Tag: visit
Loved One In Assisted Living? Make Holidays Merry For All

Loved One In Assisted Living? Make Holidays Merry For All

By Debbie Carlson, Chicago Tribune (TNS)

Stress levels during the holidays often increase, and families with a relative residing in an assisted-living facility may fret about how to include the family member in celebrations. Typically, residents in assisted living — as opposed to nursing homes or independent living — are mobile enough to get around, but advanced age or health issues can limit their capabilities.

The burden can be twofold. Many families are unsure whether or not those relatives should leave their residence to join holiday celebrations. Also, they may be concerned about how much time they can or should devote to visit relatives, especially if distance is a factor.

“No matter how much you see your family in assisted living, I think you’re always going to feel like it wasn’t enough,” said Stephanie Zishka, co-owner of BrightStar Care of Fort Wayne and Lafayette, Ind., and a registered nurse. “Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t spend more time.”

Psychologists and administrators in these facilities say it’s important for families to try to balance their other obligations with visits to loved ones during the holidays. Here is some advice to consider.

Consult with the facility staff. Before deciding on whether or not to bring grandma home for the day, ask the facility staff if such a visit would be disruptive to the person or the host family. Zishka and Dr. Ildiko Tabori, a Los Angeles-based licensed clinical psychologist, said facility staff can help you determine if the relative is functioning well enough for a home visit. Additionally, they said, families need to review whether their home is equipped to accommodate the visitor, especially if he or she needs a mobility aid.

Maryann Crenny, administrator and director of operations at FilBen Group, a New York-based developer and manager of assisted-living properties, said to keep in mind that elderly people can tire easily, so be prepared to limit the visit. Don’t expect them to stay more than six hours, and keep early bedtimes in mind. It also would be wise to have someone available to drive them home at any time.

Decorate and deliver holiday reminders. Decorating the family member’s room with appropriate holiday items is recommended. (Check with facility staff for prohibited items.)

For example, Tabori said, “bringing a small Christmas tree, the kind you buy at the drugstore, is nice.”

The same applies to favorite foods. Again, consult with the nursing staff for any dietary restrictions.

Take advantage of technology. Jack York, chief executive of Colorado-based It’s Never 2 Late, which provides senior-friendly technology to assisted-living communities, said there are ways to relive past holidays using slide shows or videos.

For facilities without technology, families can bring in large-screen laptops or tablets. If visiting on-site isn’t possible, York said that facilities equipped with Wi-Fi can accommodate webcams to connect relatives on holidays.

Celebrating there: All ages welcome. Facilities will often have holiday parties and invite families to take part, Crenny said.

“The elderly residents do respond extremely well with children, even if (they’re) not their own. Children really bring residents to life,” she said.

Gifts to go around. When you’re celebrating at their place, don’t just bring presents for your relatives to open. Bring a round of gifts for everyone to open, Tabori said.

“The patient can still watch the enjoyment of a grandchild opening presents,” Tabori said.

It’s the visit that counts, not its length.

“Any sort of visit is good,” Zishka said. “Even a five-minute stop in can have a huge impact.”

Debbie Carlson is a freelance reporter.

©2015 Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: Holidays with elderly relatives who are in an assisted living facility can present challenges, but the rewards are plentiful, whether you celebrate in their home or yours. (Arina Habich/Fotolia)

Kanye West, Traitor To His Class

Have the Occupy Wall Street protests become such an unstoppable cultural force that Kanye West — the rapper and self-proclaimed “Louis Vuitton Don” whose recent top single included money-loving lines like, “They ain’t see me cause I pulled up in my other Benz / Last week I was in my other other Benz,” — is jumping on board?

On Monday the hip-hop mega-star — wearing gold chains and a Givenchy designer flannel shirt — took a tour of the scene downtown with former record executive Russell Simmons, an outspoken supporter of the cause. His visit came on the same day that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who last week attacked the “99% Movement” for threatening to wreck the financial sector, conceded that the downtown crowd could stay indefinitely (although he seemed to hope that winter would drive them out).

But, more importantly: Kanye West! The rapper who, before he was the walking symbol of “luxury rap,” had shown a political side in 2005 when he told a live television audience watching a charity telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief that George W. Bush “doesn’t care about black people.” (And his earlier singles, before his embrace of “luxury rap” lost its tinge of irony, included ruminations like, “We’ll buy a lot of clothes when we don’t really need ’em.”)

Of course, one could argue that in 2007’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” he eloquently expressed the reasons extremely wealthy investment banks need to be regulated:

I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven / When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace / I told God I’d be back in a second / Man, it’s so hard not to act reckless

Which is all to say we shouldn’t be shocked to see more pop culture icons making their way down to Zuccotti Park in the coming days. Whether or not super-wealthy celebrities will embrace the movement if and when it emerges as a progressive economic force and not just a cultural phenomenon is a different story.

Anna Codrea-Rado at The Brooklyn Ink used Wordle to put together a word map of the most common demands on the Occupy Wall Street Forums:

(Visualization: Anna Codrea-Rado/ The Brooklyn Ink)

Here’s to Kanye dropping a single making use of them.