Ann V. Quinlan, Senior Care Advisor

Earlier this week, Ann Quinlan, a Senior Care Advisor here at Beach Glass Transitions, attended a “Virtual Dementia Tour” at Sedgewood Commons Alzheimer’s Care, an Assisted Living Community for seniors with dementia, in Falmouth ME.   I’d like to share with you Ann’s thoughts on the experience:

“This was a profound experience and hard to put into words.  As a seasoned care manager and educator in the arena of aging and dementia, entering that world this week as a participant in the Virtual Dementia Tour at Sedgewood Commons altered my perspective on numerous aspects of living with dementia and frailty.  The facilitator had us enter a dark room wearing head phones feeding noise and chatter into our ears; we wore rubber gloves with several fingers bound in each hand and foggy glasses; we walked with simulated neuropathy in our feet.  Suddenly the most simple of tasks became impossible to complete.  This is what life is like for so many seniors in Maine and beyond.

I urge you all to seek out this kind of Virtual Dementia Tour experience.  Become more sensitized to the needs of frail elders, even if you are not in a position of caregiving for them in your personal or professional lives. We all encounter elders in our daily activities – at the supermarket and in our neighborhood.  Having a deeper understanding of their most basic limitations (especially if they have memory loss) is bound to widen your perspective on our aging friends and family members.  And that is bound to make you a better community and family member.”

Visit our About Us page to read more on Ann Quinlan.

Watch an ABC News video on the Virtual Dementia Tour.

About 92% of our clients have dementia.  They are making the move into residential care (assisted living) because they have no other safe alternative; they don’t move just because they want to, or because their children don’t want to care for them.  This transition is most often precipitated by a crisis where it becomes clear that the senior’s environment at home with the care of friends and family is no longer safe. Maybe it’s a bad fall, or a medication overdose.  Maybe they aren’t taking their medication at all, or they’re not eating.  Perhaps they wandered out of their home late at night and got lost in the cold.

These clients need senior living options.  More often than not, they need assisted living as opposed to nursing care.  This is because most people with dementia require little medical support unless they have additional medical complications.  Instead they need safe monitoring and social support such as “cueing” – meaning constant reminders to do daily activities of living that we often take for granted, like getting dressed, performing general hygiene activities, feeding oneself, etc.  The great thing about this is that assisted living costs significantly less than nursing homes.  According to a Genworth cost survey, the average cost in Maine in 2011 for assisted living communities is $4,625 per month.  The average cost in Maine for nursing homes is $7,908 – nearly double the assisted living costs.  So why is this relevant to the MaineCare discourse?  Because if these cuts pass, those 75 MaineCare clients that we have confidently placed into assisted living and the many other thousands of families on MaineCare currently living in assisted living will have to go home, go homeless, or go to nursing homes.  In all three cases they will be in real trouble.

It might sound to some like a reasonable expectation that the adult children of the seniors should be taking care of them in the home out of pocket, until you consider what Bill Nimitz pointed out, which is how many of these caregivers will have to quit their jobs, therefore loosing their income, selling their homes or tapping into their own retirement accounts.  And what will that mean for them in 15 years when they need to pay for their own care needs?

Then there are those who have no retirement accounts or homes to sell; they will not have the option to make it work.  Their only options will be to go homeless and suck more resources out of the state or to get their seniors into nursing homes that will continue to be supported by MaineCare.  And they will get into the nursing homes because while seniors with dementia often don’t need the medical care nursing homes provide, they require so much assistance with daily living that they qualify anyway.

With nursing homes averaging nearly double the cost of assisted living facilities in Maine, it seems MaineCare will end up paying out more in nursing home costs than it does already.  Not to mention, nursing homes are not the best places for seniors with dementia.  In nursing homes they don’t get the social stimulation they need to thrive.  The quality of life goes down significantly.  So not only will the nursing home solution be no solution at all for seniors, it will open up a new economic drain on MaineCare.

Ultimately, it’s going to put thousands of Maine families into economic ruin.  It’s going to cut jobs to hundreds, if not thousands of Mainers working at the MaineCare supported communities.  And it’s going to jack up the demand on nursing home MaineCare payouts. Try as I might I can’t see how this proposal is the economic relief LePage is describing it to be.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Holiday Stories: From Our Family Table to Yours

Storytelling is at the heart of what the holidays are all about.  Year after year at my family’s Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, we recount all the best memories of our years together as a family.  I recall tense games of Monopoly, orange chocolate in turkey tins, childhood mischief at the kids table.  I recall driving around after dessert for a look at the houses all dressed up in lights for Christmas.  I remember the first Thanksgiving after the first of the younger generation got married – when there was new family around the table and we argued over the best change to the seating arrangement.  I laugh thinking about how different the gifts under the tree looked at the first Christmas with their new baby.  I also laugh at the memories of the elders occasionally drinking too much wine and loosing their conservative inhibitions.  And then I remember those who aren’t with us at our table anymore.  I remember my father most of all and I laugh until my belly aches from telling stories of his holiday antics.

This is what holidays are all about because this is what families are all about; families are a collective of shared memories and shared love.  But family is more than that collective you were born into.  Family includes your friends, neighbors, colleagues, clients, and more.  I want to share a story with you from one of my extended family, my colleague, Ann Quinlan.  She tells a beautiful tale of two elders from her past; the story reminds us of something important as we look forward to the holidays.  Here, I pass it on to you, members of our Beach Glass Family.

“Growing up in Ireland, the youngest of five, I relished the long walk through the back fields to Greengage House, the home of retired school teacher sisters, Maeve and Ellen Rooney.  Sitting on their highest kitchen stool, feasting on hot cocoa and thickly buttered homemade bread, I was transported into a world of mythology, story, and love in action.  These encounters sparkled as brightly as the snow-covered hills at sunset.  Their arguments on everything from politics to their favorite teaching moments would inevitably melt into side-splitting laughter, for all three of us.

Long-stilled, their voices and laughter live inside me as a beautiful reminder of nonjudgemental compassion and love. It is important to remember that aging is not a disease – it’s a lifelong process in which we all share the journey.  You might ask yourself, who are the elders from my past? How did they mentor or influence the direction of my life? How might I connect with those who live around me, that I may glean from their wisdom?  With their years of experience, they will have colorful tales to tell.  No doubt, they will also delight in hearing your story. “ ~Excerpt from Elders in the Mist by Ann Quinlan.

For members of the extended Beach Glass Family! Click to view larger image.

We enjoyed an outstanding weekend in Camden early in November at the Juice Conference.  The conference attracted over 500 people from around New England.  It was a group comprised of entrepreneurs, investors, political figures, conservation leaders, artists, philanthropists, community developers, and more.  They ranged in age from teen to octogenarian.

There were more than 30 keynote speakers, including Roxanne Quimby, Eliot Cutler, John Bielenberg, Angus King, and more.  They were all there to celebrate one common theme, essential to pressing forward in business: Celebrating Risk.

Here are some wise words from Angus King on being brave and risking mistakes: “Did you ever stop and think, there’s a multimillion-dollar industry that puts erasers on pencils?  That means it’s OK to make mistakes – people expect you to make mistakes.  Risk is the only thing that allows you to get anywhere.”

It was an inspiring weekend focused on energizing the Maine economy.  And in keeping with the focus, there was $150K up for grabs at a pitch contest, in which 65 Maine entrepreneurs competed.  In the end, the investors behind the contest took a last minute leap – a risk – and offered an extra $25K because they just couldn’t choose between 2 competitors.  So they invested in both.  Congratulations to all the winners!  Results can be found here: http://juiceconference.org/conference-details/pitch-contest

The conference was invigorating! We met some of Maine’s most impressive business figures.  We shared ideas and passions. We shared knowledge at fascinating educational seminars. We shared an evening dancing to Jason Spooner Trio.  Of all of the amazing stories and speeches I heard, the two most inspiring quotes I walked away with, and the two that I think exemplified the energy and passion of the weekend were this:

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” ~T.S. Elliot

“In Maine, you actually CAN make a difference, and that is what makes Maine so great.” -Laurie Lechance, Maine Development Foundation, speaking on affecting change in the community.

So let’s get out there and make that difference!

Kathy Borsh, Senior Care Advisor at Beach Glass Transitions, is leading the charge in NH.  Her team fundraising goal was $500.  Thus far they have raised over $1500.  And with a special event on the horizon, they might just double that figure!  Join Kathy and her team at Mojo’s BBQ Grill & Tavern in Portsmouth on September 19th for dinner and drinks to contribute to her cause.  Mojo’s has graciously pledged 20% of proceeds from that night to Kathy’s fundraising efforts.  Please see the flyer below for more details.

www.mojosbbqshack.com

http://alzwalk.kintera.org/seacoast/beachglass_nh

We’ve had so much activity in the Portland office lately!  With Kathy, Ann, and Pota joining Nova and I, it was time to spread out the office space a little bit.  We took over the connecting office to double our room!  It will be set up just in time to celebrate 2 years at this location.  It was October 1, 2009 when Beach Glass Transitions opened it’s doors at 277 Congress St in Portland, Maine.  At the time we had dreams of filling the connecting space when we needed it one day.  Now here we are, painting and planning where to put desks.

If you are in the Greater Portland area, please feel free to stop by and check it out.  We would be glad to see you.

And keep checking in to hear about an Office Warming gathering.

Have a great day!

-Lynn

The Office Addition!

We need your support!  We’re still recruiting members for both teams, and we have a lot of donations to raise!

Anyone who has felt the impact of Alzheimer’s in their lives can tell you what an important cause this is, and we’re relying on the support of our friends.  Help us make a difference!

Click here for our Portland Walk to End Alzheimer’s Page.

Click here for our New Hampshire Walk to End Alzheimer’s Page.

Thanks, and we hope to see you out walking!

Alzheimer's, Dementia & Memory Loss in Maine: The 3 Rules of Caregiving

Hope to see you there!

Home Instead Gorham is hosting the Community Education Series at the Baxter Memorial Library (71 South St, Gorham ME; (207) 839-5031).  It’s a six part series and we are happy to be participating in the first one!  I’ll be presenting Senior Care: What are the Options this Thursday, the 28th from 5-6pm.  For more information and to RSVP please click the link to the poster below.  Of course you can also contact us at 207-272-2797, or Marcie at Home Instead at (207) 839-0441.

Hope to see you there!

All the best,

Lynn

Senior Care in Maine: Presentation Poster

Did you get a look at the sunday paper this last week?  Beach Glass Transitions was a featured resource in an article by Portland Press Herald Staff Writer, John Richardson.  The article, called “Caregivers can get help for parents who need it,” follows the story of Alexandra Perrin and her mom, Maggy Carlis, clients of ours.

Please check out the article here.  Or visit our website and click on In the Media at www.BeachGlassTransitions.com.

Beach Glass Transitions featured in the Maine Sunday Telegram on the front page as an elder care resource in Maine