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In This Issue:
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March 2007
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American Geriatrics Society Honors Nora Gibson
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Shop for a Cause & Support ElderFriends
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ElderHealth Northwest: Aging in Community
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New Guide to Washington Adult Day Centers Available
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Financial & Legal Resources Workshop for Caregivers March 15
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Save the Date: ElderHealth Fundraising Breakfast
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Annual Scientific Meeting, American Geriatrics Society
Wednesday – Sunday, May 2-6, 2007
Sheraton Hotel and the Washington Convention Center
Preregister by March 23, 2007 for discounted fees
The American Geriatric Society (AGS) recognizes ElderHealth Northwest Executive Director Nora Gibson for her advocacy work toward improving the health, independence, and quality of life for older people at its annual scientific meeting.
Nora is selected to be the recipient of the David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award. Created in 2002, this award recognizes her commitment to community service and advancement of knowledge for caring for older adults. Honorees are selected based on their leadership and community contributions towards the improvement of eldercare.
The AGS honors Nora for her “instrumental role in establishing and running ElderHealth Northwest, especially for her risk taking and success at Buchanan Place and Gaffney House. We are inspired by ElderHealth’s goals of building residential facilities that are homelike, incorporating activities into each resident’s day, providing easy access to professionals, caring for people with intense needs, and accepting residents regardless of payment source.”
The AGS Aging Awareness Media Award will be presented to Seattle Times columnist Liz Taylor, an expert on aging and long-term care. The awards ceremony will take place in the morning on Friday, May 4, 2007.
The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, health care administrators, and others can update their knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations.
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Excerpt reprinted with permission from James Douglas Henry and Linda Gambee Henry, Transformational Eldercare from the Inside Out: Strengths-Based Strategies for Caring, ©2007 Nursesbooks.org, Silver Spring, MD. To order call (800) 637-0323 or follow the link below the article excerpt.
Walking into Buchanan Place, we saw several people assisting with various everyday living tasks. One gentleman was helping to unload groceries that had just been delivered. Dorothy, who has dementia, was folding laundry. She smiled, looked up, and told us with obvious delight, “I love to do this!”
“Such a wonderful response to being able to so an ordinary task,” says ElderHealth Northwest Director Nora Gibson, enthusiastically. The overarching goal of ElderHealth is to enhance the quality of life for frail elders and those with chronic illness and disabilities. “We want to help frail adults to remain living in their own homes with their families whenever possible,” she explains. “ElderHealth Northwest is really about community. We have adult day health centers, geriatric care management, in-home care, volunteer companionship, and most recently we have added two supported living homes as alternatives to skilled nursing and assisted living facilities” (www.elderhealth.org).
ElderHealth has been in the Seattle area for over 25 years and was among the first adult day health providers in the country. Today, they have multiple adult day health centers scattered throughout the Seattle area. Recognized nationally as an innovative leader in the field of adult day health care, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest U.S. foundation devoted to health care, honors ElderHealth Northwest as a National Model Adult Day Center. The Brookdale Foundation also uses ElderHealth as a model for new adult day programs starting up across the country.
In addition to five adult day health centers, Nora oversees two residences and services for a total of between 600 and 700 people. Gaffney House, a beautiful home built in 1903 that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, can accommodate up to 16 people and is private pay. Buchanan Place was built from the ground up and is nestled among homes in a quiet residential neighborhood next to one of the adult day centers and is able to accommodate 12 people. Only a discreet brass plaque identifies it. . . .
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Planning for Dementia Care: Financial and Legal Resources for Caregivers
Thursday, March 15, 2007
7:00pm - 9:00pm
South Seattle Adult Day Health Center, 4712 35th Ave S
Info/RSVP by March 12: (206) 224-3757
Putting financial and legal plans in place is important for everyone, but for someone with Alzheimer's disease or dementia these plans are especially vital. Once a person is diagnosed with dementia, family and friends should help with the planning process. The sooner planning can begin, the more the person with dementia may be able to participate.
This workshop provides family caregivers information on how to get started and where to turn for help.
Attendees will learn about:
- legal documents all caregivers should know about
- how to discuss a loved one's wishes
- costs of care
- ideas on how to cover costs
- where to turn for help
Presenters are Rajiv Nagaich (Johnson & Nagaich, P.S., Elder Law and Estate Planning) and Joanne McMahon, MSW (Alzheimer's Association). A panel of local experts will take questions from audience members.
This workshop is presented by the King County Dementia Partnership Project, whose members include Senior Services, ElderHealth Northwest, Alzheimer's Association, Evergreen Healthcare's Geriatric Regional Assessment Team, Kin On Community Healthcare, and Seattle/King County Aging and Disability Services.
Refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to the community. Respite care is available. For more information or to RSVP, please call (206) 224-3757 by March 12.
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Macy’s Northwest Shop for a Cause has selected ElderFriends, our volunteer companionship program for isolated elders, as a beneficiary of its March 17 event. Shoppers enjoy generous discounts while making a contribution to a good cause. You can show your support for ElderFriends by buying one or more $5.00 savings passes for the event. This pass entitles the holder to these benefits:
• Save 20% off regular and sale women’s, men’s and kid’s apparel & accessories, jewelry, bed & bath, china, crystal & silver, housewares and luggage with limited exclusions on March 17, 2007.
• Earn $20 Appreciation Dollars valid between April 1 and April 7th for every $100 you spend at the event on 3/17 (limited exclusions).
• Enter for a chance to win a $300 Macy’s gift card the day of the event.
• Your $5 donation goes directly to support ElderFriends!
You can get your pass by contacting Ginger Seybold at gingers@elderhealth.org or (206) 224-3790. Or stop by our information table at the Northgate Macy’s on Saturday, March 17!
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Dear Fellow Washingtonian:
I am pleased to introduce the 2007 Guide to Adult Day Centers in Washington & Resources for Aging in Place, a very informative publication made available to you without charge from the Washington Adult Day Services Association. This guide is an excellent resource for anyone who is caring for an aging parent, spouse, partner, adult child with a developmental disability or friend, or who might do so in the future.
Being a caregiver is, without a doubt, rewarding and personally meaningful. However, it can also be stressful. It is important to know that there are resources in Washington available to help support the health and well-being of caregivers who do the same for those in their care.
The guide includes information on long-term care services, as well as information specifically for the caregivers who strive to give their all in order to care for their loved ones. I encourage every caregiver to review this guide to find, among other things:
• Contact information for organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association, the Alzheimer’s Society and the American Parkinson’s Disease Association. Reaching out to other caregivers is a way to gain helpful insight from other current or former caregivers, as well as build a support network to share the joys and sorrows that are part of every caregiver’s critical role.
• Steps that will help you to take care of your own important health matters. Everyone benefits when you find time for exercise, good nutrition and plenty of sleep.
• Information on respite services available to give caregivers a needed break from caregiving.
Thank you to the Washington Adult Day Services Association for offering this guide to Washington residents. Having been a caregiver to members of my own family, I know that the information in this publication is both useful and vitally important. I hope that caregivers throughout Washington find it valuable as well.
Sincerely,
Christine O. Gregoire
Governor
To receive your free copy of the 2007 Guide to Adult Day Centers & Resources for Aging in Place, call (206) 461-3899 or follow the link below.
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"Inside ElderHealth" is an occasional e-newsletter of ElderHealth Northwest, a non-profit organization providing innovative eldercare options since 1976.
Adult Day Health Centers * Supported Living Homes * Geriatric Care Management
In-Home Services * ElderFriends Volunteers
Copyright © 2007 ElderHealth Northwest
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