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Retirement Communities & Senior Housing
Retirement Living News
September 2005
HEADLINES
(Click
on headline to read story)
* Hurricane Katrina Forces
Evacuation of Many Nursing Homes
and Assisted Living Facilities
*
Texas
Begins Program to Certify Selected Cities as Retirement Destinations
* HHS Database
Allows Comparison of Hospital Quality in Treatment of Heart Attack,
Heart Failure and Pneumonia
* Erickson Retirement Communities to Offer
Medicare Health Insurance
* AARP Releases List of Best Employers for
Workers Over 50
* New Book: Boomers' Guide to Online
Dating
Archive
of Past Issues
New Retirement Communities
NEWS STORIES
Hurricane Katrina Forces Evacuation of Many Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
While stories of tragedies at long-term care facilities continue to be reported, several organizations to which these communities belong are working to keep track of where their residents have gone. Each is maintaining a list on their Web site so that relatives can find out where loved ones have been taken.
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) has about 90 members in the affected areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. As of this writing, they have heard from 58 and are continuing to try and contact the others. They are updating their Web site daily with new information -- www.aahsa.org. Relocation information can be found at http://aahsa.org/newsroom/katrina_relocation.asp
Mississippi Methodist Senior Services reports that five of their 10 facilities suffered severe damage. One group of residents decided to ride out the storm but later had to be rescued. Wesley Manor Retirement Community in Hattiesburg, Riggs Manor in Raymond, Turner-Duvall Retirement Village in Leakesville, Aldersgate Retirement Community in Meridian, and Seashore Retirement Community in Biloxi were most affected.
The Centers for Independent Living in Biloxi, Miss., and New Orleans were severely impacted by the hurricane. In fact the Biloxi center was totally destroyed.
The 415 residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss., were evacuated. The independent living and assisted living residents were transported to a similar campus in Washington, D.C., while the long-term care residents were taken to Lynnwood Nursing Home in Mobile, Ala. Residents who left before the storm are being told not to return to Gulfport. For information about residents, call 800-422-9988.
The Louisiana Assisted Living Association continues to gather information about its members. Its Web site -- http://www.laassisted.org/pages/1/ -- lists the places where residents of affected facilities have gone.
The Louisiana Nursing Home Association
has a page on its Web site -- http://www.lnha.org/katrina/default.asp
- where families can find out where a particular person has been taken
- if that information is available. St. Rita's nursing home in St.
Bernard Parish (20 miles southeast of downtown New Orleans) was hard
hit. Officials say 32 of the home's roughly 60 residents died on
August 29.
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Texas
Begins Program to Certify Selected Cities
as Retirement Destinations
Recognizing the significant economic impact that retirees have on a retirement destination, Texas has launched a program to certify cities and towns as good places for retirees to live. Texas communities that meet the criteria for state certification will be eligible for marketing and advertising support from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the administrator of the program. To be eligible, communities must complete a retirement desirability assessment, including facts regarding crime, tax information, recreational opportunities, housing availability, and other factors. Municipalities must identify emergency medical services and a hospital within a 75-miles radius.
The legislation that set up Texas Certified Retirement Community Program was passed in May 2005 and became effective on September 1. As part of the certification process, communities must prepare a detailed marketing plan and outline a long-term program, including the steps the community will undertake to maintain its desirability as a retirement destination.
The Department of Agriculture is developing a scoring system to determine whether an applicant will qualify as a certified community. It will be based on the Texas state and local tax structure, housing opportunities and cost, climate, personal safety, work opportunities, health care services, continuum of care and assisted living services, transportation, continuing education, leisure living, recreation, the performing arts, festivals and events, sports at all levels, and other services and facilities that will enable persons to age in the community in the least restrictive environment.
Texas Monthly magazine recently published a list of the top 10 cities that are expected to attract retirees by virtue of a number of different attributes, such as quality of life, caliber of medical care, and cost of living. They are: Austin, Fredericksburg, Georgetown, Granbury, Kerrville, Marble Falls, Marfe, Rockport, San Antonio, and Tyler.
A number of other states have set up
programs over the years to attract retirees. Mississippi was one of
the first with its Mississippi Living Hometown Retirement program. It
has certified 19 cities and towns (www.mississippi.org/retire).
Louisiana recently set up a program and designated parts of the state
as "Livable Louisiana Retirement Ready Communities" (http://www.retirelouisiana.org).
Both states now have their work cut out for them.
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When choosing a retirement destination it is important to know how far you will be from a good hospital. The time it takes to reach quality medical care may make a difference in the quality of your life. A tool to help you make those decisions is Hospital Compare -- http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/. It is a Web site created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA). The HQA is a public-private collaboration established to promote reporting on hospital quality of care. It consists of organizations that represent consumers, hospitals, doctors, employers, accrediting organizations, and federal agencies.
The database provides information on
how often hospitals provide some of the recommended care to get the
best results for most patients. It currently includes an evaluation of
the recommended care that an adult should get if being treated for a
heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia. Visitors to the site can
search by state, county, city, and Zip code. You can also search by
hospital name. The quality information on the site not only helps
patients and families make good decisions on their health care, but
also encourages hospitals to improve the quality of care they provide.
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Erickson Retirement Communities to Offer Medicare Health Insurance
Beginning October 1, the 7,000 people who live at Erickson Retirement Communities' three properties in Maryland will be able to buy their Medicare insurance through the company. Erickson has received permission from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that pays for elderly health care, to offer coverage as part of a demonstration project. This is a first-of-its-kind three-year demonstration project to explore whether and how health plans serving beneficiaries living in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) might be added to the range of health plan choices available under the Medicare Advantage program.
Erickson Healthsm, which is the nation's largest health and wellness system for people over 62 years of age, has costs that are 30 percent lower than what the government pays. In addition, the health system has demonstrated a 30 percent lower acute utilization than what the government typically experiences, according to Dr. Gary Applebaum, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Erickson Health.
The CMS project will offer the first plan (via a contract with United Healthcare Insurance Company) designed around the needs of residents of CCRCs. These types of communities uniquely combine residential services, on-site primary and long-term care, and other services to provide accessible care for beneficiaries with many medical needs.
Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of CMS, said, "The idea of integrating residential and health services covering the entire spectrum from acute primary care through assisted living and nursing home care on a single campus makes sense. We are looking forward to learning how to capitalize on the opportunity offered by continuing care retirement communities and other similar arrangements to expand the health plan choices available to Medicare beneficiaries."
The Erickson Health program has a medical faculty that includes 39 board-certified primary physicians who specializes in geriatrics and practice only on Erickson campuses. They focus on patient-centered care, with a resident-to-doctor ratio that's six times smaller than the norm and visits that average 20-30 minutes in length.
In addition to the Maryland campuses in
Catonsville, Parkville and Silver Spring, Erickson operates 14 other
communities in seven states.
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AARP Releases List of Best Employers for Workers Over 50
Phased retirement arrangements that enable employees to reduce work schedules before full retirement, a "time off bank" of donated vacation time which employees can use to care for family members, and a 401(k) plan that the company contributes to - regardless of employee participation - is why Stanley Consultants, Inc., leads the list of the 2005 AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50.
This Iowa-based engineering, environmental and construction company ranks first among 50 diverse employers that won the Best Employers honor. Again this year, health care companies dominate the winners, followed by financial services and educational institutions.
Stanley Consultants is joined at the top of the rankings by a broad range of employers that include: Scripps Health of San Diego (ranked #2), Bon Secours Richmond Health System of Richmond, VA (#3), Deere & Company of Moline, IL (#4), Cornell University of Ithaca, NY (#5), Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge (#6), First Horizon National Corporation in Memphis, TN (#7), Brevard Public Schools in Viera, FL (#8), Yale-New Haven Hospital in CT (#9), and Lee Memorial Health System of Ft. Myers, FL (#10).
"These distinguished employers have exemplary practices at a time when the value of older employees is beginning to be broadly recognized as a key resource for corporations," said AARP CEO Bill Novelli. "Many in health care and other fields recognize that it is in their self-interest, as well as enlightened policy, to emphasize retention and recruitment of the 50-plus worker."
"Too many employers still do not recognize the advantages that older workers bring to the table," added Novelli. "The value of these employees will become increasingly apparent as the workforce ages in the years ahead."
AARP also is releasing highlights of
its research about mature workers - the top five advantages of mature
workers and the top five stereotypes and realities about experienced
workers - as well as a list of states with the most AARP Best
Employers for Workers Over 50, and an outline of the top five criteria
in selection of the Best Employers.
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New Book: Boomers' Guide to Online Dating
If you find yourself facing retirement alone, would like to find a mate, and are new to online dating, then you should find The Boomers' Guide to Online Dating a helpful resource. Author Judsen Culbreth writes from experience. Single again at age 49 after a 20-year marriage, she set about researching online dating. At age 52 she married her cyber-sweetheart.
Culbreth's book is more than a how to for Internet dating. It forces us to reflect on who we really are and what we really want from a potential mate. For those who have been too timid to try online dating, Culbreth offers warm persuasive and encouraging advice. For those who have tried online dating, Culbreth gives you a road map on the best way to sell yourself. This book equips you with the skills to master the search process that has the highest probability of success.
Culbreth, in a style that is both witty and warm, walks you though the fog of fear and self-doubt that we inevitably encounter when faced with the daunting task of finding a mate at this stage of our lives. It may have been a long time since you did any thinking about who you are and what you really want. Culbreth helps you through this. Her book explains the differences among the various Internet dating sites, how to craft an online personal ad, E-mail etiquette, and when to meet in person
She also gently offers you personal wisdom, from uncovering your mental roadblocks to dating and revamping your image, to brushing up on the world of men and how to approach the ever-important topic of intimacy.
The author has more than 30 years
experience in magazines and TV journalism. She served as
editor-in-chief of Working Mother, executive editor of Redbook, and
the first work/family contributing editor on NBC's Today show.
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