Thanksgiving Event for Seniors in Maine

On Thanksgiving day this year, Beach Glass Transitions is volunteering with seniors.  Nova Ewers, the Administrative & Marketing Manager here at Beach Glass, will be visiting the residents at Bay Square at Yarmouth and Village Crossings at Cape Elizabeth with her Mother, Lauraine, and Lauraine’s service dog, Stella.  Since Nova could not go to see her grandmother this year, who is living with dementia in New York City, the mother and daughter pair thought it would be a nice thing to visit with other seniors in similar situations.  Nova’s grandmother loves visits from Stella the service pup and they will honor her this Thanksgiving by spreading the joy to others.  After all, who can help but smile at a wagging tail!

Wishing everyone a fruitful and happy holiday season in 2010!

Lynn

Alzheimer’s Art Exhibit

Show by artist, Donna Beveridge

 

 

Senior Care: What are the Options?

I am hosting a free Senior Options class at 277 Congress St. in Portland!

This class teaches seniors and their families about the many kinds of senior care options available here in Maine and the financial obligations associated with the various choices.

I’ll begin by introducing all those common but confusing acronyms so that everyone understands the terminology used in senior care. I’ll explain terms like ADLs, CCRC’s, NF, Home Health Care vs. Home Care, MaineCare, Private Pay, AL’s, and more.

Next we’ll talk about ten distinct senior care products, including:

• Home Care
• Home Health Care
• Independent Living
• Assisted Living
• Alzheimer’s Care
• Adult Day Programs
• Retirement Living
• Nursing Homes
• Skilled Care
• Hospice Care

I’ll teach you the right questions to ask when touring communities, along with which amenities to look for depending on your loved one’s situation. I’ll explain the unique care provided in each option, and share the advantages and disadvantages. We’ll explore important factors like which services are provided, what costs can be expected, the size of a particular community and available activity programs.

For your long term planning, I’ll also discuss the limitations of each senior care option.  There will also be time for questions and answers.

Too often, families wait until a crisis situation to make decisions about senior care. They rush into making the quick choice, not the educated one, which sometimes results in a traumatic transition for the senior and the family, and often costs more money.

This class will prepare folks for the future and provide the base of education that all families need as they enter this difficult and confusing process. And the best part is that all the advice and learning is free!

I’m giving the class at the following dates and times:

Thursday, September 16, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

Tuesday, September 21, 12:30 – 2:00 pm

Thursday, September 30, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

The class will be held in my office at 277 Congress Street in Portland.

I look forward to seeing you all there and answering your questions!

For more information contact, info@beachglasstransitions.com
or call 207-272-2797.  Also, please call or email to confirm your attendance if you will be joining us!

If you are interested in joining us, but these dates and times do not work for you, just give us a call and we’ll see what future arrangements we can make with class times and dates that can accommodate you!

Best,
Lynn

Mental Fitness Made Fun with Brain Games

I recently stumbled upon Fit Brains an on-line game program that allows you to play relatively old-fashioned games, like what we used to call Concentration. At Fit Brains, you can play several games for free that allow you to work on memory, language skills or concentration.

Lumosity.com is another on-line gaming room that encourages brain fitness. It, too, has a number of free games, plus the option to “upgrade” for money.

The games were actually a lot of fun. While I didn’t “upgrade” to the paid version, which allows members to track brain progress and pit themselves against others, I did bookmark the site for further investigation. And I like their tagline: games without guilt.

Studies show that playing games, socializing, learning a new language or taking up a new hobby help keep the brain stimulated, which in turn keeps it healthy. If the games or hobbies involve movement and exercise, like bowling, gardening or bird watching , so much the better, but you can get a mental workout sitting at the computer.

Crossword puzzles have long been the epitome of brain challenge games, with Sudoku now on the list. You can play those games electronically as well. Reader’s Digest has a daily crossword puzzle game, and they also feature the free Fit Brain games.

Spend a little bit of time on line exploring games. Don’t add to your stress level; just add to your fun.   Best, Lynn

News for Seniors in New Format

Take a look at my latest newsletter. I’m trying a new software from issuu.com, so this is a grand experiment. Let me know what you think!

Winter Beach Glass Gazette is the newsletter in the page software.

Here is the newsletter in a PDF format.   Beach Glass Gazette – Winter

Senior Care: What are My Options?

I am hosting a free Senior Options class to celebrate my new office at 277 Congress St. in Portland!

This class teaches seniors and their families about the many kinds of senior care options available here in Maine and the financial obligations associated with the various choices.

I’ll begin by introducing all those common but confusing acronyms so that everyone understands the terminology used in senior care. I’ll explain terms like ADLs, CCRC’s, NF, Home Health Care vs. Home Care, MaineCare, Private Pay, AL’s, and more.

Next we’ll talk about ten distinct senior care products, including:

• Home Care
• Home Health Care
• Independent Living
• Assisted Living
• Alzheimer’s Care
• Adult Day Programs
• Retirement Living
• Nursing Homes
• Skilled Care
• Hospice Care

Don’t worry, I’ll teach you the right questions to ask when touring communities, along with which amenities to look for depending on your loved one’s situation. I’ll explain the unique care provided in each option, and share what I think are the advantages and disadvantages. We’ll explore important factors like which services are provided, what costs can be expected, the size of a particular community and available activity programs.

For your long term planning, I’ll also discuss the limitations of each senior care option. Too often, families wait until a crisis situation to make decisions about senior care. They rush into making the quick choice, not the educated one, which sometimes results in a traumatic transition for the senior and the family, and often costs more money.

This class will prepare folks for the future and provide the base of education that all families need as they enter this difficult and confusing process. And the best part: all the advice and learning is free!

I’m giving the class at the following dates and times:

Tuesday, November 17, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Thursday, November 19, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Tuesday, December 1, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

The class will be held in my office at 277 Congress Street in Portland.

I look forward to seeing you all there and answering your questions!

For more information contact, info@beachglasstransitions.com
or call 207-272-2797.

Best,
Lynn

Take Advantage of Local Resources

As I skim through the paper daily, I’m reminded that there are many opportunities for us to learn something new with a little investment of time.

Many groups are offering free health-related seminars or classes this month.

• Arthritis Across the Ages on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Dana Center Auditorium at Maine Med. The program starts at 9:30 and discusses rheumatoid arthritis, gout and juvenile arthritis. Get registration info at info.nne@arthritis.org or call 1-800-639-2113.
• CHANS home healthcare is offering free seasonal flu clinics in the Midcoast area. Visit the CHANS website for more info.
• The International Essential Tremor Foundation is sponsoring a free info session on essential tremor Saturday, Oct. 3, from9:30-noon at the Portland Marriott. For more information or to register, call 1-888-387-3667 or go to the IETF website.

And with all the talk of swine flu and health care reform, health has been on our minds. Keeping ourselves well by eating right, getting plenty or rest, drinking fluids and exercising can go a long way towards helping our bodies fight off attacks by cold and flu bugs. Hannaford supermarkets had a series of in-store classes listed in today’s paper.  They ask you to register ahead of time at whatever store is hosting the class. Here’s a link to more information on healthy living classes.

The class that really caught my eye was Cart Away Colds: Eat to Boost Your Immunity on October 20 at the Scarborough Hannaford. I am a big believer in supporting all the building blocks of physical and mental health, but I fall by the wayside sometimes and need to get re-invigorated with new information. Of course, sometimes health issues are out of our control, but if we can affect issues or lessen our risks by what we do or eat, it’s a good opportunity to gain some control.

There are lots of other interesting topics in October. Healthy eating using the Guiding Stars, tight budget eating, healthy snacks for Halloween, healthy heart eating, understanding diabetes, Vitamin D, and good nutrition to reduce cancer risks are topics this month.

Take advantage of the free information offered by groups. You’ll learn something, and you’re NEVER obligated to buy anything.

Grief and family and the Alzheimer’s walk

The annual Alzheimer’s Walk  is tomorrow. It’s not too late to walk yourself, or sponsor a walker.

Alzheimer’s is often called the Long Goodbye. It is a classic example of the grief  described in this recent Dear Abby  article on grieving. It’s about the grief of a caregiver: someone who has provided the care for a terminally-ill husband, and who now recognizes that her grief started several years ago, with his diagnosis.

I recently heard of deaths involving  people with whom I had worked, who are also experiencing this grief. One lady lost her 94 year-old mother, after caring for her at home nearly two years. Another lost his wife after a battle with cancer. They both knew that they would part from their loved-ones, and both experienced the relief of closure at the same time their hearts were filled with loss.

As I talk to my older clients and friends, I recognize more and more that none of us get out of this world alive, but that we all handle grief differently. The best we can do for each other is to remember with joy the person who has passed, and enfold with love and support the people who remain.

Meanwhile, we can honor memories and work to understand and halt diseases like Alzheimer’s by supporting causes like the Alzheimer’s Walk. Join this walk to get some exercise, and you can be well while doing good!

Share Your Senior Exercise Story

We all know that exercise is one of the keys to feeling good. I’m a real fan of the National Institutes of Health senior health website because it contains genuine stories from people who are making exercise a daily part of their life. (It also contains a lot of great health care information, and a good primer on Medicare.) Staff from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) helped develop the site.

They’re looking for stories from exercising seniors, and this could be a great opportunity for all you senior skiers, swimmers, joggers, tennis players and yoga enthusiasts to strut your stuff!

Here’s what they say:

If you are age 60 years or older and exercise regularly, we invite you to send us your story for the NIHSeniorHealth.gov Web site. You should write your own story in your own words. We would also like to post a photo showing you exercising. You can get more information on the website.

Are you part of a walking group? A swimming class? Square dance, line dance, ballroom dance group? You can share your story as an individual,or take a group shot and send in a group quote. Socialization is almost as important as exercise in maintaining our health as we age. What a fun way to get a little recognition for your hard work at staying healthy!

Best, Lynn

Senior Activities: Fun in the Fall

Right now, we’re in the middle of a heat wave. I hope you’re all drinking plenty of fluids and being careful to stay out of the sun. It’s probably wise to plan activities for earlier in the day, or after the sun goes down.

Speaking of activities, now’s the time to take a look at all the different activities offered through the area community education departments and local organizations like the Y. These activities are often very inexpensive, and many are planned with seniors in mind. I’m going to highlight just a few in the Greater Portland area, but you can check out your local Community Education department for activities you might enjoy.

Maine College of Art’s Continuing Studies division has so many interesting classes; it’s hard to know where to begin. They offer a special class for seniors called Drawing for Seniors on Tuesday mornings. I can’t think of a better way to go into fall than learning how to see the colors and seasonal changes in a whole new way!

Portland Adult Ed offers a vast array of programs, from ballroom dancing to all the needlecraft skills. Of special interest: a program called Stores of Our Lives. What a great way to prompt yourself to write down your family highlights. From astrology to language classes, from blacksmithing to woodworking, Portland Adult Ed seems to have a lot to offer.

Freeport Community Education also has a diversity of classes. They offer bus trips to the Thursday matinee at Portland Stage, fall gardening, and Fear of Flying, a one-time introduction to skills that might make flying more tolerable.

Cumberland Recreation has a standout in Tai Chi for Seniors, and Zumba Gold, the incredibly popular Latin salsa dance/exercise class, geared for older joints.

Yarmouth Community Services also offers many programs, though their fall brochure isn’t available yet.

The Portland Y has branches in Freeport and New Gloucester, and all have water aerobics. The Casco Bay Y in Freeport has a therapy pool (much warmer), a dog walking group, and arthritis classes.

These certainly aren’t the only places to check for interesting classes this fall. Area community colleges have great programs, and don’t overlook what’s offered at your local library. One of the keys to continued fun is continued learning!

Best, Lynn