time and manpower. Rather than going through the process of hiring housekeeping staff to take care of the linens for a hospital, hotel or nursing home, the time of the administration can be better spent managing the other daily aspects of the facility. There is no rapid employee turnover in the laundry department, either, since linens are simply picked up and dropped off on a regular basis. For restaurants, a this type of service makes even more sense as far as staffing is concerned. Many eating establishments are so small that it simply does not make sense, monetarily, to hire individuals dedicated to cleaning linens every night.

The need for fewer staff members may make the hiring of linen services more cost-effective for larger businesses and health care facilities, but services are actually less affordable for smaller establishments. A diner in a small town might be charged more in order to have restaurant linens picked up and dropped off regularly, and the proprietor of a family owned eatery will likely find it cheaper to just take the tablecloths and napkins home and launder them himself than hire the work out to someone else.

Delivery time is also a factor to consider when debating whether or not to hire a linen service. Larger cities will have a much faster turnaround rate for clean linens than smaller areas where only an individual or single business may provide linen service. In any case, a business that hires a linen service takes a chance on not having its items ready for use when they are needed. When clean and sanitary linens are necessary, such as with hospital linens and those for nursing homes, this can create a huge problem that is avoided by just hiring laundry staff to do the work in-house.

Organization and sanitation are two final factors to consider. Most of today's more successful linen businesses document every pick-up and delivery and arrive on a schedule set by the business hiring out the restaurant linen or hospital linen services. This takes a huge load off of the business owner or administrator as it puts someone else in charge of coordination of efforts and making sure every item that goes out also returns. Linen services are also able to properly sanitize the items they clean, which may or may not be the case in an internally run system.

Whether linen services are good or bad for a business boils down to the needs of each individual establishment. For some, linen services are a worthwhile investment, and for others they are an expensive exercise in futility when the work could be done better and cheaper in-house.