MorningStar

You may be confused about whether assisted living is the best choice for you or your loved one.  While licensing requirements for assisted living communities vary by state, they generally provide care for individuals who do not require around-the-clock skilled nursing.  The National Center for Assisted Living defines assisted living as “part of a continuum of long-term care services that provides a combination of housing, personal care services, and health care designe d to respond to individuals who need assistance with normal daily activities in a way that promotes maximum independence.” Thus, assisted living communities are ideal for seniors who are mainly independent but need help with the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) such as dressing, bathing, and other personal care tasks.  They also provide daily meals and 24/7 care and can readily accommodate residents’ changing needs and preferences.  Most offer transportation and housekeeping services, which...

Experts say that one of the most important things you can do for a parent or another loved one in an assisted living community is to commit to visiting on a regular basis.  We are not suggesting every day or even every other day, in fact you need to give your loved one time to bond with those in their community, but rather to be consistent with your visits.  If you worry about what you will talk about or do during your visits, A Place for Mom, the largest assisted living referral service, has some tips to help you spend meaningful time together.  One of their suggestions is to do a craft project together.  You will find all kinds of ideas on the Internet and can use upcoming holidays for appropriately themed projects.    Scrapbooking is another idea and will give your parent the chance to reminisce about the past and to share old family stories.  Pick up scrapbooking supplies at your local craft store and bring along plenty of photos (be...

Have you started to think your parent or a loved one may need more care in the near future to assure their safety and wellbeing?  If the time is coming when they will need help with daily personal care activities, you may want to consider assisted living .   A community such as MorningStar at Jordan Creek offers a residential home where your loved one will receive the assistance they need, and allow them to live as independently as possible.  If this sounds like your situation, you will want to include your parent in the decision making process as the more they are involved, the better they will accept the decision.  In the case of a loved one being in denial about the need for changes in their lifestyle, it may help to read suggestions from experts on how to navigate through the process such as MorningStar’s Decision Guide, which is available on our website.    Stella Henry, R.N., author of The Eldercare Handbook, explains, “Many senior...

The Mayo Clinic reports on research that suggests listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. They explain the reason may be that “musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer's disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged b y the disease.”   Listening to music can help relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and reduce agitation.   Music can bring back memories to those even in the most advanced stages of Alzheimer’s.  A lzheimers.net q uotes neurologist Oliver Sacks, who says, “Music evokes emotion, and emotion can bring with it memory… it brings back the feeling of life when nothing else can.”  When music is incorporated into the everyday activities of someone with dementia, it can help them to recall memories of that activity and improve cognitive ability over time.  Research has shown that some of...

Many families may be unaware of the extensive care services that assisted living communities such as MorningStar at Mountain Shadows offer to residents.  One term that is useful to know is Activities of Daily Living (ADL), which describes the various care services found in an assisted living community.   These activities typically include dressing, bathing, eating, toileting, etc.  At MorningStar a resident’s care level is determined after a thorough evaluation with our Wellness Director. One of the care services we offer is medication management by a Certified Med Care Manager.  The cost for this service is factored into a resident’s level of care and is part of their monthly fee.  Our service includes both the ordering and supervised administration of the medications, and we have two price points based on the number and type of prescriptions involved. For many elderly people, medication management is a very important service.  Statistics sh...

If you live away from your aging parents or other elderly loved ones, we hope you are able to schedule visits at least a few times per year.  Sometimes spending more time with mom or dad after not seeing them for some time can bring up real concerns about how well they are taking care of themselves on their own.  In fact, you may be seriously considering how much they would benefit from the many services and amenities offered by assisted living. At MorningStar at Jordan Creek, we understand many seniors are reluctant to make a change in their current living situation, which is why MorningStar offers a useful Decision Guide on our website under the “Family Resources” tab.  Here you will find information on the various senior living options available today.  The idea of Assisted Living took root in the late 1990s, as people started to realize there had to be a better option than the town’s nursing home, which often was a depressing, institutionalized facili...

Just because someone is older, it doesn’t mean the need for company, support and love lessens any.  Studies have found a consistent social life is particularly important to seniors’ emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.   However due to lifestyle changes many seniors experience such as re tiring from the workplace, the death of a spouse and/or other close family and friends, and no longer driving, older adults can find themselves socially isolated.   Having a healthy social life alleviates feelings of loneliness as well as helps to reduce the likelihood of depression, which is common among seniors.  It also helps to stave off cognitive decline and lessen anxiety.   Seniors with a more robust social life have been found to exercise more, which in itself can lead to better mental as well as physical health by strengthening the heart and immune system.  Researchers have found longevity to be another benefit of socialization, and maintai...