Healthcare Where You Need It

November 16 is National Rural Health Day. To honor this day, we’d like to shed some light on how Edgewood has been helping residents in cities large and small to receive healthcare services right where they’re needed most: on-site!

Edgewood’s Medical Partnerships

At Edgewood, we want our residents to feel like they’re thriving in the comfort of a community that cares. To accomplish this, we feature additional services on-site to meet their healthcare needs through our partner companies: CaringEdge, All Care, Legacy Medical, Pioneer Family Medicine, and Aspire Clinical Intelligence.

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These companies are separate from Edgewood and offer optional services for residents to utilize. They are not included in the rent or care and services costs because they’re medical services requiring Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, or private pay.

Legacy Medical & Pioneer Family Medicine:

These companies offer primary healthcare services by nurse practitioners or “NPs” to treat common health conditions. Legacy Medical helps across many Edgewood communities, while Pioneer Family Medicine operates in Boise, ID.

CaringEdge & All Care Health Solutions:

 These companies provide on-site or outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapies, home health, and hospice. CaringEdge operates in many communities, while All Care is in Idaho and primarily offers home health and hospice.

Aspire Clinical Intelligence:

Aspire operates in all of our Edgewood communities. They offer remote and after-hours nursing services as part of its A6 Triage Division to help clinical staff address health conditions. Aspire’s A6 Clinical Division also provides several technologies, including state-of-the-art software, to flag common health risks and conditions.

Healthcare at Your Fingertips

 Aging can bring changes. From unexpected injuries to temporary or long-term illnesses that might catch up with us, it’s important to have access to care.

Offering healthcare on-site can help those residing in senior living communities to have the opportunity to be proactive about their health. With digital state-of-the-art software to track vitals and health trends and a nurse, case manager, and nurse practitioner, seniors can feel their best.

Convenience & Choice

Driving or even riding back and forth to frequent medical appointments can be enough to reduce someone’s life satisfaction. Managing appointments, navigating waiting rooms and emergency departments, or having frequent hospitalizations can all take their toll.

It’s important to us to provide access to care, but residents are still given the choice not to accept it. When one of Edgewood’s partners offers medical services, they’re optional and not meant to replace preferred providers.

Residents may choose the on-site nurse practitioners as their primary care providers; however, this is not required. If someone wishes to be seen for treatment on occasion by the on-site clinicians, those clinicians will still update the resident’s primary care team off-site.

Quality of Life

Rural communities can come with many barriers, including access to seeing clinicians. The list barring someone from medical care can be endless, from great distances to travel to bad weather to a lack of providers, and the list goes on.

If an appointment is missed or delayed, health can indefinitely deteriorate, negatively impacting someone’s life. Even common and treatable conditions can become more significant if people are forced to wait. When health or abilities are diminished, enjoying our community amenities is hard.

Better health can mean better quality of life, but only when the resources are available. We’re eternally grateful to all of our clinicians and partnerships who help our residents live their best possible lives in our care!

If you’re interested in exploring senior living at Edgewood, please contact us by email at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com.

Elephant In The Room: Could Mom’s Confusion Be A Urinary Tract Infection?

Did you know that a simple urinary tract infection, or, “UTI” may cause confusion in seniors?  This topic is absolutely another one of those “elephants in the room.” The thought of a UTI is anything but heartwarming and easy to talk about, but it’s important to know the symptoms.

For seniors, UTIs can create some alarming surprises. If you suspect a UTI, it’s very important to seek medical advice quickly.

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For adults, well-known symptoms like running into the bathroom constantly and not being able to go very much might be the cue that a UTI is on the horizon. For seniors, however, a UTI can be a bit more complicated. UTIs in seniors may present with those symptoms, but they could also bring out aggressiveness, words you’ve never expected to hear from your loved one, falls, or signs and symptoms that cause you to think the worst: “Is it dementia?” If given the chance, we would all much rather have a UTI instead of a memory loss diagnosis!

Let’s review what UTIs are, how they present differently in seniors, and better yet, how they can be prevented.

What is a UTI?

Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are infections of the urinary system involving the bladder, kidneys, ureter, or urethra. UTIs are usually caused by bacteria.

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Symptoms of UTI in seniors:

Typical Symptoms of a UTI in adults:

What you’ll notice about the lists of symptoms is that they’re different for seniors. When UTIs strike, our senior loved ones may not act like themselves. It’s important to advocate on their behalf if they may not be able to tell us what’s wrong. If you suspect a UTI in your senior loved one, reach out to their healthcare professional for help to develop an appropriate plan of care as soon as possible. If you know that your senior loved one has had a history of UTIs, or if they’re at risk, it’s very important to share that information with their healthcare staff and any caregivers who help them.

Reporting some of the common behaviors or indicators your loved one may present at the start of a UTI can be crucial for them to receive early interventions like diagnosis and treatment. Early treatment of a UTI may prevent the risk of complications such as a worsening infection, an infection that spreads to the kidneys, kidney damage, or sepsis (which can lead to significant complications, including death).

The following may increase the risk of getting a UTI:

How to prevent UTIs:

Practice good hygiene by thorough hand washing, showering, cleaning up after toileting, and wearing clean clothing. If you have to use the restroom, go. Try to avoid waiting long periods to let your bladder sit full. Drink plenty of fluids. Try to remain active through exercise. Limit alcohol and caffeine, and avoid smoking. Try to eat a diet that helps you avoid constipation, and drink plenty of water. While drinking eight glasses of liquids per day is helpful, paying attention to the color of your urine so that it’s clear may also be effective in gauging your hydration needs.

If your senior loved one is unable to complete preventative measures such as adequate personal care, consider finding some help at home or additional daily support, so that they can proactively avoid getting UTIs, injuries, or other health complications.

Edgewood Healthcare partners with several specialty healthcare providers who provide support to seniors on-site in our communities. Aspire Clinical Intelligence has developed unique software to help healthcare professionals at some Edgewood Communities track health problems for seniors, such as their risk for UTIs and other infections.

The goal of the software is to identify potential health and safety risks early so clinicians can put interventions in place. Once a clinician identifies a resident as being at risk for infections, measures can be put into place for that resident to receive education, prevention, and risk reduction, or if medically necessary, treatment for the infection.

By properly managing chronic conditions such as UTIs, seniors may have more independence and joy during their golden years. At Edgewood, we notice that seniors are not feeling like themselves. From our front desk staff to our maintenance techs to our business office staff, we notice, and we’re all here to help.

Reach out to us at Edgewood Healthcare to learn more about our short- and long-term support for seniors at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com.

Edgewood Healthcare Announces New Executive Vice President of Resident and Employee Engagement

Edgewood Healthcare has recently announced the promotion of Jenni Hoffmann to Executive Vice President of Resident and Employee Engagement. In her new role, Jenni will continue to oversee the sales and public relations departments, as well as overseeing and assisting Edgewood’s directors in Life Enrichment as well as Recruitment and Retention. “I am pleased to announce this well-deserved promotion for Jenni,” said Rob Ford, President.“Jenni has built a strong marketing and development team which provides many in-house services that not only have helped our company and communities thrive, but have brought helpful resources and education to communities within our footprint, making a true difference in the lives of our residents, families, and neighbors. Jenni is a driven leader in census growth and team building. She has also been an integral part of Edgewood’s numerous acquisitions, new developments, and expansions over the past 11 years,” Ford continued.Jenni began her career in December of 2010 at the Edgewood home office as a team of one, developing a newly created marketing department when there were just 28 communities under the Edgewood umbrella.

Originally from Crookston, MN, Jenni earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations and real estate at St. Cloud University and completed her Master of Business Administration at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN.

Jenni resides in Grand Forks, ND, with her husband Eric, two children, Alexa and Anders, and their beloved chocolate lab, Brody.

 

About Edgewood Healthcare

Edgewood Healthcare is the leading operator of senior living communities in the upper Midwest. Since 1992, Edgewood has been committed to helping seniors stay as independent as possible, for as long as possible, with well-trained staff members in communities designed for residents to receive various living and care options. Currently, Edgewood operates over 60 independent living, assisted living and memory care communities with over 4,000 beds in seven states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho) and employs over 2,700 people. Edgewood Healthcare’s corporate offices are located at 322 Demers Avenue, Suite 500, Grand Forks, N.D.

Elephant in the Room: How Can I Avoid Falls?

 

Avoiding falls? That sounds much easier to say than to do! Falls can happen so quickly that we’re usually admiring the clouds before we can even say, “Oops!”

Injuries from falls can impact our independence, so we should at least try to avoid them. One of the greatest tools we can use to reduce and prevent falls is to understand why we had a fall. Knowledge helps us to be proactive. There are many root causes of falls, such as muscle weakness, balance deficits, underlying medical conditions, adverse medication reactions, visual disturbances, and many more.

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Let’s check out some ways we can reduce those dreaded falls.

Here are 7 Tips for Being Fall-free:

1. Stay strong. If you can exercise, even a little, keep doing it. If you don’t use it, you may lose it. Try to maintain your muscle mass, which, after age 30, sadly, most of us begin to lose. Stay limber and stretch. Even if you don’t feel like taking a walk, do a little stretch or range of motion exercise to help you maintain your balance. At Edgewood, our life enrichment teams strive to find ways to work in exercise opportunities and to make them fun and engaging. It’s hardly exercise when it’s disguised as fun!

If exercise causes you additional pain or increases your risk for falls, consider the addition of outpatient physical therapy services. Physical and occupational therapies are designed to help you improve your strength and balance.2. Visit your doctor. Try to remain up to date with vision and hearing visits to make sure you’re able to see and hear what’s in your path.

If you find yourself rushing overnight to the restroom or experiencing incontinence, please contact your doctor to determine if there’s a root cause or medical solution.

If you find yourself feeling weak, out of balance, or falling, a visit to your doctor is a very good idea so that you can evaluate the reason for your falls. Your doctor may also be able to prescribe outpatient therapy, as we previously discussed.

3. Review Your Meds. Discuss medications and their side effects with your doctor. If you take medications that could cause you to fall, ask your doctor if there is an opportunity to reduce or discontinue those medications.

4. Make Sure Your Path is Safe. While rugs look fancy and they tie the room together, be sure you don’t risk injury because they cause you to trip. If you opt for area rugs in your home, ensure they stay securely on the floor. If you have slippery stairs at home that you can’t avoid using, having slip-resistant rubber mats installed can help to give you traction.

5. Wear Supportive Shoes and Slippers. You don’t have to sacrifice style for a fall, but appropriately sized shoes with good grips can be very helpful in fall prevention.

6. Keep the Lights on. Poor lighting can cause falls and frustration. If there are areas of your home that could use a night light, plug some in. Many intelligent lighting options are on the market these days, from motion-detector lighting to voice-activated and smart-home technology options.

7. Get Some Gadgets. Securely installed grab bars in showers and dual railings around staircases are very helpful. Be sure that the grab bars and railings are secure! Avoid stick-on grab bars in showers. They’re easy to install but may not provide the support you need to stay safe.

 Consider a reacher stick for picking up fallen items. 

If you have fallen or are afraid of falling because you live alone, consider a personal emergency pendant system. These systems allow you to wear a discreet bracelet or necklace that allows you to easily call for help with the press of a button should you need it for a fall or any emergency.

Facts on Falls:

Disclaimer: these are sobering facts from the CDC.

At some Edgewood communities, we are working with a new software created by Aspire Clinical Intelligence.  Aspire has partnered with our electronic health record software to highlight areas of risk for our residents, including fall risk.

If the software from Aspire Clinical Intelligence highlights you as someone who is at risk for falling, it uses clinical best practices to suggest actions to address this concern. These actions may include specific treatment interventions from the senior living clinical services team and/or connection to additional healthcare providers for further assessment and treatment.  In short, this software helps our care staff identify who is at risk for falls to try to minimize them.

If you or someone you love are in need of interventions to prevent falling, such as outpatient therapy services, or you’d like to tour an Edgewood assisted living or memory care community, please reach out to us at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com. We have much to offer in terms of both senior living and short-term care services for seniors who prefer to live safely at home.

What Happened to Doctors Making House Calls?

 

Remember in the movies when doctors visited your home and called to check in on you? What an excellent way to receive care if we’re not feeling our best – especially during these frigid months.

At Edgewood Healthcare, it’s our privilege to provide excellent senior care, offer peace of mind, and improve quality of life. We’re collaborating with Legacy Medical and Aspire Clinical Intelligence to offer primary medical care and consultation.

Legacy Medical:

In December 2021, Legacy Medical began providing medical directorship services in several of Edgewood’s communities. Medical Directorships have served Edgewood residents at Rapid City, Cheyenne, Laramie, Minot, Bismarck, Fargo, Hermantown, and Virginia. Edgewood Communities in Boise, Idaho, are served through medical directorship under Pioneer Family Medicine. Medical directorship services will continue to be available on-site at the above locations, and soon, telehealth will allow Legacy’s clinicians to serve all of Edgewood’s communities virtually by the spring of 2022.

Jill Wilson, Legacy Medical’s COO, explained,

The vision of offering medical directorship services on-site is to expand access to primary care and reduce delays in receiving medical treatment. The best way to achieve this is by providing it where it matters most, on-site.

Through Legacy’s medical directorship services, residents in Edgewood communities can see a nurse practitioner shortly after they move in and at least annually. While all visits will be on-site at Edgewood, practitioners can see residents virtually through telehealth at Edgewood communities where in-person clinician visits are not currently offered.Residents will have the option for Legacy’s clinicians to be their primary healthcare provider to address regular and routine medical issues. Residents may also decline clinical support at Edgewood if they choose, and Legacy’s clinicians will communicate with a resident’s preferred provider to ensure continuity of care.

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Legacy Medical accepts Medicare or other major insurance plans to cover a clinician’s visit at Edgewood. With any medical service, out-of-pocket expenses will depend on individual insurance coverage.

A Proactive and Cost-Effective Approach to Healthcare.

Emergency medical care services, hospitalizations, and rehabilitation stays at skilled nursing facilities can be expensive. Recovery can also take seniors away from where they call home. Faster treatment or, better yet, prevention of illness or injury can reduce costs both physically and financially.

Wounds, falls, dizziness, pain, urinary tract infections or “UTI’s,” weakness, and dehydration are common among seniors. The sooner these conditions are either prevented or treated, the less likely they are to require emergency care or hospitalization.

Aspire Clinical Intelligence:

Another amazing partnership at Edgewood Healthcare is with Aspire Clinical Intelligence. Aspire Clinical Intelligence is a software company working to improve the health and quality of life for seniors. Aspire has developed software to streamline communication between Edgewood’s assisted living staff and healthcare professionals.

Erica Kalis, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Aspire Clinical Intelligence, explained that their software uses electronic medical records to collect patient data onto a dashboard, called the Effective Health Record. Having both past and current health information in a single database provides efficiency.

Aspire’s Effective Health Record will include real-time data on vital signs, falls, infections, wounds, cognitive tests, weight changes, sleep patterns, and glucose patterns. It will contain historical health data such as past injuries, surgeries, and hospitalizations, as well as listing diagnoses.

A Proactive Healthcare Database.

Health risks are identified in Aspire’s software to alert providers to potential complications. If a senior is experiencing weakness, balance issues, or falls, for instance, the software can alert providers to suggest preventative treatments such as physical therapy.

Physical therapy can improve balance and strength, which can reduce fall events. Decreased falls mean decreased risk for injuries and happier, more independently mobile seniors.

Edgewood in Alexandria, MN, has already had the privilege of previewing this amazing new software for new residential admissions, and tracking fall data. Aspire’s software will continue to roll out over time until it’s available to Edgewood community-wide in 2023.

Senior Living at its Best.

Edgewood’s collaboration with Aspire Clinical Intelligence and Legacy Medical offers a proactive approach to healthcare. By enhancing our medical services through a variety of on-site options, we hope to support our seniors to live healthier and more independently.

If you’d like to learn more, please visit us online at EdgewoodHealthcare.com, LegacyMedical.com, or AspireClinicalIntelligence.com.

4 Best Questions to Ask When Touring Assisted Living

 

Shopping can be overwhelming. Much like shopping for a house, each assisted living community comes with its own special and unique charm—and sometimes its own surprise costs. Knowing which questions to ask before your tour can help you to identify what services and amenities are highest on your priority list. Depending on your individual needs, the following four questions can be a helpful start:

1. Can I Afford Assisted Living?

Knowing which services are included and which forms of payment are accepted is critical. Be sure your chosen community reviews all payment and service pricing options with you. Knowing this information up front will prevent you from paying for what you don’t need and help you avoid surprises. Having this insight will also help you decide which assisted living options are the most cost-efficient—even if two cost the same amount, be sure they come with the same services as well.

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Transparency is key. Make sure that all services and costs are presented up-front. If you use your call light, will it cost you added monthly fees?  Is housekeeping included and how often? Are services time-based or per visit? If you spill coffee twice in your apartment and need help cleaning up, will that increase your costs for the month? Will your monthly rent vary based on the season when you need more heat or air conditioning?

Edgewoodhealthcare.com provides a convenient cost calculator. Our rate cards, which include room and board rates and service package rates for each of our 64 communities, are also available on our website.

To simplify pricing structures, we offer three service-level packages. Services may include medication management, assistance with dressing, bathing, grooming, monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, and other daily vitals, and assistance getting to and from meals. Services are grouped based on the number and type of services needed and/or acuity. Upon meeting with a registered nurse following your tour, we review what help you need (and what help you do not need) to establish which service tier suits you. By establishing this, we eliminate surprise fees.

Assisted living can be purchased through private pay, long-term care insurance, military benefits, and sometimes Medicaid. At Edgewood, we’re happy to accept these payment methods, but please contact us to discuss these further.

2. What Does your on-site Healthcare Support Look Like?

Knowing if medical professionals are on-site or available for consultation is equally important as knowing the staffing ratios. Before you move, it’s essential to know that you have what you need when you need it.

Ask about the healthcare staff-to-resident ratios and what overnight staffing looks like.

Some assisted living communities offer on-site medical support. Do they allow you to keep your off-site doctor, or must you make a switch?

Edgewood communities offer 24-hour RN support either on-site or via phone consultation. Our health network offers a holistic team of medical providers who partner with us to offer you the right care and support in the comfort of your home. We offer a team of healthcare experts who are dedicated to specialized health services, providing education and hands-on training to residents, families, and the greater community.

3. What Does Your Dining and Life Enrichment Program Look Like?

Are all meals served in the dining room? Is there more than just BINGO at activity time? Do you take off-site trips, or is transportation available?

Ask for a copy of the community’s menu and activity calendar to get a feel for what a day at assisted living looks like. Try scheduling your tour during a social activity or meal to see if what the current residents are doing looks appealing to you. Does the community you’re touring have a dining philosophy? What do the table settings look like? Is the food something you will like? Can you sample a lunch during your tour?

Edgewood Healthcare offers a unique culinary experience. All of our community menus are specially planned by a registered dietician and our dining services staff to offer choices in meeting senior nutritional needs. We have beautiful dining rooms and tasteful table settings to make each meal special. If you want your family to join you for a meal, that’s okay—family meals are available for a minimal fee.

Edgewood offers life enrichment activities to keep residents social, strong, and sharp. We don’t focus on what you can’t do, but we focus on and celebrate the activities you can do. Our life enrichment staff spends time getting to know each resident, so activities are offered based on your interests. Activities are specially designed to focus on the whole person: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. We enjoy coffee clubs, community outings, bingo, bunco, board games, card games, brain games, music, church services on-site, movies, and range of motion exercises—just to name a few activities.

4. Can I stay at Assisted Living Forever?

It’s important to ask how much care and preventative support is available, so that you can feel confident in your move to assisted living. Asking about service packages and additional help on-site is important to gauge whether the community you’re researching is the right fit for your needs

Edgewood’s “continuum of care” network allows our residents to live their golden years fully. We offer increased support from various health professionals, such as nurse practitioners and physical, occupational, and speech therapists. We also offer hospice and home health services. These additional healthcare supports help minimize the severity of illnesses that could result in hospital or emergency room visits. By providing convenient access to healthcare services, we help residents maintain the independence they need to live in their homes longer.

While these four tips are a nice starting point for asking questions on your tour, please feel free to review a more exhaustive list of tour questions by clicking on the hyperlink below:

Tour questions courtesy of Edgewood Healthcare

We hope you find exactly what you’re looking for in your search for a senior living community. If you have questions, or you’d like to schedule a tour, please e-mail us at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com.

Why Memory Care? Why Now?

After months of telltale signs, Mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

You started with checking in a few times a day by phone, which turned into daily visits to make sure she was still safe at home—and now it’s all become more than you expected. You’re even starting to feel stressed and burned out.

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You’ve reluctantly realized she would be better off with 24-hour support, allowing you to be her daughter again rather than her full-time caregiver. So you’ve taken the tours, calculated the costs, and decided (again reluctantly) that memory care is the right decision. You’re ready to take the next step in Mom’s move to a memory care community, then boom—your siblings who live two hours away meet you with a veto.

They’ve offered to visit more frequently to help Mom stay at home longer. After all the planning and the sleepless nights, you felt a glimpse of hope, but now what? You feel overloaded, outnumbered, and sick.

This scenario is all too familiar. While you may be fully able to see your loved one’s needs and are invested in making the move, getting your family to agree is not always such an easy task. Your loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s taking control, but perhaps your family refuses to see it because Mom talks about times past and seems “fine” on the phone. They don’t want to see it, but who does?

Denial about Alzheimer’s and our loved ones’ true needs may affect their health and safety. While siblings or extended family might be preoccupied with proving that the diagnosis is wrong, the clock is ticking. You continue to act as a caregiver, but you’re tired and worried that unwelcome things may happen while you hope for their approval.

Here are a Few Ideas on How to Reach Common Ground:

  1. Encourage your loved ones to learn more about the diagnosis and how it might change your mom, dad, or family member’s memory and personality. What do the early stages look like, and what might happen with mom when they’re not visiting, such as during the late afternoon or nighttime?
  2. Find a local support group session for them to hear from other families who are experiencing the rollercoaster of emotions that Alzheimer’s presents. Some families may even consider professional counseling to work through their emotions.
  3. Offer your siblings or extended family a tour of the community you’ve chosen, so they can hear the same information. Even if they disagree with the diagnosis, the idea of having more help available can be a selling point once they learn more. You might even suggest that your loved one could try a short-term stay at the memory care community you selected, to show your family just what it’s all about.
  4. Politely remind your family that it’s your loved one who’ll benefit most from the move. Sometimes, that reminder is useful to bring your loved one back to the heart of this discussion.

While the nature of this blog is to highlight all the great services available at a memory care community, please think about safety first for your loved one and any family caregivers.

If you’re struggling to provide your loved one with care and supervision while your family is in limbo, adult day services may be a safe alternative care option during the waiting period.

Adult day service programs meet the needs of those who have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Adult day services can be for a few hours or a few days each week. These programs at Edgewood vary, so we encourage you to reach out to us to learn more about their availability. In our day services programming, we have specially trained staff who are skilled in providing memory care support for daily and personal care needs in a setting where your loved one is also able to socialize and engage with peers. This can give your loved one and their caregiver a nice break.

Don’t wait for a med error, fall, or wandering event or for caregivers to become overloaded before you explore available support options.

Memory care at an assisted living community can offer help with what your loved one can’t do, but the real focus is encouraging them to keep doing what they can—this helps to prolong independence.

Here’s What an Edgewood Memory Care Community Has to Offer:

Please contact Edgewood Healthcare today to learn more about memory care, a short-term stay, or adult day services.

You can also find a memory care community near you or email us at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com for additional information.

Betty White’s Secret To A Long And Happy Life

Whether you remember her as Sue Ann Nivens, Rose Nylund, or Elka Ostrosky, today we remember America’s Golden Girl, Betty White. Betty lived an amazing life, just a couple of weeks shy of today, January 17th, 2022, which would have been her 100th birthday. Betty lived long, happy, and healthy.

But how can we live long and happy like Betty? Should we eat vegan, exercise, eat eggs, drink coffee, drink wine (or not drink) wine? There are so many tips out there for how to live a long and happy life. It’s tough to know what direction to go. Is it really diet and exercise that help us live longer, or could it be staying positive?

No matter the answer, living long and healthy requires some work and diligence. Many of us know deep down what we can do better to increase our odds, but it’s always nice to see the proof in the pudding. Take a look at some of Betty’s famous quotes about staying positive:

 

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In an interview with Parade Magazine’s Samuel R. Murrian in 2018, one of Betty White’s tips for living a long and happy life was,

“Enjoy life. Accentuate the positive, not the negative. It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, ‘Hey, that was great!’ It’s not hard to find great stuff if you look.”

Betty also credited her diet, chalking her longevity up to eating hot dogs and french fries and drinking vodka – health experts might have some arguments on that. So, was it her positivity that helped her achieve success in living a long, happy life? Perhaps.

“I’m a big cockeyed optimist. I try to accentuate the positive as opposed to the negative.” – Betty White

Optimism may come with some health benefits, based on recent findings. If you can talk yourself into seeing the glass half-full, you could experience better health.

“It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.” – Betty White

There’s no doubt that Betty looked on the bright side, but she also kept very busy; was that her secret to longevity? She had a very long, successful career, earning a Guinness World Record for her many years as an actress. Betty White opted not to retire, remarking,

“Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way.”

When Betty wasn’t acting, she spent much time as a devoted animal advocate, working with the Los Angeles Zoo and with the Morris Animal Foundation. She also established the Betty White Wildlife Fund in 2010.

We have much to learn from Betty White’s life. She worked hard with an optimistic attitude and made the most of her time here. No matter how we get there, we can all hope to reach age 99 smiling as happily as Betty did.

Hats off to you, Betty; thank you for being a friend.

From your fans at Edgewood Healthcare.

Find Time For You In 2022!

After what feels like half a decade of COVID-19 restrictions, we’ve all been through the wringer; it’s time to live it up a little! Forget making a New Year’s Resolution to lose 10 pounds. Why not eat dessert first, put your feet up and enjoy yourself? This year, make a resolution to do what you couldn’t last year—spend more time with your friends and loved ones. Work in some laughs and focus on doing what you want to do.

A major barrier in making any resolution, whether it’s for your health or social life, is finding the time. Are you racing the clock to get all of your steps in or struggling to find time for your favorite hobby? What if you had more time in your day to make room for socializing and doing things you like to do?

If you are making a resolution this year for your health, consider getting in some of those 10,000 steps on a tour at an Edgewood Healthcare Community. Make 2022 the year of you and let us help by offering you our first-class services. Whether you’re a future resident or perhaps a caregiver looking for support for your senior loved one, we have something for all seeking senior care and living options.

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At an Edgewood assisted living community, we take the chores, cooking, laundry, and cleaning out of your day, leaving you more time to do whatever you enjoy. Let our helpful staff call in your medication refills while you enjoy yoga or a hot cup of coffee with your friends—notice we said, “Hot cup of coffee?” Sometimes, having that coffee hot can be the real struggle! Pour yourself a cup, and leave the “heart attack snow” to us.

Let us help you in any way we can this year. Whether you’re looking to travel more and downsize your home into an apartment at a 55+ community or you’re searching for the best memory care community for a loved one, we have much to offer. For those on the fence about leaving home, we also offer short-term stays and adult day services. With a variety of healthcare services available on-site, you can refill your energy bucket this year.

Amenities and service offerings vary depending on the community you choose. You can learn more by emailing us at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com.

We all of us at Edgewood Healthcare wish you a healthy, safe, and social 2022!

Finding the HOPE in Hospice

No, it’s not a typo. ‘Hope’ is often the last thought in our minds when discussing hospice and the overwhelming fears that accompany a terminal diagnosis. By talking about what hospice is and what it can offer, we want to help you find hope when considering hospice services.

People typically associate hospice with someone who’s about to pass away, likely within days or weeks. That’s one of the most common misconceptions about hospice. Let’s walk through some other common misbeliefs, to give you a better understanding of the support hospice can offer.

1. Hospice is Giving Up.

While hospice does not provide curative treatment to improve someone’s terminal condition, it can comfort the patient and their family during their remaining time together. Hospice offers a team of support, including a medical director, skilled nursing support, a social worker, a hospice aide, and a chaplain. Hospice also offers volunteers to provide non-medical support based on someone’s wishes and interests.

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2. Hospice is a Place that Provides 24/7 Care.

Hospice services can be provided in any setting that you or your loved one call home. Hospice care can be provided in private homes, assisted living or memory care communities, or in a skilled nursing facility. While hospice doesn’t provide 24/7 support, more specialized support is available. And based on your preferences and needs, hospice care can be combined with other services offered through a senior living community or home health provider.

3. Hospice is Only There for Pain Control.

Hospice focuses on the whole patient’s spiritual, physical, and mental well—being. Patients receive the support that works for them.

4. Hospice Care is Only for the Last Few Weeks of Life.

While a terminal condition with a prognosis of six months or less is needed to enroll in hospice services, it’s also not uncommon for patients receiving hospice services to do so for months or even years before passing away. If you qualify for hospice, timely enrollment can allow your team to get to know you and your preferences sooner. Hospice services can also be extended as long as you medically qualify.

5. Hospice Care is Only for the Patient.

Hospice is a wraparound service, not just meant for the person who needs it most and receives direct services and support. Loved ones also receive support for a full 13 months after someone passes away.

6. Pain is an Inevitable Part of the Dying Process.

Pain can be a part of the dying process, but with hospice services, the goal is to minimize the pain and maximize comfort. Comfort measures can be provided medically and/or through the support of a chaplain or volunteer. Hospice volunteers can offer services such as reading, singing, playing music, offering massage, or simply running errands to calm the mind.

7. People Pass Away More Quickly on Hospice.

The majority of people receiving hospice care do pass away, but the care provided by hospice does NOT speed up the process. Hospice may even delay someone’s passing by increasing the level of support and comfort that’s available.

8. Hospice is Only for Those Who are Diagnosed with Cancer.

Hospice can be ordered by a medical doctor for anyone with a qualifying terminal diagnosis (life expectancy of 6 months or less).

9. Hospice Takes Away Your Voice.

While receiving hospice care, patients can still be their own advocates, making individualized healthcare decisions as long as they’re able. When timely enrollment is considered, hospice patients can state their needs and wishes to ensure they’re honored during their journey.

10. Once you’re Enrolled in Hospice, you Cannot Disenroll.

Anyone can discontinue hospice at any time if they choose to seek treatment options for their condition or for any reason they choose. On rare occasions, some hospice patients have also had an improvement in their health and can be medically discharged from hospice.

11. Hospice Patients Must Sign a “Do Not Resuscitate” or “DNR” order.

A DNR is not required to receive hospice services.

If you’d like to explore hospice further, please find a community near you or watch this educational video to learn more.

If you or a loved one is faced with end-of-life decisions, we encourage you to reach out to consider if hospice options may be right for you.

Please visit us online at www.edgewoodhealthcare.com/ or e-mail us at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com for more information.