Everyone Loves A Parade!

What a great weekend! We took our residents out to be a part of Bon Air Victorian Festival Parade. Mary Jane, our Personal Transportation Director, decorated the bus, brought snacks for the residents while they waited, and drove us along the short parade route from Bon Air Baptist to Bon Air Christian Church. We threw out candy to the many children gathered along the street and everyone had a great time!

Over at the the festival, Helen and Susan passed out tickets for our free drawing! We gave away 2 tote bags with comfy throws, a huge cookie tray with Chef Jerry’s famous cookies, and a delicious lasagna dinner for 4 that one lucky family will pick up later this week! Lots of people stopped by just to say “hi” and thank us for taking good care of their family members. We love Bon Air and look forward to being a part of this festival next year!

Heritage Oaks Retirement Community is an independent living facility in Richmond, VA. If you, or someone you love, is looking for a retirement home, contact us. Many of our residents begin visiting retirement homes because they can no longer handle the maintenance and up-keep of their homes. They recognize that activities such as cutting grass, cleaning gutters, and making beds are difficult and even dangerous. At Heritage Oaks, you get the comforts of home, plenty of activities, kind and compassionate people, deliciously prepared meals, weekly housekeeping & linens, and so much more, without the stress of cleaning, yard work and cooking. Healthcare services are also available on site. Schedule a tour with us – we’d love to meet you and show you around.

Why Eat At Home?

Our residents often have guests dine with them at Heritage Oaks.  It’s restaurant style dining at it’s best. Many of our servers have been with us for more than 10 years and are always ready to assist our residents and their guests with whatever they need. The daughter of a resident recently commented, “The food has been wonderful, the choices amazing, the quantity more than enough, and the ambiance so pleasant.” – Beth B.   We can’t ask for more than that!

Heritage Oaks Retirement Community is an independent living facility in Richmond, VA. If you, or someone you love, is looking for a retirement home, contact us. Many of our residents begin visiting retirement homes because they can no longer handle the maintenance and up-keep of their homes. They recognize that activities such as cutting grass, cleaning gutters, and making beds are difficult and even dangerous. At Heritage Oaks, you get the comforts of home, plenty of activities, kind and compassionate people, deliciously prepared meals, weekly housekeeping & linens, and so much more, without the stress of cleaning, yard work and cooking. Healthcare services are also available on site. Schedule a tour with us – we’d love to meet you and show you around.

What to Look For When Visiting an Independent Living Community

The following is a service checklist to help guide you during your initial search.
Does the community offer?
Barber/beauty shop
Laundry facilities and services
Kitchen appliances (kitchen or kitchenette in unit)
Bathrooms (full private bathrooms in units, step-in showers)
Guest accommodations
Parking
Variety of floor plans
On-site healthcare?
Scheduled transportation? Cost?
Meals (number per day and ability to meet special dietary needs); tray service
Utilities Telephone services
Safety Features (emergency pull cords or call systems in apartments, fire sprinklers; smoke alarms, ample lighting)
Exercise programs, including recreational activities
Staff (available 24 hours a day, helpful, appropriate ratio, strong management reputation
Housekeeping (linen availability)
Dining Facility (proximity to apartment, cleanliness)
Facility (overall appearance, maintenance)

Have you requested:
A current resident to answer questions?
Lunch with residents?
Tour of entire community?
Guest suite available for overnight stay?

What was your feeling when you toured the community?
Was there activity in the main lounge?
Was mealtime in the dining room pleasant?
Were any residents using the activities room?
Were any residents using the exercise facilities?
Was there activity in the library or other common areas?
Are carpets and furniture clean?
Was staff friendly and respectful?
Did staff know residents by name?
Have the common areas and apartments been designed to allow you to live as independently as you would like?
What percentage of the apartments have been rented and are occupied?
Is the management staff experienced? Effective? Friendly and personable?
Does the community have a good reputation in the local community?
Have you checked the community’s online reputation?

Independent Living Options

Heritage Oaks Retirement Community is an independent living facility in Richmond, VA. If you, or someone you love, is looking for a retirement home, contact us. Many of our residents begin visiting retirement homes because they can no longer handle the maintenance and up-keep of their homes. They recognize that activities such as cutting grass, cleaning gutters, and making beds are difficult and even dangerous. At Heritage Oaks, you get the comforts of home, plenty of activities, kind and compassionate people, deliciously prepared meals, weekly housekeeping & linens, and so much more, without the stress of cleaning, yard work and cooking. Healthcare services are also available on site. Schedule a tour with us – we’d love to meet you and show you around.

“The Talk” With Mom and Dad

When the time came for Kathy Peel’s mother and father to consider moving into an assisted-living facility, Ms. Peel tried reasoning with them, citing examples of friends who were happy they had made the move.

When that didn’t work, she took a business approach. Ms. Peel and her husband Bill convened a conference at her parents’ kitchen table in Memphis and helped them write a three-page “strategic plan.” Her parents, Morris and Kathryn Weeks —both retired business people in their late 80s—joined in, talking about their goals and helping list dozens of pros and cons to staying in their home.

Among the pros the family agreed on were the Weeks’ “positive attitude” and desire to share care for each other. But the cons loomed large, including the fact that no family members lived nearby to provide emergency care in a crisis. Ms. Peel had been forced to make 10 trips to Memphis from her home in Dallas in 2009 to help her parents with health problems, from her mother’s heart ailment to her father’s failure to notice her bout with dehydration. Ms. Peel printed the plan, and after mulling it for a few weeks, the Weeks agreed to move to a senior-living community in Memphis.

It’s an agonizing discussion for adult children: whether elderly parents can no longer live on their own. Some 42% of adults between ages 45 and 65 cite the topic as the most difficult one to discuss with their parents, according to a 2006 survey of 1,000 people by Home Instead Inc., an Omaha, Neb., provider of in-home care. And 31% said their biggest communication obstacle is getting stuck in the parent-child roles of the past.

“We take on old family roles,” says Paula Spencer, a senior editor at Caring.com, a caregiving website, and a speaker on elder-care issues. “We don’t want to rock the boat. We’re concerned about parents’ privacy, worried about the consequences, thinking, ‘Maybe Dad will hate me if I move him to assisted living.’ ”

While many seniors do fine at home, others need long-term care facilities or a home aide. It’s good to start such conversations early, says Paul Hogan, chairman of Omaha-based Home Instead Senior Care, which provides in-home caregivers. A good principle is “the 40-70 rule; if you are 40, or your parents are 70, it’s time to start talking,” he says.

Make time to discuss issues without rushing. Research shows adult children who feel hurried during conversations about their parents’ changing care needs may tend to push them toward the most efficient option, such as getting more help or moving to an assisted-living facility prematurely, rather than taking the time to encourage them to work on staying independent as long as possible.

About 70% of people over 65 are expected to need some long-term care services at some point in their lives, such as help with dressing or bathing, in-home services from an aide or nurse, or care in an assisted-living facility, according to 2008 federal data. More than 40% will spend time in a nursing home. While the average time seniors need help is three years, 20% are expected to need long-term care services for more than five years.

Take time to assess a senior’s entire situation before jumping to conclusions about their weaknesses or desires, says Jake Harwood, a professor of communication at the University of Arizona, Tucson. A parent whose husband dies may suddenly seem unable to care for herself, failing to clean the house or keep up with bills. But the bereaved spouse may simply need more contact with friends and social support to get motivated again.

Also, adult children sometimes misunderstand parents’ reluctance to move, says Kenneth Robbins, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. “They may resist leaving the house because they think their kids and their grandkids are going to miss the house,” or they fear that a close neighbor will be left alone, says Dr. Robbins, who is also a senior medical editor at Caring.com. Seniors also may fear having to leave cherished belongings behind or being unable to make friends in a new setting. And some see leaving their homes as an acknowledgment of their increasingly frailty—and mortality.

Robin Joy, of San Francisco, says she helped her widowed mother Gail, 77, hire a professional organizer after figuring out that cleaning out the family’s Evanston, Ill., home of 30 years was an obstacle to her moving. Gail says she put her name on a retirement home’s waiting list, but passed up a couple of opportunities to move in because the need to sort through all the papers and belongings “seemed overwhelming.”

The organizer has since helped Gail get stacks of papers and stuff under control, and she is planning to move soon.

Dementia, of course, raises added issues. People with dementia may “no longer be able to make decisions in their own best interests, and they begin to misinterpret what other people are trying to do for them,” Dr. Robbins says. Seniors with dementia may become paranoid, depressed, or so confused that “life becomes a minefield of dangers,” he says.

Appealing to a parent’s values can help in such cases. Barbara Meltzer of West Hollywood, Calif., says that when her father died several years ago, her aged mother, who was living in Florida and had dementia, resisted Ms. Meltzer’s plea to bring in a home health aide. The aide “would call and say, ‘Your mother sent me home,’ ” Ms. Meltzer says.

So she turned the conversation with her mother to, “Please do it for me, Mom, because I’m worried about you.” She also mentioned to her mother that allowing the aide to stay helped her by providing a job. “That worked, because my mother was a giver. She was Mother Earth. With her, it was always about helping somebody else,” Ms. Meltzer says.

Eventually, she used the same approach to persuade her mother to move to California to live near her and other family members. “We love you so much and it’s important to us that you’re here,” Ms. Meltzer says she told her. Her mother lived nearby for several years before dying last year at the age of 93.

Meanwhile, Kathy Peel’s parents have moved into Town Village at Audubon Park, an independent senior living community in Memphis. The pros and cons in the plan they compiled with Ms. Peel and her husband have proven true. Ms. Peel travels often to see them, and the Weeks are considering moving again in the future, to Dallas, to make it easier for the Peels to help them out. “They have realized they really do need us,” Ms. Peel says.

Written by  Sue Shellenbarger

How Can I Reduce The Risk Of Falls?

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers a comprehensive list of steps to take to reduce the likelihood of a fall. Many of the steps center around keeping walkways clear of objects such as power cords, pet toys, and other items that could cause a stumble. Another tip recommends keeping things in reach such as lamps, so that you or your loved one are never off balance and susceptible to a fall. In addition to these types of recommendations, the CDC also offers some additional advice:

• Regular exercise that focuses on strength, balance, and coordination
• Be aware of medication side-effects such as dizziness, or sleepiness, including over-the-counter medication
• Regular eye exams to monitor the quality of your vision
• Sit and stand slowly
• Remove area rugs that may be tripping hazards or secure with double side tape
• Install grab bars in the bathroom and put non-slip strips on the shower floor
• Avoid wearing slippers or going barefoot in the home – shoes are recommended
• Improve your home’s lighting because better visibility reduces the risk of falls

Additional Steps

The CDC also recommends being prepared for falls by keeping phones within reach and having emergency numbers stored by the phones. For older seniors, an alarm device is recommended to ensure they can get help quickly. Colorado State University conducted a study that provides another great resource for information about prevention of falls in the home.

Independent Living Options

Heritage Oaks Retirement Community is an independent living facility in Richmond, VA. If you, or someone you love, is looking for a retirement home, contact us. Many of our residents begin visiting retirement homes because they can no longer handle the maintenance and up-keep of their homes. They recognize that activities such as cutting grass, cleaning gutters, and making beds are difficult and even dangerous. At Heritage Oaks, you get the comforts of home, plenty of activities, kind and compassionate people, deliciously prepared meals, weekly housekeeping & linens, and so much more, without the stress of cleaning, yard work and cooking. Healthcare services are also available on site. Schedule a tour with us – we’d love to meet you and show you around.

According to a 2011 Genworth Financial Cost of Care survey, the average cost of assisted living in Virginia is $44,460 per year, or about $3,700 per month for a one-bedroom/single-occupancy room. That’s just the average! It can be much higher based on where you live.

Heritage Oaks Retirement Community

is the only independent living community in Richmond that offers an affordable alternative to traditional assisted living facilities. We have an independent, onsite home health agency available to assist our residents with basics needs as they arise. Bathing, dressing, meal service and medication management are provided and paid for based on an “a la carte” menu. Our residents only pay for the services they need and that keeps their monthly costs way down! Call today 804.323.3800 or click to schedule a tour and let us show you around

Heritage Oaks Retirement Community!

Health care directives vary by state, so consult with an attorney or health care official. In Virginia, the form is fairly specific. The named health care agent can make decisions if an individual is unable to make and communicate decisions for themselves.

The form also lists five specific situations where an individual must affirmatively grant the health care agent the ability to make the decision. You can also expressly limit a health care agent’s powers. Generally, if there is no health care directive, an attending physician my consult with a spouse or close relative.

Not only should you create a health care directive, you should discuss it with whomever you give it to. Many forms only grant general powers, and do not discuss specific situations. If you particular requests, be sure to disclose those to your health care agent.

Activities This Week: Wednesday, Caring Canines will come visit and bring their beautiful, well behaved dogs to love on our residents. Thursday, they are off to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to see the exhibit “Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb,” with a lunch outing afterwards. Then on Friday they will go shopping at Martin’s, have a craft class, a bowling tournament and top the night off with an in-house movie on our big screen! Of course we always have our regularly scheduled events like canasta, poker, exercise, Bible study, comedy hour, bingo and the list goes on and on.

We love our residents and we have the best retirement community in Richmond!

Heritage Oaks , so here is a song
from one of our residents expressing is feelings about the

Best Retirement Community in Richmond!

I was tired where I was,
Didn’t like work no more
Very worried where to start
Paced up and down the floor
Then the folks at Heritage Oaks
Asked me to come on by
Their thoughtful deeds supplied my needs
Now happy am I.

Refrain:
They lifted me, really lifted me.
Just when nobody else would help
They lifted me.
Yes, they lifted me.
I’m as glad as I can be.
When nobody else would help
They lifted me.

It’s a lovely place to be,
New friends that I adore.
Wonderful life for me began
Better than ere’ before
When they took me there to see,
Like a new home on HIGH
They’ve made me so happy here,
That I could cry.

Refrain

Now to me it’s home sweet home
So many things to do
Never will be bored again
There’s always something new
Doctor’s checkups calm your fears
No need to pine and sigh
Music sweet to soothe your ears,
And that’s no lie.

Happy New Year from all of us at Heritage Oaks Retirement Community!