The cost of long-term care is something American families are becoming afraid to talk about. And with good reason. Recent reports have shown that nursing home and assisted living rates rose significantly from 2009 to 2010. Private room nursing rates rose 4.6% to $229 per day or $83,585 per year, (in the San Francisco East Bay $104,025), while assisted living rose 5.2% to $3,293 per month or $39,516 per year (in the San Francisco East Bay, $45,00 per year).
Because of the rising costs, along with an overwhelming desire to stay independent, more and more older Americans are choosing to age in place. But for some, issues relating to maintaining mobility, home safety and good nutrition are causing caregivers and loved ones to worry. Advanced age can start to restrict one’s ability to do normal activities and it may be hard for the older person to ask for help or to get help at an affordable price when they do.
As a trusted and respected non-profit organization, LIFE ElderCare has been providing community-based services to older adults since 1975. With a volunteer team of over 500 people, and internship programs at two colleges that help train 300 nursing students every year in geriatric care, the organization serves as a model for how healthy aging in place can be embraced and sustained at little to no cost to Tri-City seniors who need help.
If you are a senior in need, or a community member who wants to support healthy aging, call us today to sign up, or make an online donation. With your help, we can reduce the cost of care and bring together those who are in need with those who want to give.
Many older adults have chronic health problems that make preparing meals difficult; a backache or knees that won’t cooperate and . . . when a few other things go wrong, a headache too! Alice understands this because she is going through the same thing, which is why she signed up for Meals On Wheels. As she puts it, “A healthy meal delivered by friendly volunteers who greet me with a smile. How much better can it get?”
Before needing help herself, Alice volunteered at LIFE ElderCare with Barbara Emge, Meals On Wheels Coordinator. ”It was Alice who showed me, in her quiet manner, how to diligently manage the daily maintenance of the office files and paperwork,” says Barbara. ”I’m glad that I can be of service to her, as she was to me.”
The meals that seniors receive are specifically designed to meet the nutritional parameters set by the Older Americans Act and the Alameda Area Agency on Aging. Every fresh cooked meal provides one-third of the minimum daily requirements for older adults and includes food that is high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. The entrees are low fat, contain no added salt, and are delivered with a pint of milk and fresh fruit.
To sign up call Barbara at 510-574-2092 or sign up online at lifeeldercare.org.
Finding caring, compassionate people to help the frail elderly is LIFE ElderCare’s mission; Don Hammack, who volunteers with the organization’s Friendly Visitors program, is a great example of how one person can make a significant contribution. In addition to working in Building Maintenance for the City of Fremont, Don currently visits three men in the program who greatly value his friendship and assistance. “One of them has Parkinson’s Disease,” he says, “and I think our walks around the block three times a week have slowed the progression of his illness. We also went to the Annual Friendly Visitors Party last September which was a lot of fun.”
Married 42 years, with two daughters, Don has lived in Fremont since 1967. At age 65, he works out at a gym every day to keep up his strength and energy. In addition to working with LIFE ElderCare, Don also helps seniors through faith-based groups with home repairs, mowing lawns and giving rides. “My passion is seniors,” he says, “they are the people with the most special needs and should be honored for their wisdom, experience and longevity.”
As a 14-year cancer survivor, his own experience with illness helped him develop the compassion he now enjoys sharing with others. “The way I see it, there are not well people and sick people,” he says, “It is more a matter of degree. We do everything we can to stay healthy but none of us have total control over what happens.” Don finds that the best remedy during hard times is family love. “Families who show compassion and love for their elderly ones are a benefit to everyone; my family is like this and I enjoy sharing my experience with others.”
Don says he really likes recruiting people into the Friendly Visitors program because it lightens the burden of people in need and gives meaning to people who are helping. When asked why he spends so much time helping people who may not be here in a few years, he says with a laugh, “I don’t know what your destination is going to be, but I know where they are going and when I get there I’m going to have a lot of friends.”
His advice to people with elderly friends and relatives is to give them lots of hugs. “Showing affection is very important, even if it’s just to hold their hand or caress their shoulder; so few of them receive any physical warmth or gentleness from people.” Don also thinks it’s important to acknowledge the contributions older people continue to make as they age. Some of the seniors he visits are providing friendship to people who are going through difficult times or struggling with serious health problems. “You can create your own loving community right here in your own town,” he says, “it just takes is a little bit of your time. “
If you would like to join Don as a Friendly Visitor, call Bernie Thien at (510) 574-2097 or sign up online at lifeeldercare.org.
A new piece of research suggests that those who take prescription drugs are twice as likely to suffer a fall regardless of age. The bizarre phenomenon was found to be exacerbated by medicines used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol. It is now hoped findings will help develop more effective fall prevention programmes for those aged over 65, as falls are one of the leading causes of accidental death.
For the past six years, LIFE ElderCare has partnered with Touro University to provide comprehensive medication reviews for people who enroll in their Fall Prevention program. “This new research will provide another set of parameters for Touro University pharmacists and pharmacy students to employ when reviewing client medications,” said Maureen Parent, Fall Prevention Coordinator. “Participants in the program who are taking a combination of high blood pressure and cholesterol lowering drugs may want to talk to their doctor about how this may exacerbate their fall risk.”
“Every bank offers many of the same services,” says Brian Hughes, Director of Nonprofit Business Development at Fremont Bank, “but we offer services that go beyond banking. Our commitment to promoting and sustaining nonprofit organizations in the community is what makes us different.”
Mr. Hughes stopped by the LIFE ElderCare office on October 3rd to present Mary M. Anderson, Executive Director, with a $10,000 check from the Fremont Bank Foundation. The donation came in response to a grant request to help fund the organization’s Meals On Wheels program. “We look for key agencies that are doing quality work in the community,” said Hughes. “For many years now, LIFE ElderCare has been one of these agencies.”
“We appreciate Fremont Bank Foundation’s continued support during these very challenging times,” said Anderson. “Cutbacks at the state and federal level are having a devastating impact on senior home care organizations. To sustain our programs we must have long-term corporate supporters who understand the value we bring to the community.”
During the meeting, Hughes expressed interest in how to best approach an older adult about accepting help from an elder care agency. “I am concerned,” he said, “about elderly people who really need help but refuse to ask for it.”
Anderson replied, “I think it has something to do with seniors wanting to stay independent for as long as possible. At LIFE ElderCare, we are constantly spreading the word about how easy it is for seniors and their caregivers to reduce the stress in their lives by signing up for one of our programs. With Meals On Wheels, one healthy, balanced meal everyday can help an older person stay healthier and more active than someone who skips meals or doesn’t eat at all because of poverty or an inability to shop or cook. By simply taking advantage of a meal program, a frail older adult can feel better, stay stronger and continue to contribute to the well being of their family.”
About the Fremont Bank Foundation
Established in 1995 under the direction of Fremont Bank’s late founder, Morris Hyman, and his wife, Alvirda, FBF is an independent, private, grantmaking foundation that is solely funded by Fremont Bank. Formed with an initial investment of $20,000, the Foundation now receives a significant percentage of Fremont Bank’s pre-tax income each year. These substantial funds allow the Foundation to continuously invest in local nonprofit organizations for the implementation of their extraordinary visions.
Myth 1: Falling happens to other people, not to me. The truth is that 1 in 3 older adults, about 12 million, fall every year in the U.S. LIFE ElderCare recently interviewed some of the older women who have been helped by the Fall Prevention program. Here is Bobbie’s story:
The Fall Prevention program has a new 12-week session starting on October 17, 2011. Call 510-574-2088 for more information or to sign up. Click here to view all of LIFE ElderCare’s videos.
On September 7, our VIP Rides program held its first volunteer training. The thirty-four volunteers in attendance shared stories about the memorable seniors they have assisted and enjoyed a short video that was provided by guest speaker, Larry Bunn, entitled, “What to do when you see a blind person.” In addition to enjoying a buffet lunch, the volunteers were presented with an inspirational coffee mug that contained a $50 gas gift card.
Mary Anderson, LIFE ElderCare Executive Director, got things started by sharing some highlights about the organization and thanking the volunteers. “Sharing our strengths and weaknesses is what volunteering is all about,” she said. “We are so blessed to have caring people in our community who give their time to help the frail and homebound.”
Jeff, a retired Teamster, and volunteer since March, told the audience how much it meant to him to help a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor. “My brother said to me, you are touching history right now.” Pat, a long-time volunteer with the program talked about how moving it has been for her to help one of the original pilots trained by the U.S. military. He fought in Australia and North Africa and was in the third wave that landed on the beaches of Normandy. Other volunteers reiterated the importance to them of meeting elders who provide a historical connection to events they had only read about.
A small percentage of the people who use VIP Rides are blind and/or vision impaired. Tips to keep in mind when helping these individuals include:
A blind person will generally ask for assistance if he or she needs it.
When you walk with someone who is blind describe the surroundings. For example, let them know if there are obstacles in their path or if they need to turn left or right.
When greeting a blind person, be sure to introduce yourself, don’t expect them to recognize your voice.
Explain things verbally before providing motion guidance.
If you have made contact, don’t walk away from them without saying something.
When in a restaurant, using a clock analogy is a good way to orient a vision-impaired person as to what is on their plate and around the plate.
Most importantly, if you don’t know what to do, just ask.
We would like to thank Shawn Fong, Paratransit Manager for the City of Fremont, for her assistance and for the background information she provided on the program and its accomplishments. Barbara Proctor, VIP Rides Volunteer Coordinator, encouraged participants to help her recruit new volunteers. During the past month twenty new people have signed up for services but only five new volunteers.
One volunteer summed up the training by saying, “This meeting has given me a better sense of what I am involved in.” When a vote was taken on whether or not to have future meetings, almost everybody raised their hand.
Conrad Walla came to LIFE ElderCare to volunteer as a Meals on Wheels driver in March of 1993. His enthusiasm and sense of caring for Tri-City seniors never waned throughout his many years of service. And he always looked out for the organization in trying to find good people just like himself to join as MOW volunteer drivers. We lost our good friend and treasured former MOW driver on July 29, 2011. He was 79 years and 11 months old. He will forever remain in our hearts, however, as we focus on all he left behind rather than on what was taken away on that Friday.
Conrad was our Monday driver and his ever energetic bounce was that special spark to get the week rolling for the MOW staff. He befriended all the other volunteers who came to deliver on that day and his occasional visits to the office were day brighteners on even the sunniest of afternoons.
In 1997, Conrad wrote a poem, entitled “It’s More Than Just A Meal,” which hangs on the LIFE ElderCare office wall. Picture if you can, a tall, lanky man wearing a cap and colorful scarf around his neck and make believe you are joining him in the delivery of meals to Tri-City seniors.
It’s More than Just A Meal
They stand and peek at the window, curtain sometimes aside,
or they listen for the knock or doorbell, as they wait patiently inside.
They smile, a big one, give a greeting both genuine and real.
What a privilege for me to deliver them a hot, nutritious meal!
Their wants are not many, yet attention is indeed a plus;
we learn from their humility, a big example for us.
Their concern for the many volunteer drivers is something we all feel,
as is the thanks they shower on us when delivering that daily meal.
Their gracious words, their happy smiles all help us with our goals.
A touch, a hug, a twinkle in their eyes, are all fuel to fill our souls.
By giving of ourselves, there could be no greater appeal,
than simply bringing food to doors, as it’s more than just a meal.
The reasons for deliveries are many and we know when it’s good,
that some more than others need the contact more than food.
For the nourishment from caring is a “Godsend” they reveal;
and that makes our day more special each time we deliver a meal.
We can’t linger very long or talk at each stop along the way,
but always try to manage the deliveries and regulate the stay.
For time is of the essence and yet we try so carefully to steal,
a little longer at each home when delivering that hot, nutritious meal.
Our duty comes just once a week for many though it’s known,
that some dedicated volunteers do more by substituting all over town.
And when they’re complimented for their deed, they shrug, saying, ‘No big deal,’ for we know the tender spots within our hearts are warmer when delivering that meal.
You are invited to join members of the staff and Board of LIFE ElderCare on August 30, 2011 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a Fun-Raiser at Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant in Fremont. We are partnering with a local restaurant to raise money and need your participation to make it a success. 20% of the cost of your meal will be donated to LIFE ElderCare. Invite friends, family, friends-of-friends—everyone you know who likes to eat fresh, wholesome food.
*** NOTE: (You must present the Sweet Tomatoes Donation Form when you pay for your meal. Be sure to download this form and bring it with you).
Sweet Tomatoes is located at: 39370 Paseo Padre Pkwy (corner of Paseo Padre and Walnut Avenue) in Fremont. For directions to the restaurant visit: sweettomatoes.com
Tickets: $35 (A portion of the ticket price will go to LIFE ElderCare)
Tickets can be purchased from Judy Zlatnik / 510-797-1389
Performed under the stars by an auditioned cast of 50 mostly teens from throughout the East Bay, this production is sure to appeal to family members of all generations.
Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy – considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy – soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters who have become legends in the canon: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight “mission doll,” out to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she’s been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.
These are seats with backs in the Amphitheater and you will receive a goodie bag as you come in as well as refreshments during the intermission.
