Answers For Elders Radio Network

People on Medicare Advantage plans can make changes to it from January 1 to March 31. Dan Redler and Dan Leary from We Speak Medicare provide more information on these periods so you get the best benefits and being prepared for the year to come. Plans send a notice of changes, some of which can be at least a hundred pages long. We Speak Medicare can explain these changes succinctly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the holiday season, family members tend to visit their senior loved ones around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then the attention drops off. Kelley Smith describes how CarePartners Living ramps up activities after the holidays to keep the momentum going, so residents don't suffer from loneliness following that surge of holiday attention.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Culture, Connections and Celebrations: how to communicate and establish rapport. Some of our senior loved ones may have some communications challenges or issues due to Alzheimer's Disease or dementia. Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements discusses tips for making your visits go better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DispatchHealth is a Gold Sponsor for the 2019 12 Days of Goodness and its mission to raise awareness for senior loved ones that are without regular visitors. Karrie Austin talks about being able to spend an hour with each person, get to know them and connect them with resources, such activities of daily living, meals on wheels. Sometimes a senior is lonely and needs someone to talk to.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karrie Austin with DispatchHealth provides an overview of the company and its services. DispatchHealth partners to increase access to healthcare for seniors in their own homes, reducing costs and making healthcare a better experience. Patients and have better outcomes at home. All seniors have to do is call and someone comes over. We would sent out a nurse practitioner or PA and an EMT-trained technician with access to a board-certified physician. They travel with a mobile lab that can do tests immediately and mobile pharmacies to bring prescriptions right to them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samantha George from Humana talks about medicare options for veterans. The first two parts are the original medicare: part A is for hospital care, part B is medical insurance for doctor's visits. Part C, also known as medicare advantage, is an alternative for A and B that provided additional services and some drug coverage. Part D is prescription drug coverage, an optional one but valuable if you have certain prescriptions. If you don't sign up when you're first eligible, you are permanently penalized with an annual fee, so it's important to talk with a licensed agent and asses the appropriate coverage for you, as it stays with you for life. Eligibility typically begins at age 65, unless you qualify early through disease or disability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Answers for Elders is getting ready to kick off the 12 Days of Goodness with Samantha George, Seattle's medicare sales manager for Humana. Humana is a health and well-being company, and our focus is on giving people the ability to achieve their best health. In Washington state, we're best known for our Medicare Advantage products.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Culture, Connections and Celebrations: how to communicate and establish rapport. For people who haven’t seen their senior loved one in a while, or feel guilty for not having visited in a while and think perhaps that they shouldn’t go. We all have these feelings, and they can grow and grow in our own minds rather than in reality. Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about having the courage to get over ourselves. Your senior loved one just wants to see you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From January 1 to March 31 is open enrollment for the Medicare Advantage Program. If you didn't like the selection you made during Medicare Open Enrollment on October 15 to December 7, you are able to change your MAPD plan, which comes with Part D, during this time. Every year you get an annual notice of change letter from your healthcare carrier. If you don't read that, you might not realize what the changes are until they go in effect on January 1. If your drug prices have changed, or your network provider has changed, this allows you to correct that. Dan Redler, CEO, and Dan Leary, COO, of We Speak Medicare explain why the enrollment period exists and how it works.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living talks about 2019’s 12 Days of Goodness events. We're all the 12th Man, and CarePartners Living has a lot of fun with it. Residents light up; they're so excited to make these connections and be involved together. It's one of the happiest events we have.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your senior loved one is dealing with Alzheimer's or Dementia, we still encourage a visit over the holidays. If Mom is overly sensitive to lights, turn off the blinking of the Christmas tree lights, because that can be overwhelming. Play music more quietly. Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living encourages families to contact a home care service and have someone come over to help with eating and toileting, to help with the things your loved one wouldn't want you to do anyway.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living talks about senior loved ones continuing to be honored over the holidays once they are in assisted living. People ask questions about whether to take Mom home over the holiday, can she handle the noise, should we hire a caregiver, what if mom feels isolated in the home because she can't keep up? We suggest that you not make assumptions and see what your senior loved one is capable of. For example, if Mom always made the dinner, but now she's aged and in assisted living and her mobility's not the same, but still wants to be part of that, can't you find something in that kitchen to do that gives her purpose and makes her still feel like she's part of the family? If we pat her hand and say no, just go in the living room and visit with family, we're not giving her the dignity of letting her still feeling like she's part of that process.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Redler and Dan Leary from We Speak Medicare walk us through the changing rules for senior annual enrollment in Medicare, the time for all those eligible to make changes to their healthcare plans. The plan should be reviewed each year because new plans come out and rules change every year. We Speak Medicare helps seniors find the right plan, especially when it comes to coverage for medications.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our senior loved ones, visits are about quality time. Take time for really listening, hearing stories, inviting the stories, giving them a sense of honor, dignity and purpose. And do that in a sincere way. Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements also talks about what she specifically does for families when she sits down with them. As an information post for gathering unbiased information on alternatives of living and care outside of the home, she provides the ABCs about housing and care, helps define your values and discuss long-time plans, including how to maximize the buying power of an estate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Culture, Connections and Celebrations: how to establish rapport with our senior loved ones as the holidays approach. Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements advises to keep it simple, whatever “it” is. Our current culture is lights, flashy stuff, always being entertained. For The Greatest Generation, simpler things were valued: listening to the radio, singing songs, getting together, having lemonade on the front porch, eating home-cooked meals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about Veteran's Day, originally Armistice Day, celebrating the official end of World War 1 on November 11, 1918. In 1971, the holiday was expanded to honor all surviving veterans, to thank them for sacrifices they have made to give us our freedom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Redler and Dan Leary from We Speak Medicare help people be proactive about their health and finances when it comes to Medicare coverage. People should review their health and their health plans yearly, not only because health changes as we age, but because Medicare plans and rules change every year. Changes in coverage could significantly impact your bottom line.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plans and Medicare rules change yearly. You should have a consultation and needs analysis done each year to make sure your plan meets your specific needs, because your needs change every year too. Every plan treats medications differently. Dan Redler and Dan Leary from We Speak Medicare describe how they help to find the right services for the right premium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liz Diehl and former NBA Seattle Supersonics center James Donaldson join Suzanne to talk about the benefits of using CBD as a sleep aid. Liz is the founder of Total Wellness Solutions. She is also a certified CBD physiology and health specialist who provides education and a premier product line. Contact Liz at 503-209-4997 or email [email protected]. James says, "CBD has some wonderful benefits towards sleep and helping you to get a better, deeper quality of sleep. More, more restful, more sound. I take it myself before I go to bed every night. Four years ago, I came down with some heart issues myself and they think that was due to sleep apnea, which I didn't know I had. So I went in, I got tested overnight at one of the hospitals. It found I had 29 events per hour. An event is where you stop breathing. Your body just pushes some adrenaline into you to get your heart jumped, and you start breathing again — 29 times an hour. 30 is super serious, and I was right at 29. "I took melatonin and these things for years as well. But since I've been doing CBD oil and wearing my sleep apnea machine, my face mask, my events per hour have gone down to 1.2, 1.5 per hour. And my quality of sleep, I'm sleeping almost nine hours a night." Liz Diehl on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) Total Wellness Solutions on Facebook James Donaldson's website and his book "Celebrating Your Gift of Life" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynn Creasy from Foundation House at Northgate talks about fall prevention. For instance, all of our units have high toilets, plenty of grab bars in the right places, and shower seats. At home, having the restroom close to the bedroom helps, and good lighting helps prevent falls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faith Marshal, author of “I Miss You, Mom: A Daughter’s Journey Into Dementia Land,” works to build communities and awareness. (more…)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevan Atteberry discusses his fundraising work for the Pacific Northwest Walk to End Alzheimer's. His efforts honor his wife Teri, once an active soccer player and runner who was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s when she was 52 year’s old.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CarePartners Living has a variety of cottage communities catering to those with Alzheimer's and Dementia. Kelley Smith discusses how these cottages create an unconfined, non-medical atmosphere where senior loved ones facing these conditions can get the care they need while still being treated like adults with respect and dignity. Links for the communities can be found here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living discusses Alzheimer's Care during September's Walk to End Alzheimer's, of which CarePartners Living is a major sponsor. The Walk increases awareness for opportunities offered by the Alzheimer's Association, including its support network. Talking about it improves awareness, leading to more research and support.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynn Creasy from Foundation House at Northgate talks about dispelling fears about family transitions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about when the time comes to make changes. Usually it happens at a catastrophic time. Daphne helps facilitate the change to a care community, helps through all the legal aspects, things that you don't even think about, walking together side by side through the process. How do you tell your loved one that they're not able to move back home?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about what to do as a family to support a loved one through this journey. In this segment, Daphne talks about spousal relationships, supporting the loved one who has dementia or Alzheimer's as well as their spouse. At these times, your emotions will always rise above your logic, and it's crucial to have an expert to consult with.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about what to do as a family to support a loved one through this journey. The more lucid and competent your senior loved one is when having the hard conversations and making those hard decisions, the better. Staying independent is important. Call 855-734-1500 if you'd like to consult with Daphne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about what to do as a family to support a loved one through this journey. Generally, following a formal diagnosis of dementia, there is a lot of denial, but looking back five to seven years prior to the diagnosis, one can recall many symptoms and signs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Houghton is regional director of operations at Fieldstone Communities, a major sponsor of the Alzheimer’s Walks in Washington. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josh Pan is a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Walk. He is also director of business development for Althira Pharma, a local Seattle-based business. The company’s technology came out of Washington...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Annie Jacobsen is the host of the Snohomish County's Alzheimer's Walk. The walk is along Boxcar Park in Everett, Washington.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carrie McBride is the director of marketing and communications for the Alzheimer's Association, Washington Chapter. It's important that families facing this disease know where to turn for help.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynn Creasy from Foundation House at Northgate talks about adaptive living, various apartment additions that can be made to improve safety. Shower vs. bath, higher toilets, grab bars, safety bars, shower seats. A few other things are adaptive clothing such as socks and velcro clothing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living discusses costs of various senior living arrangements. An over-55 retirement community can cost $900 - $1500 per month. Independent assisted living with 24-hour caregivers, nurses, full-time activities, and meals can cost $3,000 to $6,000 per month. Memory care ranges from $4,500 to $7,500 per month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living discusses various Medicaid qualifications. CarePartners Living has the largest floating Medicaid license in Washington state. People are confused over how to qualify for Medicaid. Average costs of assisted living is $5,000 or $6,000 per month. Income and assets are limited, so perhaps one or two years can be paid for out of pocket. Don't wait till they've exhausted their funds before applying for Medicaid. Qualifications include having less than $2,000 in the bank, requiring assistance with at least three activities of daily living, and assets cannot be hidden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Living discusses Medicaid qualifications. Let's say that you have $100,000 in the bank. One qualification for Medicaid is having less than $2,000 in the bank, so you would need to spend the rest of that money in ways the state allows, with expenses analyzed for the most recent five years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about how to plan ahead when a senior loved one only has a few years worth of assets. There will be compromises, depending on estate values. When you know when and what drives them, you can be prepared for compromises. That comes from working with someone who knows how to project costs outward while honoring today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements discusses the cost of elder care if family members stay home to care for a senior loved one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about finances for senior care. Appropriate, quality, loving care can be found. The elephant in the room: How much do things cost?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphne Davis at Pinnacle Senior Placements builds relationships to understand the heart of what's happening at your family. She also sees the emotional highs and lows behind the logical decisions, and it's totally normal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynn Creasy from Foundation House at Northgate talks about knowing your costs when paying for long-term care and understanding what your budget can cover. Many people don't know what their budget is and what they're paying for currently before moving into a community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lianna Marie talks about finding meaning when you've been diagnosed with an illness like Parkinson's.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warm Beach Senior Community provides post acute and rehabilitative care following hospitalization. Scott Ernst says they fulfill the need for skilled nursing and rehab for therapies — on hips, knees, joints, legs — to get a person back to the quality of life to resume their regular lives. Scott Ernst describes various aspects of care, including physical, occupational and speech/language therapies, pain management, and wound care. The Warm Beach Senior Community is located in Stanwood, Washington.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynn Creasy at Foundation House at Northgate describes the types of retirement living. Some people can be well off in their own home if they're social and healthy, but others may want to look at other options, if they're lonely and their chores aren't getting done. When it feels too much to mow the lawn and cook, it may be time to consider downsizing and settle affairs, and find a community that respects that. In the 5-10 years before people are ready to move, Foundation House acts as an information resource.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janet Smith, an elder law attorney with the Northwest Elder Law Group, spoke at Discovery 2019, the 34th Annual Alzheimer's Regional Conference. Elder law is an umbrella term for law practices that focus on seniors, persons with disabilities, persons planning for long-term care, and their families. Traditionally the practice areas are estate planning — preparing documents such as powers or attorney and wills — probate, planning for long-term care costs and protection of vulnerable adults, and that can include guardianship, and getting restraining orders dealing with, sometimes, fractured families, and mediation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lianna Marie talks about inspirational people with Parkinson's. We talk about having hope, and looking up to people who are going through the same things. Michael J. Fox, of course, but also Jimmy Choi from American Ninja Warrior, who was diagnosed when he was 27. Jim Morris, the inspiration for the sports movie The Rookie, developed a form of Parkinson's due to sports concussions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lianna Marie talks about gratitude. Why is it important and how is it possible? Studies suggest a sense of gratitude is connected to health. Grateful people sleep better and it reduces stress.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lianna Marie talks about depression as it pertains to Parkinson's. Research today shows that it is a symptom rather a response to the illness. Up to 50% of people with Parkinson's are suffering from clinical depression, from the chemical imbalances triggered by the disease.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lisa Mayfield, founder and geriatric care manager of Aging Wisdom, talks about facing family dynamics and conflicts. Even in families where all have tight relationships, an aging parent can bring out conflicts. Challenging and subtle symptoms of dementia mean that our loved ones lose insight in the ways that the disease is affecting them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.