How Old? Birthdays for July 23, 2008
Actress Gloria Dehaven is 83.Country singer Tony Joe White is 65.Larry Manetti, who played Rick on Magnum P.I. is 61.Singer David Essex is 61.Guitarist Blair Thornton of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 58.And actor Woody Harrelson will soon be living fully after 50. He turns 47 today.
Ecumen Customer Hardy Rickbeil Hits Goal of Living Fully After 100!
Ecumen customer Hardy Rickbeil has set a lot of goals in his life and reached them. He recently reached another one: His 100th birthday.Everyone knows Hardy in Worthington, Minn. A community leader, he built several businesses there that employed many people in Worthington. Today, as a resident of the Ecumen community of The Meadows of Worthington, Hardy continues his community building work.A strong proponent of exercise, Hardy was honored with his own day on his birthday as Worthington Mayor Al Oberloh declared June 21st F. Hardy Rickbeil Day in Worthington. Community residents also enjoyed an hour long radio interview, where he shared his insights on living fully.Thanks, Hardy for changing aging and Congratulations on meeting another big goal!
How Old Today? July 22, 2008
Here are a some notable birthdays for today. If you have a birthday, or want to celebrate someone’s birthday, please add it in the comments section below.Actor Orson Bean (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) is 80.Actress Louise Fletcher 74.Game show host Alex Trebek is 68.Singer George Clinton 67.Singer Don Henley is 61.Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 61.Actor William Dafoe is 53.
Charles Dickens on Successful Aging
Father Time is not always a bad parent, and, though he tarries for none of his children, often lays his hand lightly upon those who have used him well.
- Charles Dickens, Barnaby Ridge, 1841
A Living at Home/Block Nurse Perspective on Long-Term Care Financing
Your July 9 editorial about reaching out to help seniors live at home and the challenges of Meals on Wheels programs is a drop in the tidal wave bucket before the inevitable Aging Tsunami crashing our way.Latest figures show that more and more seniors are living longer and most have the same goal: to remain in their homes for as long as possible. Meals on Wheels is a valuable service that supports their goal. That’s also what the Living at Home/Block Nurse Programs (LAH/BNPs) do for Minnesota seniors.According to the latest Cost and Services analysis report issued by the Elderberry Institute, the average annual cost per elder served by the 40 Minnesota LAH/BNPs reporting in 2006-07 was $530 compared to $53,154 in average annual costs to maintain a senior in a nursing home.That same report states that Minnesota’s LAH/BNPs served 11,578 seniors and kept 1,138 at home avoiding nursing home placement at a savings of $36.8 million.LAH/BNPs are nonprofits each serving a specific geographical area with a small staff and group of generous volunteers who help seniors with rides to medical appointments among many other services.Funding for LAH/BNPs has traditionally been through city, county and state (Department of Human Services) grants, foundation grants, small fundraising campaigns, donations by seniors and the community. The average budget for a rural program is $54,000 while for metro programs it’s $110,000.Like other program directors, I balanced my time this week between completing required reports, writing a grant, and spending time with our clients (checking in with Tom to make sure he’s OK, arranging for a ride to the doctor for José and dealing with Myrtle’s crisis because she forgot to take her medication and her caregiver daughter lives in another state).In the recently announced 2008-09 Department of Human Services Community Service/Services Development competitive grant bidding process, only one-third of the 114 applicants received funding.
BARBARA LA VALLEUR, ST. PAUL;
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PAYNE-PHALEN LIVING AT HOME/
Transforming Long-Term Care Financing: Perspectives from Missouri
Mary Alice Ryan is president and CEO of St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors, a multi-faceted non-profit senior housing and services organization in St. Louis, Missouri. She wrote a great article on transforming long-term care financing that you can read here.
Presidential Candidates Deathly Silent on Long-Term Care Financing Reform
It’s unfathomable that Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama are not discussing long-term care financing reform as part of their health care and economic policy and visions. Ecumen today distributed a news release that gives them 10 Reasons to Start Discussing Long-Term Care Financing Reform. Below is a copy of it.Ecumen Provides Presidential Candidates 10 Top Reasons to Discuss Long-Term Care Financing ReformSenior housing and services provider Ecumen highlights reasons for financing reforms necessary in the American age wave'10 Reasons Long Term Care Financing Needs to Be Reformed in America,' a recent post to Ecumen’s Changing Aging blog gives the campaigns of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain 10 reasons to discuss long-term care financing. The blog also outlines a financing plan put forth by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA), which would provide an annual cash benefit of $27,000 for less than a cup of coffee per day. Also posted are reform ideas by AARP.
'If we’re going to have a truly coordinated health care system in America, that promotes wellness from cradle to grave, then long-term care financing reform must be part of American innovation,' says Kathryn Roberts, a baby boomer and president and CEO of Ecumen. 'This is a health care issue, a fiscal issue, a life quality issue, a personal responsibility issue, a business issue, and it impacts every single American - we’re all aging.'
'The issue of such care is perfect for both candidates who want to bring change to America,' said Roberts. 'The age wave represents millions of people who want to age in place and want services that are not institutional. To meet that huge desire for change and new choices, we have to also transform how we pay for people’s desire for independence.'
About 10 million Americans need long-term care today, while 12 million will need it by 2020. Long-term includes an array of services and supports people need when they can no longer care for themselves. Medicaid pays for 42 percent of all long-term care expenditures. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, this costs federal and state governments $116.8 billion every year. And according to a new AARP report, most states allocate a greater percentage of their Medicaid dollars to institutional care rather than home and community-based services. Combined with Americans deplorable savings history, many Americans are at risk of not producing enough income to cover basic expenditures related to aging services.And therein is tremendous opportunity for McCain and Obama. According to the Long-Term Care National Survey conducted by the bi-partisan polling team of The Mellman Group and Public Opinion Strategies, 8 in 10 voters state that presidential candidates should make long term care an integral part of their health care proposals.
Ecumen Invites You to a Long-Term Care Financing Event on Aug. 13th
Drowning or Surfing in the Silver Tsunami-
It’s Up to Us
Presented by Ecumen, the Citizens League, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and 2020 Conference (a bi-partisan group of 60 legislators)
On August 13th,
Learn about Nebraska’s New Long-Term Care Savings Plan
And Insights for Minnesota
What:
Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn and Trent Fellers, Director of the Nebraska State Long-Term Care Savings Plan, will present a new option to help Nebraskans live the good life, longer. Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts will provide introductory remarks The Nebraska Long-Term Savings Plan is the country’s first to offer tax incentives for people to save and pay for future long-term care expenses, personally direct savings on choices from technology to home services to insurance and more, and transfer unused benefits to beneficiaries.
When:
Wed., August 13, 2008
7:30 a.m. registration/light breakfast,
8 a.m. - 9 a.m. presentation/Q&A
Where & Registration:
The Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway North (near I-94), Saint Paul, 55104 (free parking)The Event is Free, But Pre-Registration is Required by Aug. 6th:Register online at www.citizensleague.org, look for 'Silver Tsunami' under 'Upcoming Events, or call Catherine Wood at 651-293-0575, ext. 10.
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Long-Term Care Financing Progress Report
The other day we wrote about the long-term care financing solution put forth by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix has just blogged an update on the work in this reform area, including discussions with the McCain and Obama campaigns.Good stuff.
Is Slow Medicine For You?
I used to think that I wanted to live to 100 or beyond. If I’m enjoying life, I’m still for it. But if moving my body makes me miserable and chronic illness rules my day, I’m pretty sure I’ll opt for slow medicine.Is slow medicine something that is appealing to you or do you say 'no way!' … ?Slow Medicine is an approach that encourages less aggressive and less costly care at the end of life. It’s a strategy similar to hospice - focusing on comfort - not cure. Kendal at Hanover, a senior community connected to Dartmouth Medical School, has become a leader in slow medicine. According to a recent N.Y. Times story, which you can read on Kendal’s website here, most residents there don’t opt for 'medical heroics,' the hugely expensive, pull-out-all-the-stop medical interventions to keep people living.I like how Hanover provides customer 'choice' to the very end of life. It seems like a very healthy approach to health care.