Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

Men and women serving in the Minnesota National Guard from the Korean War of 1951 until the first Gulf War in 1991 could count on serving at home for the most part. In this span of four decades, the Guard could easily find itself fighting wildfires or helping communities recover from floods and tornadoes.

Such missions remain on the docket for our Guard, but in today’s world, the men and women of the National Guard are far more likely to find service in the land of the sand in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Times have changed for those who serve in the Guard and the Army Reserves. It all changed because of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. And nowhere has the impact been more clear than on the Guard.

In Minnesota since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 12,000 members of the Guard have been activated with most going to Iraq. During 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, 600 from the state were deployed. The mid-1990s also saw deployments to Bosnia but on a minor scale compared to now. During the Vietnam era, no Guard units were ever called although some Air Guard units from Minnesota flew supply and transport missions.

The impact on the Minnesota National Guard is a clear indicator of the impact of a long war on what remains an all-volunteer military force in this country. On a state basis, the deployments have resulted in strong pressures on the men and women serving in uniform, their families, their employers and their communities. My neighbor is in the Guards and just got called to duty in Iraq for a year. So goes the planning for his wife and two kids. We have been asked to take care of some of the mowing and snow shoveling for them while he is away, no problem.

We point this out today as communities prepare for the traditional observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 28. It is a day set aside to honor all those who have served and sacrificed for their country. The day should serve as a reminder of the important roles played by members of the National Guard.

Minnesota is fortunate. Our state has a rock-solid National Guard system in place. The force has one of the highest retention rates in the nation and its members are well drilled in dealing with national and state needs. Fires, floods and tornadoes remain in the training manual.

States like Kansas have suffered from natural disasters and a slow Guard response. Minnesota, which has the sixth largest Guard force in the country at 13,000 people, is better prepared. Although 37 percent of its equipment has been sent to the war, 10,000 people and 2000 pieces of equipment can be quickly called to serve.

Minnesota is also serving as a national model on how to take care of troops and their families when tours end. Thanks to $3 million in federal funding secured last year by former Sen. Mark Dayton, the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program was created.

The community based program works hand in hand with Guard Unit home bases and in partnership with the state college and university system to facilitate the program. The program helps Guard members make a successful transition from military to civilian life. Family reintegration sessions are scheduled over 30, 60 and 90-day intervals after a return from duty.

Guard members receive a wide range of help including family counseling, financial planning and education. The counseling and special services can also involve the VA System and county veteran services offices across the state and programs like the Family Assistance Center at Camp Ripley.

Second District Congressman John Kline has authored legislation to take the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program nationwide. It has bipartisan support from Minnesota Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar.

On a national stage, however, it will take a serious financial commitment from the federal government. Will that commitment be there?

We must insist that politics not get in the way of doing what is right for those in the field and those coming home.

Now, more than ever, Minnesota residents should be thankful for the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. To date, some 2000 troops have received reintegration help and by late summer, the 3000-plus members of the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division are slated to return home, ending a 22-month deployment.

On this Memorial Day, please take time to remember the 3400 Americans who have given their life in Iraq and the 25,000 who have been wounded. Remember the 52 Minnesotans, including 12 National Guard members, who have died in service of their country.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care remembers, along with you, those who have served for our country: past and present.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

Mower County is taking steps to plan for the “senior age wave” that is hitting not just this area, not just this country, but the entire world.

With Mower County having the largest concentration of seniors per capita in the state, local experts on the topic spoke about the effects of the growing senior population on Thursday at a Senior Summit seminar at the Mower County Senior Citizen Center.

LaRhae Knatterud from the Minnesota Department of Human Services talked about how individuals, communities and businesses can plan to accommodate “the demographic tidal wave.”

According to Knatterud, the senior population will have a greater effect on institutions and businesses than any previous generation of seniors because of its size and spending power.

In contrast, as the work force ages, labor shortages increase. By 2030, a 21 percent decline in younger workers is expected.

State Demographer Tom Gillaspy said employers have five options in a tight labor market situation: downsizing, retaining existing older workers, increasing productivity, importing labor and exporting jobs.

“The businesses that are trying to move into the next economy will be the ones that succeed,” said Gillaspy.

One of the concerns is that schools soon will be losing experienced teachers, said Gillaspy. “Nearly half of all librarians in Minnesota will be eligible to retire next year,” he said.

By 2030, 1.3 million Minnesotans will be 65 years old and older. “At that time, we’re really going to be challenged with our long-term care system,” said Knatterud.

With 534,000 of Minnesota’s baby boomers not having adequate retirement income, many are at a high risk of ending up on the state Medicaid program. By 2050, that could cost the state $20 billion in Medicaid alone.

According to Gillaspy, Minnesota has the best health access and outcomes in the nation. Worldwide, the United States has some of the worst and most expensive health care.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care is poised for your future.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

In 2006, the first wave of the Baby Boom generation turned 60. In the very near future, this, the largest generation in history, all 77 million of them, will come into their retirement years.  In doing so, they will transform every aspect of American society.  This generation will not go silently into the good night.  They will not meekly submit to retirement, but bend and shape the concept to suit their needs.

The sheer numbers of this generation suggest that there will be a tremendous increase in the need for nurses, especially those who work in home care.  With this group already in short supply, the question is:  Where will America find the home care nurses it will so desperately need?  Here are some thoughts:

The face of the new worker is over 65.  One of the most fruitful avenues will be to attract back nurses who retired.  This will involve taking a hard look at the reasons why they removed themselves from the workforce (excessive paperwork, for example), and it will involve giving flexible hours and reasonable pay.

We should create a career ladder and promote those who have worked as home care aides.  These individuals who provide the hands-on personal care have the right ethic.  Most of them would love it if, through some combination of education and experience, they could be elevated to the status of nurses.

We must make home care the preferred profession.  Nurses who work in institutional settings will very quickly see the advantages of working in home care.  The question should be:  Are you good enough to be a home care nurse?

We should give preference to nurses through our immigration laws, which create preference to certain categories of employees who are deemed to be critically important and in short supply.  We should give preference to those who are trained, who have the right work ethic, caring and professionalism to work in home care.

We should increase the supply of home care nurses.  The shortage of good teachers is what limits the number of nurses that can be trained and graduated by our schools of nursing.  Top flight home care nurses should be recruited to teach what they know in schools of nursing.

The Internet should be used by home care agencies to help train and keep the skills of home care nurses sharp.  There is no reason why much of the training of future home care nurses cannot be done virtually.  The National Association of Home Care, for example, offers one such program through the University of Minnesota.

These are just a few thoughts of why we are such proponents of home care and why we will not settle for anything less than the best in personal care assistance for our clients.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help the baby boomers and more with any type of home care.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

Parents and their adult children can never begin too early to think about their families’ potential needs for care in their “golden” years, as the number of people who will be impacted by debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s is expected to increase to up to 16 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and correspondingly the need for long-term care will increase, as well.

I’ve seen first hand the impact the need for long-term care can have on families and caregivers.

From my mom going into a nursing home to some of our clients trying to navigate the system, dicephering benefits to people who are just finding out they have similar disabilities and going into unchartered territory. Beginning to plan for long-term care needs and dispelling with some common myths about long term care is just the first step.

Most people can afford to pay for their own care. Many people think they can liquidate taxable or tax-deferred assets, including retirement plans or annuities, to pay for long-term care costs, but nursing home care averages $206 a day, for a private room, according to a September 2006 MetLife Mature Market Institute study. If you do the math, that could mean more than $75,000 per year. When considering retirement savings habits and rates, this may leave many people unable to maintain their standard of living or an opportunity to enjoy the golden years they’ve worked so hard to create.

Long-term care insurance is only for nursing home care. This is simply untrue. While some people do receive long-term care in a nursing home, the majority receives care in their homes or other community-care centers. Long Term Care insurance policies are designed to cover care that is provided in a variety of settings.

The government is there for people who need long-term care. Not so. Many think they can rely on Medicare or Medicaid, but don’t realize that Medicare covers only a limited amount of long-term care services, while Medicaid covers some long-term care services for people who have severely limited income and assets.

All long-term care insurance is the same. Actually, all policies are not created equal. When making a direct comparison from one policy to another, keep in mind that five key elements of any policy contribute to price and quality:

1 - Financial Strength Ratings: High ratings are an indication that the insurance company will be able to pay any future claims against the obligations they have outstanding.

2 - Daily Benefit: Understanding the current cost of care in the area is very important to make a decision regarding what daily benefit amount is needed.

3 - Benefit Period: The length of time payments will be received from the insurance company, once care is needed, is difficult to predetermine. Although policies often come with shorter benefit period options, and correspondingly lower annual premiums, many policyholders opt for lifetime or unlimited benefits and the peace-of-mind that the benefit will continue for as long as needed.

4 - Elimination Period or Deductible: The number of days that policyholders will be responsible for paying for their care before the policy coverage kicks in can be determined by the amount of time one can afford to pay for care or make other arrangements.

5 - Inflation Protection: While the exact percentage of inflation cannot be calculated due to the unpredictability of how market factors will impact the cost in future years, adding inflation protection can help ensure policyholders have adequate benefits when needed.

Thinking long-term as future caregivers and caregiver supporters is a strong initial step in eliminating the myths about long-term care. Preparing well in advance to meet our own needs and those of our loved ones should undoubtedly be our first step.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can make home care simple to understand for all.