Spring Arbor Salisbury Cottage

The COVID-19 vaccine has been made available through pharmacy partnerships to all Spring Arbor communities. The overwhelming majority of our residents have participated in our vaccine clinics and are now fully vaccinated.

Continuing to protect our residents, team members and visitors from COVID-19 will remain a top priority. Spring Arbor’s high vaccination rate is now added to our enhanced infection control measures, visitor screening protocols, and specialized cleaning procedures. As a result, this will allow most communities to resume group activities and scheduled visits from loved ones.

To learn more about a specific community’s policies, please contact the Spring Arbor community directly.

"I'm doing fine." It's reassuring to hear when you call a parent who lives far away. But the fact is, seniors living alone in their 70s and beyond may keep serious problems to themselves because they don't want to worry you or feel like a burden. Sometimes it takes a crisis – like a call from the hospital – to realize how far from fine a family member really is. Visiting in person is the best way to see what's what, experts agree. And witnessing the gaps in a parent's well-being is the first step to getting the right help.

What to Look For

Holidays are prime times for concerned adult children to notice problems and reach out to assisted living communities.

Suddenly adult children have noticed as they're in the house: The mail is piling up; the garden hasn't been tended to; the laundry is all over the place; the house doesn't look good. Or the family member looks very pale; they may not be taking their medications as they're supposed to be.

Transportation is a huge issue for seniors and the top reason people ask about elder care . Scrapes on the car door can be clues indicating trouble, she says. Parents may limit driving at night or make excuses not to go to the doctor because it's raining. The issue becomes how to prevent accidents while keeping parents' worlds from shrinking.

In the kitchen, ominous signs include charred pots and pans or burn marks on the stove or countertops. Expired food in the refrigerator can signal problems with regular grocery shopping and good nutrition.

Unfilled prescriptions or chaotic medicine assortments suggest needed treatments are being missed or the potential for dangerous drug mix-ups. The other thing is bruises, when somebody is bumping into the furniture or falling. Taking a tour of the house can reveal fall-related hazards and suggest solutions.

Face-to-face conversations can give you a lot of insight. You could pick up on a parent's disorientation or confusion, Markwood says. Parents who don't want to do things they've always done, display changes in mood or personality or don't get out anymore could indicate early-onset depression.

Caregivers in a couple may be struggling, too. The stress of caregiving can often impact the quote-unquote 'well' spouse to the point that they become ill and they're both in a compromised health situation. If you've got an 85-year-old caring for an 89-year-old, they probably both need some support.

Isolation in Plain Sight

In a recent study of senior housing, nearly 35 percent of the older adults interviewed were classified as socially isolated but unrecognized as such by staff.

There was a strong connection between subjective isolation – when people perceived themselves as isolated – and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Seniors with friends and family living nearby did significantly better.

Aging in place works until it doesn't...

Start seeking help when you first feel uneasy. You will realize after that you should have done it a while ago. Other advice to adult children living at a distance: Open your eyes. Try and really see what's going on and not what you want to be going on.

Pressure to Age in Place

Society sends a strong message that successful aging means living continuously in your own home for as long as possible.

It may take a crisis or major upheaval to make people rethink the matter, such as the death of a spouse, a serious fall, a bad car accident or repeated hospitalizations. The challenging gray area is when less-dramatic events begin to add up.

Hired caregivers can fill gaps. But it's hard to substitute for a family member during the vulnerable period after a hospital discharge, for instance, when someone needs to talk to health care providers and make sure the patient receives follow-up treatments and is taking medicine properly.

There can be a tipping point when it's clear that aging in place isn't working. For the older person, it's when the feeling of incompetence and being out of control trumps the familiar comfort and attachment to home – memories, friends and possessions.

It's when your uncertainty level reaches a point where you dread receiving a phone call at any time of the day or night.

As much as possible, recognize you're dealing with someone who has had a very rich and competent and wonderful life. And as much as possible, respect their integrity and desire to age in place. At the same time, recognize when living on their own puts parents' security and quality of life at risk.

For more information on assisted living for aging parents, contact Spring Arbor.


health.usnews.com

Aging Parents Who are Far Away and Not Doing "Just Fine" - Richmond, VA "I'm doing fine." It's reassuring to hear when you call a parent who lives far away. But the fact is, seniors living alone in their 70s and beyond may keep serious problems to themselves because they don't want to worry you or feel like a burden. Sometimes it takes a crisis – like a call from the ...

Moving into an assisted living facility involves major changes in an aging parent's life. Once you and your parents have decided that moving to an assisted living facility is the best choice for them, it is important to fully understand the changes involved with helping your parent feel comfortable in their new home.

For the transition to be successful, the senior's family and/or caregiver, their doctor and the assisted living staff should work as a team. Below is some valuable information for creating a smooth and successful transition.

Tips for New Residents

When elders move into an assisted living facility, the lack of familiarity with both the environment and the other residents can be quite intimidating. Adjustment can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days. It is crucial during this time period that your aging parent takes all possible measures to adjust to their new home. Here are a few things seniors can do.

Keep an open mind.

This is absolutely imperative. Since the move into assisted living requires change and adjustment, seniors are more likely to adapt well if they understand and prepare for this.

Socialize.

There is nothing worse than for a new resident to be holed up in their apartment all day long. When moving into a new place, making acquaintances and friends can make all the difference in the world; it can help make a new house feel like a home.

Ask questions.

With all of the changes involved, new residents should ask the staff any questions that come to mind. If they are unsure about something, they should ask the staff – that's why they are there!

How Family Can Help a Loved One Adjust

What about the elder's family? What is their role when an elderly parent moves to Assisted Living? The caregiver needs to adjust to this change, too. It is important to keep the things below in mind.

Don't feel guilty.

Very often, family members can feel guilt about placing loved ones into assisted living. Guilt will do no good because the move was ultimately for the best. If a family member feels guilt, they should remember that the move to assisted living will benefit their elderly parents' health and well-being.

Keep in touch.

The caregiver also plays a vital role in their aging parent's successful transition to assisted living. When visiting is not possible, family members can keep in contact with both their parents and the assisted living staff. They should make sure that their parents are socializing and getting involved in the community. When visits are possible, caregivers can even attend activities with their parents to ensure that they are meeting new people.

Don't hold their hand.

Although it is important to visit and/or call to monitor the status of the transition, family members that visit too often can inhibit some of the senior's independence. Spending time with family is important, but if all of the senior's time during the transition period is spent with family, they will not be making new friends and getting involved in the community like they should. As a result, don't hold your parent's hand too much. Give them space to adjust to their new home on their own.

Bring personal items.

In order to make the elder's new residence feel like a home, bringing personal items is necessary. Bring items that have personal meaning, including pictures, knick-knacks, medals, etc.

How ALF Staff Can Help

The assisted living staff plays a very important role in the new resident's adjustment. In many facilities, staff members will have individual meetings with the new resident to explain their particular role in the facility and what that means to the resident. In some facilities, new resident orientations are held to help the resident get acquainted with their new home. They combine staff and long-time resident expertise and provide valuable information to the new resident.

Staff also makes a new building to feel like home to the new resident. Although information is important in the transition to assisted living, helping the new resident feel at home is really the only way to ensure a successful adjustment.

Even though the transition into assisted living can be tough, the outlook is positive.

For more information, contact Spring Arbor.


agingcare.com

Helping Aging Parents Transition into Assisted Living Residences - Richmond, VA Moving into an assisted living facility involves major changes in an aging parent's life. Once you and your parents have decided that moving to an assisted living facility is the best choice for them, it is important to fully understand the changes involved with helping your parent feel comfortable....

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than five million Americans. In the next several blogs, you can find out more about Alzheimer’s and how you can manage care for yourself or a loved one. This post will address Caring for Someone Else.

Caring for Someone Else

In most cases, the primary caregiver of someone with Alzheimer's disease will be a loved one, a spouse, adult child, or close companion. Even in the early stages of the disease, caregiving is an extremely demanding, 24-hour-a-day task. Caregivers need to be flexible and understanding in dealing with changes in their loved one's behavior and personality. They must also be able to communicate with family, friends and professionals about his or her condition.

Spouses who are caregivers are likely to be strongly affected by a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, as they process the profound changes their future holds:

* Spouses often have their own health problems.
* Husbands and wives often must reverse roles and take on unfamiliar tasks.
* Depending on a couple's relationship, Alzheimer's can bring them closer together or it can alienate them.
* Spouses must accept that the person they have known and loved may change dramatically in personality and behavior, and there will almost without a doubt come a time when their loved one does not recognize them.

Adult children who are caregivers also need to adjust to the role reversal in caring for their parent. They may feel overwhelmed by the other responsibilities in their lives such as working within or outside the home and caring for their children.

As distressing as an Alzheimer's diagnosis can be, this is the time to begin to accept the future, build a support network, gather information to help alleviate fears and plan for the road ahead. Family members who do not live nearby should support the main caregiver and try to help with tasks that they can do where they are.

For more information, contact Spring Arbor.



brightfocus.org

Alzheimer's Disease: Manage Care for Youself or a Loved One, Part V - Richmond, VA Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than five million Americans. In the next several blogs, you can find out more about Alzheimer’s and how you can manage care for yourself or a loved one. This post will address Caring for Someone Else.