Meadow Lakes

Title: ASC, A walk through the continuum hosted by Mike Ahern
Time: 28 min 30 sec

Description:

Worried about how to make friends at a senior living community? See the first-hand experiences of several residents of American Senior Communities. You can find everything from independent living to assisted living to short-term and long-term rehabilitation. We even offer a proprietary New Energy Wellness program. Learn more about all of the services at American Senior Communities:

Transcript:

welcome to a community for your changing lifestyle I'm i catered and we are here at rose gate one of 87 American cedar communities across Indiana we've come to the south side location to meet some new friends and to take a very personal tour through the ever-changing world of senior care over this very short half hour we'll chat with a variety of people who are moving forward finding needed assistance and discovering a new wellness in their lives in the end we hope to give you a new perspective on what it means to be a senior today we'll start with jayma and Jerry here at their garden home a garden home living is a perfect independent living option for seniors who like the freedom to come and go as they please but also like to take advantage of the special opportunities here kind of a gust of both worlds let's go inside and even jayma and Jerry you know my mother was an assisted living an American senior community some years ago and she did the same thing that you've done here you've added personal touches to the garden home I just wanted it to feel like my home and it does it's get it's getting closer it's a work in progress but then I'm getting there and my mother's case he took like all the keepsakes mementos that sort of thing from each individual room and then made it this almost was like a microcosm of her home yeah and things that our children have given us over the years you're there hard part with so you could always find a spot for them what prompted you to make the decision to come here yeah we sold our house and it's the condo sold much quicker than we thought and when you look at the paper and see Rose gate all over the place and we had been in a condo so we had a little taste of you know no maintenance maintenance outside so we came out and talked to mark and decided we'd try it you know it was it wasn't that different really from the condo as far as work on in on the house outside but it wasn't it didn't have the activities either like here is this is just home everybody feels that way I think here Jerry how do you feel about living here we love it here I mean it's a great place to spend your senior years but we had furniture and stuff to put in storage but we got everything in here now that that we want some rest i'll have to stay outta grog it seems like that this is the best of both worlds to me if you got the freedom and the independence that you want to have and at the same time you take advantage of the facilities here or the cafeteria for example it's just a fun thing to do you know but if you want to cook here you have the kitchen facilities yeah oh yeah yeah we don't need up there every day but this we have eaten there the Foods good they take us out here the group out on their bus and we just the other night we went to tanners check I keep calling shown it cheddar and a bunch of us went had a great time in there and he a bunch of us now you so you have made sometimes yeah people you run into him all the time and the entertainment that they have in the activities room and a lot of people go up there's a thing then there you wouldn't believe what all have you seen that the calendar that allows every month new girl comes out you don't have to work hard to make friends here you meet a lot of people walking or dogs and so it's worked out okay for us and the nice part is I imagine it's maintenance-free if you have to have something done yeah the lawn cutter or anything like that it's done for you snow removal people we've met her say they do a good job take care of that if you want to have privacy if you don't feel like being amongst people you don't feel like you have to do that you had your own private set up here and we're on the end say and we have a dog and it works out good or heard one of the neatest things about living on the end here is the sunsets this lens sensor from the back window really really something that's beautiful you've done a great job fixing this this myself thanks how she does work done that oh you never say I do you out of your a couple touches in here i'ma do something and she s go back behind me and change it but been married 58 years what is that all that you know next to making the decision to move knowing where to start is off of the hardest part if you're thinking about making a garden home your new home here are a few tips to keep in mind the first is deciding what to bring make it a family affair and get your family involved in deciding what treasures will be coming to your new place secondly don't worry about budgeting anymore our budgeting for those expenses such as home repair and upkeep because those are gonna be a thing in the past and a garden home and also talking about budgeting think about all the free time you're going to have to be able to spend with your new friends and neighbors coming up we'll visit with three ladies who followed at amazing friendship right here at rose gauge I'm Leslie and I'm moving forward thanks to Maria and the other therapists at American senior communities I'm recovering from a terrible car accident now I'm back home in time for my daughter's wedding and resuming my duties as musical director at my parish I admire your tenacity and we are also very proud of you the road to recovery begins at American senior communities to learn more visit us at ASC senior care calm some of the residents of American senior communities find that assisted living apartments provide a special care they need my mother certainly found that to be the case assisted living services are custom made for each individual and are designed to allow them to be as active as they want to be as for the rest of the community it is a great way to make new friends we found three ladies who found each other we were just in the dining room and all the barbers had a sit at the same table because some of them were too loud and I was beloved one I'm the quiet just quiet one and I'm the polite one she's the first one I met and we because and you stay yeah in spite of her yeah here I should have sent down that I can't hear oh you should be on this side okay I'm not what they think yes you are you know you can't help it because the other Barbara is going to say everything the other other Barbara the other other Barbara okay hello other barber I used my Tennessee lingo and they laugh at me that's why we're here because we have to translate her Tennessee stuff and so Barbara translates the good stuff and I have to do the other stuff well you know it's a real advantage to being here because you have somebody to eat with and somebody to cook for you and clean up and it wasn't an adjustment but I like it they have bingo every week and then oh that's kind of fun I don't play either one well you should do please boring oh yeah honey oh yeah bingo is a top of my activity it wasn't oh yes I used to work bingo and I always love bingo a lot of people a lot of people come to bingo the room is always full they don't let us sit together when barbone the incomes we have to kindly tone it down yeah cuz she doesn't like rowdy kids and she's proud he was she started walking and I followed her and we take barb out in her walker or out with her walker and we set out there we Joe jab that's another Tennessee word it means to check I'm here to translate for you they have what do they call it in the morning chair exercises chair exercises that's what old people do chair exercises because we don't have to get up we can just sit there and move our legs and hands and that kind of stuff and that suits barber hey I've been on my feet and all for number of years i was born in Tennessee came up here to Indiana I was married 44 years my husband passed away I met another very nice gentleman and we were married eight years I lived 34 years up north came down here because my daughter married that man from the south side my husband's been gone 10 years and we were married almost 58 I had a child care center baked in the woods I have three children I was at home with them so that was good way to do it I have my nomes they're all in the corner and I have hundreds of them when my kids brought my stuff over that was the first thing he brought work I couldn't believe that I walked into the room that they'd brought all those over but I was glad they did dad passed unexpectedly a year ago August and it was the week before mom was supposed to have hip replacement surgery so the family was put into kind of panic mode and now what do we do so as the surgery came along we needed a rehab place because that was going to be dad was going to be taken care of her and we did a little research trying to find something that was you had a good reputation as far as a rehab center Rose gate was the perfect solution when we brought mom over for a visit to the the rehab center the this the staff was wonderful they had their conversations with her as opposed to the family which really impressed us the rehab was just wonderful they kept her up and they kept her active but i think the real important part was the social activities and the interaction with the other residents over there that that really helped speed her rehab recovery you she had assessments over at the rehab center and we came to the conclusion that there was some sort of assistance that was needed and that's what we looked over here to the Rose gate assisted living very very relieving to us and that's just took a lot of stress off us but specifically for the the medical end of a tent we had no no experience or no idea what to do we found that this just the people here and the care that she could get just relieved us just just what we can't even we can't even say how much we were relieved because we knew that she was very well taken care of but still she had her independence to do what she wanted and to meet new people and to just continue on you know with her with her life we can sleep well at night knowing that she's sleeping well at night with the care that she has it's really in a good place it's a good place the food is good the staff is very very nice very accommodating and the the the friends here are good friends there they always speak to you and that that means a lot to me and they know our name and they've watched nor name oh yeah yeah they always not they all know our names I don't know however that is name the two yeah well most of us are Barbara's so that that's easy tell her about that song you told us Oh junior Birdman everybody knows that I didn't you know that don't you you don't didn't you ever go to camp we have gestures that we use about the Birdman you have to get your hands somehow up like that come here and show him there she can do it though she is into the air Junior nin into the air upside down into the air junior Birdman get your feet up off the ground I think we're the only ones that really get loud and boisterous I don't I don't and this Barbara is so nice and quiet and she keeps me quiet with her and we try to avoid this one do you believe her I didn't think you did if you or someone you know needs a little extra help these days there are some things to consider it to help make their life more comfortable and safely here at American senior communities we take resident safety and comfort very seriously some of the safety features that you'll find in the bathrooms and our assisted living apartments include safety rails to prevent slipping and falling and accessible showers so you don't have to worry about bathtubs these are some of the things that you might look at changing in your loved ones home if your loved one needs some assistance or if we can help it anyway visit us today at ASC senior caricom american senior communities is not just for seniors many boomers take advantage of their unique rehabilitation facilities up x we'll meet some of the folks who are moving forward and finding new wellness i'm dale and i'm moving forward thanks to omni and the therapists at american senior communities I've regained my strength following my knee replacement surgery now I'm back home volunteering and flying also my pastor and I went to India and Uganda for missionary work what a difference you're making we are so proud of you the road to recovery begins at American senior communities to learn more visit us at ASC Senior Care com I had the pleasure of meeting Carolyn DeAngelis when we sat down for a recent boomer TV segment and we want to share her story after an accident Carolyn faced a long road to recovery she chose the rehab facilities at American senior communities I was walking in a dark area and fell off a retaining wall four feet into concrete pavement after surgery Carolyn Joe's inpatient rehab instead of going home to recover my children worked full time they are ill-equipped to take care of me twenty-four/seven and as a widow I knew that I couldn't go home by myself Carolyn is there any point in which you said wait a minute I'm a Boomer I don't belong here with all these older people i knew that in an in-house environment i would have somebody who could daily watch after me to make sure that as i was getting in and out of a wheelchair out of bed getting dressed going for meals that someone would monitor my activity to ensure i didn't injure myself more American senior communities takes a holistic approach to healing it's more than just physical we're going to look at you from head to toe when you come for inpatient not only are we looking at your medical needs we're looking at your physical needs that your dietary needs and maybe even your mental wellness needs because having an injury can can kind of be depressing a little bit when you can't do what you used to be able to do are you looking great too thank you I feel wonderful I'm Carolyn and I'm moving forward thanks to Suzanne and the therapist in America senior communities I recovered from broken bones and other complications thank you now I'm back working full time and enjoying my family and friends again your determination is inspiring and your attitude is infectious the road to recovery begins at American senior communities to learn more visit us at ASC senior care calm while american senior communities does a great job helping you mend your body they have a unique program to help you stay well new energy wellness is designed to promote senior health by improving our fitness level fitness means more energy and this program designed for adults 50 years old and older proves that an active senior lifestyle simply makes you feel better let's meet some of the folks who are taking advantage of it when it's all done and you've finished in you feel better than you did when you came in so that it's good to go home and essentially what we try to do is customize exercise programs four of them specifically we have folks with an exercise science background and they actually monitor vital signs before during and after includes blood pressure heart rate our saturation levels make sure that they're safe and what we can do is customize that we can actually challenge them as they progress to the program and most importantly we keep their physician updated regularly which i think is crucial to success I come here and I go and do my walking 20 minutes if I'm not out of breath bicycle and it makes me feel good about myself my doctor had told me that my walking has even gotten better and my blood pressure got better and my whole look out of life just gotten better God comes first for me then the exercise guns and it's really important very important to me and I think it should be important to everybody you get more self-esteem and you're with people your own weight and I think that is so very important they are a fun group here sharan is a ball when you get her started and the rest of them are just so lovable and they make you feel at home it's just like another world that's open for me here this makes me feel good good inside good on the outside no matter what your age being active is vital to maintaining your health sometimes you just need a little help three simple things that you can do at home right now essentially walking just consistent walk in 15-20 minutes of days they have to be a long distance necessarily start off doing that daily the other thing would be there's a lot of senior yoga programs out there now Tai Chi is shown to be very beneficial research wise I'm even wait burning through the joints it improves bone density her Vince Falls which is a big concern with this senior population first things you can do right now I'm Jack and I'm moving forward thanks to johnny and the therapist at American seniors communities I recovered from my stroke now I'm back home and enjoying the boat I love to fish and be out on the lake again a real expert can tackle anything I can't wait to see your next big catch the road to recovery begins at American senior communities to learn more visit us at ASC Senior Care com American senior communities are experts in caring for individuals challenge with memory care issues and provide options to help them enjoy a quality of life Joni honey how you discovered this place Hawaii decide to come here um I I did my shopping around I went to you know several other facilities but i think i have really loved about rose gate was i love that the unit is secure and most of all that the staff is the same very little turnover and I just felt like that was priceless in building relationships for mom and dad and we had a kind of a role reversal for a while you like how the caretaker for your mother now you're more of your mother's a child tell us about that yeah it is you know life kind of comes full circle those years were hard there's so much worry on you know whether or not she was safe whether she you know was fixing her food appropriately was she you know taking care of hygiene appropriately and all those things and then there's you know the issue of you know what if they you know went outside and got turned around so having them here means that they're safe and instead of being the warrior which I still kind of do but I am now the daughter again so when I come and visit we just talked and we talked about books and we sing and we play games and I show them pictures of my children and it's just it's it's just nice to be there girl again there's something really freeing about that well your mother sounds like a delightful person can we meet her let's go Linda hi you seem to be doing very well here or did he getting along oh yeah yeah tell us about the friends that you've made here well everybody's friends here and we have good times together I understand you're the you're the bingo hustler around here is that right you're the Top Gun when it comes to bingo well I didn't get it every once a while Johnny what have you found about changes in your mother's and she's been her well um I think it's just been wonderful to see her branch out a little bit she's been a little bit more reserved her whole life um just a little bit and she's always very friendly but she you know she has made some good friends and they they eat together you know three times a day and they they a lot of times after their meals they'll sit and and just kind of spend time together talking at the table and they played bingo I was here the other day and she won three times while I was sitting with her but probably one of my favorite things that I hear about her all the time is just how nurturing she is to the other residents and it's just one of my favorite things and it makes me so proud of her she was you know she was and is a great mother and that nurturing role has extended to her friends here and to me that's just that's really neat yeah let is that part of your nature do you think you're nurturing people do you just naturally get along well with people do you think I think I do you do I'm guessing one of the things you don't miss is fixing meals I earning that sort of thing oh no I don't miss that no I don't miss that laundry and I don't miss that either I don't have to cook the other thing I have to do is support make my bed that's that's the extent of your duties or then I did that and teaching people how to play bingo I guess I not gonna teach him I'm just gonna play him she's adapted very well and we we have a very big family and we come and see her and my dad as often as we can I live just a few minutes away so you know we kind of feel like you know she's in my backyard and so that's really wonderful but she you know she she always has a smile on her face you know there's she's had it you know a few bad days here and there but we can always cheer her up so I feel like she's adjusted really well and I'm proud of her I think it's it's you know hasn't always been easy but I'm sure thankful that she's here my mother was an assisted living at American senior communities I think she made as many friends among the staff members as she did among the residents they really start feeling like family to us which is just wonderful yeah my parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in june and the staff threw a party for them and it was wonderful and it just felt like an extended family celebration and you know I've just never been so thankful to have those people on my team you know that the consistent staff and you know they will call me throughout the day to tell me funny stories or you know just things that will make me smile and there they're just always asking how their I'm I like him you like him yeah Joe did you find it easier to just to go to bed at night knowing these your mother's being cared for I do I do um I'm very thankful that she's safe I you know I know especially going into winter I know you know she's not going to be falling on the ice or you know there he isn't going to go out or you know something like that that just happens you know to anybody you know I don't have to worry there there is a certain piece about that when I go to sleep at night I know that they're they're tucked in and they're safe and I can run over and check on them if I want that's a great piece of great peace of mind it's honestly it's priceless for me I think you have a priceless relationship you're we're pretty cute yes you're okay if you have a loved one who is struggling with memory loss or dementia you may find that communication is difficult for you both the most important rule that you can use when communication is problematic is to never scold or correct even when your loved one isn't quite making sense or saying things that don't add up another good tip is to allow plenty of time for them to respond 60 seconds is usually a good rule to allow things to process and have them respond before you move on if communication is too much of a struggle find a different way to connect things like looking at a photo album or listening to music that you both enjoy can be rewarding and not quite so much of a struggle we have just touched on a small part of what American senior communities is all about if you or someone you love needs assistance or information contact American senior communities at ASC senior gericom