Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

I was talking with some friends of ours the other day. They have both have flourishing professional careers, been married 25 plus years, etc. Life should be their oyster. It is not.

They are desperately trying to sort out the lives of their parents, all four of whom are well into their 80s. One parent has cancer and is trying to persuade his wife they should move into an assisted-care facility to set her up for when he dies. Another frail parent has dementia and his wife will not allow any help from “strangers” in her home.

Such is the case of millions of Baby Boomers across the country, grappling with getting the best care possible for elderly parents. The stress for all concerned is enormous, especially as it relates to issues of independence. This so called “Me” generation is shouldering the burden for the elderly just as they themselves are heading toward older age.

One of the biggest problems in such situations is communication between the kids and the parents. Many Boomers feel stuck as the perpetual “child,” unable to talk with their parents as peers, unable to solve critical problems affecting their aging loved ones.

Researchers have recently coined the phrase “the 40/70 rule,” meaning that, if you’re 40 or your parents are 70, it’s time to start talking about sensitive topics such as this.

Many Boomers, many of them well-educated professionals, still feel like they’re stuck in the child role and they don’t know how to get out of it. It can be a tough discussion talking with your parents about thorny independence issues such as getting help in the home with daily living activities, as well as financial matters, stopping from driving their care and personal hygiene.

Other leading roadblocks to communication were: the senior parent refusing to talk; the adult child feeling unprepared; fear on the part of the adult child; the continuation of the parent-child roles; physical issues; and distance.

Successful communication happens when it’s on a “peer-to-peer basis,” not when one person in the relationship insists on playing the parent role. Sometimes it’s the child trying to be the parent. I think the “Me” generation has gotten a bad rap as a generation that thinks only about itself.

Ultimately, adult children do want to help their parents. The first step is to recognize what role you have, peer to peer or as a child. I’ve been through this with my parents and we can help you with yours.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

When visiting mom or dad at holiday time, be ovservant to their lifestyle and surroundings. Adult children who are home for the holidays might notice that mom’s house isn’t quite as tidy as it once was, or that dad got lost on the way home from a last minute trip to the corner store.

After a lifetime of independence, it may become clear that mom or dad cannot live alone anymore. But while it can be difficult for adult children to admit that an aging parent or loved one needs more help, it can be even more of a challenge to put the needed care in place.

For those who live at a great distance, a holiday visit can be an eye opening experience. A recent survey that I read, out of the state of Connecticut, found that 80 percent of respondants said they would like to continue living in their homes with home care services once they are too frail to do everything on their own.

The survey also found that almost half of state residents over age 60 are ill informed about paying for long term care and also don’t realize, that without the help of a home care agency, worker shortages can make care difficult to find even for those who can pay.

Replying to the commission’s mailed questionnaires, 46 percent of older people said they believed that Medicare, the government-paid health insurance for the elderly, would cover their home care, and a quarter of baby boomers said they planned to rely on Medicaid, the government health insurance for the poor, to pay for their post retirement care at home.

In fact, Medicare pays virtually nothing for home care, and Medicaid covers the cost of nursing home care mainly for people who are destitute. There is little government money for home care. At the same time, almost 40 percent of state residents who believe they will someday need long term care said they will have no money to pay for it.

Home care in not inexpensive either but, home care is still by far cheaper than a stay in a nursing home, which can run $8,000 plus a month.

We need to start planning today, for retirement and home care tomorrow.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with your home care needs.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

The consolidation of nursing homes has been on the rise for the past several years now and will continue into the future. People want to grow old in their own home rather than in an institution. I don’t blame them. Knowing what we went through with my mom and what we see with others.

Recently, RiverView Health has announced that negotiations are underway for the sale of RiverView’s 55 bed skilled nursing facility, Hillcrest Nursing Home, in Red Lake Falls, MN. RiverView also owns a nursing home in Crookston, MN, a critical access hospital, a homecare agency, a chemical dependency treatment center and seven other medical clinics.

If this type of consolidation is happening in small rural areas like Red Lake Falls and Crookston, you can only imagine what’s going on in the big cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul.

This decision did not come easily or quickly for RiverView I’m sure. RiverView Health, like other nursing home owners in Minnesota, has experienced operating losses in its skilled facilities for several years now. Hillcrest Nursing Home lost $2 million over the past five years and preliminary financials show another $525,000 loss this last fiscal year.

When they acknowledged that they needed to explore other solutions, they looked for a potential buyer that would be committed to retaining quality care. The highest quality they could find was in the form of another Minnesota company to help out. The potential buyer is a senior residential service provider in Minnesota who owns and operates about 30 other senior housing facilities around the state.

Negotiations between the two parties started this month, with February 1 as the target date for completion of the sale. This still has to be approved by their board but, they know they cannot go on year after year losing money.

Major changes in 2005 to reduce expenses and increase revenues where possible were made but, those changes were negated by stagnant payment rates, rising costs of wages, benefits, utilities and supplies.

Reimbursement for long-term care facilities in Minnesota has declined over the last several years and profit margins for skilled nursing facilities have dropped dramatically. Today, the majority of the state’s skilled nursing homes are losing money and 26 percent are at risk for closure, according to the Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance.

With the growth of alternatives such as home care, healthier seniors have avoided nursing home stays. Hillcrest’s daily occupancy is at an average of 42, compared to 60 just 10 years ago

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with your home care needs.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

I know it’s not news to anyone that this holiday season is going to be another great one for Nintendo’s Wii. Last holiday Nintendo couldn’t make enough of them. This year people were camping out in front of big box retailers waiting for the moment to be the first in line to get a Wii on Black Friday morning. Mind you, very early in the morning too.

If you are not sure what all the fuss is about, let me give you an idea about what the Wii is. I must say, what a cool gaming console it is! I mean not just from the standpoint of the games themselves but, in order to play any game correctly, you have to get physically involved in the game by twisting and turning the hand held remotes.

I was at Wal-Mart with a relative recently and we got so caught up in playing a Mario Brothers game that I was walking away from the Wii in a sweat. I couldn’t believe it.

The point of this is that I recently read of a hospital in Canada that is using the Wii’s for rehabilitation and therapy purposes. What a great idea? Matching the medical science of today with the gaming technology of tomorrow.

This hospital has been using the Wii for a few months to help people recovering from strokes and spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries. Patients also use the internet connected console to find information on news or weather channels to improve brain function as well.

Recently, it is starting to catch on in the United States.

In Ohio, I have read of some patients that used to spend hours performing video game feats regularly until they had an injury of some kind. Using the Nintendo Wii, and the rest of their body, it helps them to regain strength after a tragic accident.

One 51-year-old, who had a stroke about a month ago, has been working hard to rebuild the muscles in his immobilized right side at Ohio State University’s Medical Center.

Patients would usually undergo a total of two to three hours of daily therapy and work with the video game system for about 30 minutes per day, two to three times per week.

The idea of sitting there fiddling around with a couple of buttons on a video game controller is not that motivating or interesting if you struggle with that movement in the first place. But, if you think about it, it’s pretty cool that you use your body to control the movement on the screen.

I can’t think of any other home video game consoles that come close to matching the Wii’s appeal for its total movement, cognitive testing and its therapeutic ability. Way to go Nintendo!

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with your home care needs.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

The holiday season is here. For some, plans are in motion to visit elderly family members. If it has been a while since you last visited, you might be shocked at how much they have aged, you may be concerned about their continued safety and well-being and motivated to do something about it.

First, try and remember the value of independence. Almost no one wants to be uprooted from his or her home. Getting help doesn’t always mean moving. Many people can remain safe in their home with minimal help.

There are often signs of trouble that usually show up in several areas. By being observant, you may be able to identify problems before they become a crisis.

While you are visiting, consider the following:

* Are medications a problem? According to a recent survey, one out of every three seniors said they had trouble taking their medications correctly. If someone takes four or more medications daily, they are at significant risk.

* Is there difficulty with daily living activities? A variety of health and safety equipment can easily be used in the home to make it better.

* Is the person depressed? Clinical depression is real and it affects thousands of people

Still, 92 percent of older Minnesotans who need assistance are taken care of by family members, community or church-based volunteers, or home health care agencies being paid out of pocket.

The percentage of families purchasing nonmedical home care has risen from 4 percent in 1988 to 27 percent in 2005, according to a survey done by the Minnesota Board on Aging.

Home health care numbers are expected to skyrocket by 2030, when Minnesota’s population over 65 will double, especially as nearly all current seniors and baby boomers say they want to stay in their home communities as long as possible and receive support and services there.

Baby boomers, often the ones who are helping their parents find care, are changing elder care. In a study this year by Ecumen, a Shoreview operator of nursing homes and provider of care for the elderly, only 1 percent of baby boomers would choose to live in a nursing home or assisted living. By a wide margin, they prefer to remain at home. With the percent of the U.S. population over 65 expected to double within the next 25 years, the impact on families will be huge.

It strikes every adult child who realizes that an elderly but independent parent who still lives at home needs additional help, more help than the child can offer. The adult child, often a daughter, typically helps out while managing her own family needs and a job.

We’re at the beginning of a sea change. Public policy isn’t meeting the need, and parents of baby boomers require services. Many people end up in nursing homes even if they don’t need that level of care. And they might not realize how much less it is for home health care.

The average rate for a home care aide is $24 an hour in the Twin Cities. (The highest hourly rate in the country is $30 in Rochester, Minn., according to a recent study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute.) At Aspirience, the rates range from $16-26 per hour for individualized and tailored Personal Care Services. Most home care is paid out of pocket or by long-term care insurance but is rarely covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Low-income or disabled families might qualify for some assistance under Minnesota’s Medical Waiver Program.

The point is to take note of the people you visit this holiday. They may need someone’s help.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you navigate your home care choices.