Beatitudes Community

Did You Hear?

Our ability to hear is one of our most important senses as it connects us to the world around us. With masks and social distancing thrown in the mix, COVID has made communication even more challenging. For those of you who missed the Health and Wellness Committee’s recent speaker, audiology professor Dr. Tricia Dabrowski, A.T. Still University Audiology Department has kindly provided Beatitudes Campus with the following helpful tips to improve communication with hearing loss.

Let’s start with the Listener.

  1. Don’t be embarrassed by your hearing loss. Explain, or remind speakers, that you have difficulty hearing, and describe the best way for the Speaker to communicate in order for you to understand.
  2. Pay attention to the speaker’s face and gestures while they speak.
  3. Don’t bluff! Pretending that you heard something never results in a solution to your communication troubles.
  4. Provide feedback after the communication so the Speaker knows how well they are doing.
  5. Arrange for frequent breaks during long discussions.
  6. Set realistic goals about what you can expect to understand.

Now let’s consider some things the Speaker can do which will help a great deal:

  1. Get the person’s attention before you begin to speak.
  2. Always face the listener and do not put obstacles in front of your face (unless you need to be wearing a mask).
  3. Speak into their “good ear” if they have one.
  4. Use facial expressions and gestures to help convey the meaning of your words.
  5. Speak slightly slower and louder and be sure to enunciate. Pause briefly after key words in the phrase to increase the likelihood that the Listener will understand the communication the first time around.
  6. Speak to the listener in a well-lit place, so they can read your lips as you speak.
  7. Give a clue of some kind when the topic is changing.
  8. If the listener does not understand something you’re trying to say after the second attempt, try using different words.
  9. When you’re in a difficult listening environment simplify the conversation.
  10. When in doubt, ask the Listener what you could do to help.
  11. Before parting ways, always leave a thorough note of any important facts, dates, times, etc. that were discussed in the conversation, so the listener can correctly recall important details.

Don’t expect any of these strategies to work 100% of the time. Both the Listener and Speaker must maintain a positive attitude, be patient, and relax! Now let’s consider how you might change the Environment to increase the likelihood that communications will be understood.

  1. Recognize that noise is your enemy! For the hearing impaired, modest amounts of background noise mask the important speech sounds they are trying to hear and can make communication very challenging.
  2. The ideal listening distance is 4-6 feet. This will allow the Listener to observe your facial expressions, gestures, and optimize the volume of soft speech sounds.
  3. Lighting that is too dark will make it difficult for the Listener to view the Speakers facial expressions and lips (be aware of glare from shiny surfaces obstructing views, as well).

Another way to improve communication is to ensure that your ears, eyes, and hearing aids are working properly. Remember to visit your audiologist and optometrist annually!

Healthy Holidays

The holidays are often a time of joyful experiences, but they can also bring about unique health challenges. During the season of giving, it’s still important to take care of yourself; we hope to provide a few tips to stay healthy this winter.

  • Talk about vaccination status: Most of the breakthrough COVID cases among residents on Campus have resulted from family gatherings. Before planning your holiday get together, talk with your loved ones about who will be in attendance and be sure they’ve all been vaccinated.
  • Be mindful of medications: With winter allergy, cold, and flu season upon us, be mindful of over-the-counter medications, which can have unintended side effects. For example, medications that have sedating or pain mediating effects, such as decongestants and cough syrups, can lead to confusion. Consult your doctor before taking beginning new over the counter medications for cold symptoms, and always being aware of multi-symptom products that treat coughing, sneezing, pain, etc. These medications can contain similar ingredients to medications you are already taking, which can put one at risk of overdose.
  • Healthy healing alternatives: Try alternatives to over the counter cold and allergy medications, such as resting, drinking more fluids, saline nasal sprays, and drinking honey in your tea for coughing.
  • Winter workouts: It’s easy to fall away from your usual exercise routine during the holidays but maintaining an exercise regime for 30 minutes a day helps boost your mood and energy levels and improves sleep quality. Try to carve out regular time for yourself to prioritize walks and healthy activity even on busy days.
  • Seasonal schedule: Keeping a usual medication and sleep schedule, especially if you are travelling, also boosts your immune system and energy levels. Aim to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day and be consistent in taking your medications on time. If traveling, have an updated copy of your medication list with you, along with your labeled medications and pill organizer. Before you leave for a trip, make sure you have enough medications for the duration of the trip and for the days after you return, so you won’t need to rush to refill medications.
  • Holiday food and spirits: Maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging during the holidays, but it is important to stick to your regular diet as closely as possible. It’s okay to treat yourself, but eat rich, fatty and sugary foods in moderation and add more vegetables to your holiday plate. This season is also a time when people are more likely to drink alcohol at parties and gatherings. Studies show that regular drinkers have a tendency to over-imbibe during the holidays, while many holiday drinkers who do not drink regularly need to be aware of their lower alcohol tolerance. Be mindful of the risk of confusion and falls when drinking and ask your physician or pharmacist about how alcohol interacts with your specific medications.


Keep these tips in mind and enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season this winter!!

Every Last Drop

The movement towards a better way of dying focuses on not only our physical selves (“how can we help you be more comfortable?”) but also our social selves (“what is important to you in the days, weeks, months ahead?”) our emotional selves (“who do you need to talk to? What remains unsaid?”) and our spiritual selves (“what supports you spiritually at this time?”)

Survey Says…

Residents will recall filling out an annual satisfaction survey in years past. This annual questionnaire is typically developed by Holleran, an organization that surveys Life Plan Communities like ours throughout the nation. This year, Beatitudes Campus has developed its own Independent Living resident survey tailored to the unique experiences of our community during the pandemic.

Dimensions of Wellness Fair

While the categories of wellness overlap and influence one another, some examples of physical wellness will include Mobile Valley Physicians, Oasis Outpatient Therapy, Dispatch Health, our own Fitness Director, Mike Smallwood, Zounds, Premier and Costco Hearing, mobile dentistry and more.

Managing Life’s Aches and Pains

Lifestyle practices and pain management strategies, such as exercise, postural adjustments, meditation and relaxation techniques, stretching, and modalities like heat and ice, have all been shown to reduce pain and improve one’s ability to comfortably participate in daily activities.

To Your Credit

Understanding your credit report is no easy task. The three credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax, are private businesses that hold our financial histories in their hands. Every credit card, missed/late payment, home mortgage, and car loan are catalogued on our credit reports, along with our social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and personal data histories. You cannot opt out. This information is sold to lenders who are wanting to know how reliable you are in repaying debt.

Some terms to know:

Credit bureaus: One key point to understanding credit bureaus is to realize that you are not the consumer when it comes to these agencies: you, or more accurately your data, are the product. Historically, the bureaus have had control of how we can access, review, and control our own information.

The public became more aware of the power of these private businesses after the 2017 Equifax breach, in which the data of over 140 million Americans was hacked. Since then, consumers have (a little) more say in how their credit reports are shared.

Credit score: Your record of reliability is represented by your credit score, which is a result of a number of factors found in your reports. The higher your score, the better credit terms available to you.

Credit report: You have the right to a free credit report (not credit score) from each of the three agencies each year. Credit reports do not contain your credit score.

Credit freeze: Freezing your credit is the best way to prevent others from taking out credit in your name (identity fraud). When you freeze your credit, you cannot take out a loan without “unfreezing” it first, which only you can do with the password you create.

Fraud alert: A fraud alert allows creditors to get a copy of your credit report as long as they verify your identity. For example, the business must call you to verify whether you are the person making the credit request. There are various levels of fraud alerts, depending on your circumstances.

Finally, know that there are many other private businesses that seek to profit from our collective anxiety over identity theft and credit reports in general. While these are not necessarily scams, they are often products that duplicate what could be acquired for free. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding your credit report.

Money Matters

Ever wonder how all the pieces of your financial puzzle fit together? Join us Friday, March 22nd at 1:00PM in the Agelink Great Room (AGR) for an informational panel to address the financial questions that are most relevant to residents.

Our panel features professionals on issues large and small that impact our daily lives and our long-term well-being. Panel members include Allen Bloch, Chief Financial Officer of Beatitudes Campus; Ellen Dean, Financial Planner; Laurel Hickok, CPA and Daily Money Manager; and Megan Selvey, Bivens and Associates Elder Law Attorney.

While money is important to us at any age, it can become even more so as we grow older. Demographic changes mean we are living longer after retirement, and funding those decades of longer life can be a challenge. Social Security is the primary source of income for many older adults, and about one-third of retired people rely on Social Security for over 90 percent of their income.

Additionally, questions about long-term care costs, money management, and frauds and scams have become part of our daily conversations. Concerns about escalating health care costs can also cause us to worry, which, incidentally, can negatively impact our health.

The format of our panel will include a brief self-introduction by panelists, to be followed with moderated questions that address central themes, and will conclude with questions from the audience.

Topics of interest will include:

Money and family: “How do I know if it is still ok to give money to my adult children? Should I add them to my bank account? Should I co-sign a loan?” 

Personal finance: “I expect to live twenty more years, but my money only expects to live about five more years. What is available to help people like me?” “Should I keep my life insurance policy?”

Long Term Care: “Why does my long-term care insurance premium keep going up? Are there ways to lower the premium without losing benefits? How do people afford higher levels of care on Campus?”

Legal issues: “Do I need a will even if I am not wealthy?” “I’m confused about what a durable power of attorney means. Should I have one?” “Should I file for bankruptcy?”

Our panel is brought to you by the Health and Wellness Committee and Success Matters. We hope you can join us on Friday, March 22nd, at 1:00PM in the Agelink Great Room.

 

DID YOU HEAR?

DID YOU HEAR: New Hearing Loop System and the Importance of Addressing Hearing Loss

Many of you may have noticed the signs in recent days announcing that a new audio induction loop system has been installed in the Life Center. An audio induction hearing loop is a unique type of sound system for use with hearing aids that provides greater sound quality when listening to presentations. Most newer hearing aids are embedded with a telecoil receiver setting that can be used with this type of sound system to enhance sound quality, but directions for turning this setting on and off vary greatly by type of hearing aid. Due to the wide variety of hearing aids on the market, you will need to contact your audiologist to learn whether your hearing aids are enabled with this telecoil setting and how to turn it on and off. If you use hearing aids, this is the perfect time to give your audiology provider a call to utilize this new system in the Life Center.

On the subject of hearing, it seems timely to address the importance of hearing in maintaining quality of life at any age. The World Health Organization (2014) states that untreated hearing loss can have a debilitating impact on multiple facets of an individual’s quality of life. For example, research has shown that individuals with unaddressed hearing loss are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, trouble concentrating, decline in cognition, decreased self-esteem, and feelings of isolation (World Health Organization, 2014).

Additionally, a 2012 study by Johns Hopkins University indicated that unaddressed hearing loss was correlated with three times the risk of falling among adults. The good news is that by addressing hearing with your healthcare providers, whether you have new concerns, or it is just time for a checkup, you are taking a step with the potential to transform your well-being and social participation for the better. Along with using hearing aids when needed, it is important to advocate for yourself in social situations and utilize hearing protection when exposed to loud noises. Although age related hearing loss is common, there are steps we can take to minimize the impact of hearing loss on quality of life.  We hope you will consider exploring hearing aids for a variety of health and wellness reasons if you have trouble hearing. And if you already have them, talk to your hearing aid provider or audiologist to learn how to take advantage of the hearing loop technology in the Life Center.

[Editor’s Note…]

The loop system at Beatitudes Campus has been a longterm project brainstormed within the Communications Committee for many years. We are highly thankful for all previous work done by this committee to make this vision a reality today.

Healthy Holidays

The holidays are often a time of joyful experiences, but they can also bring about unique health challenges. During the season of giving, it’s still important to take care of yourself; we hope to provide a few tips to stay healthy this winter.

Be Mindful of Medications: With winter cold and flu season upon us, be mindful of over the counter medications, which can have unintended side effects. For example, medications that have sedating or pain mediating effects, such as decongestants and cough syrups, can lead to confusion. Consult your doctor before taking beginning new over the counter medications for cold symptoms, and always being aware of multi-symptom products that treat coughing, sneezing, pain, etc. These medications can contain similar ingredients to medications you are already taking, which can put one at risk of overdose.

Healthy Healing Alternatives: Try alternatives to over the counter cold and allergy medications, such as resting, drinking more fluids, saline nasal sprays, and drinking honey in your tea for coughing.

Winter Workouts: It’s easy to fall away from your usual exercise routine during the holidays, but maintaining an exercise regime for 30 minutes a day helps boost your mood and energy levels. Try to carve out regular time for yourself to prioritize exercise even on busy days.

Seasonal Schedule: Keeping a usual medication and sleep schedule, especially if you are travelling, also boosts your immune system and energy levels. Aim to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, and be consistent in taking your medications on time. If traveling, have an updated copy of your medication list with you, along with your labeled medications and pill organizer. Before you leave for a trip, make sure you have enough medications for the duration of the trip and for the days after you return, so you won’t need to rush to refill medications.

Holiday Food and Spirits: Maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging during the holidays, but it is important to stick to your regular diet as closely as possible. It’s okay to treat yourself, but eat rich, fatty and sugary foods in moderation and add more vegetables to your holiday plate. This season is also a time when people are more likely to drink alcohol at parties and gatherings. Studies show that regular drinkers have a tendency to over-imbibe during the holidays, while many holiday drinkers who do not drink regularly need to be aware of their lower alcohol tolerance. Be mindful of the risk of confusion and falls when drinking, and ask your physician or pharmacist about how alcohol interacts with your specific medications.

Keep these tips in mind and
enjoy a happy, healthy holiday
season this winter!! *

 

Driver’s Ed

Car ownership is less tied to independence than it used to be. The rideshare economy, which makes transportation available around the clock at a moment’s notice, has changed this relationship, even in the car-dependent Southwest that we call home. Although older adults are among the least excited about giving up private car ownership, it may be there are some factors that could influence this decision. One consideration that is too often overlooked is the financial cost of owning your own vehicle. If the price of Uber, Lyft, or GoGoGrandparent seems like an unwelcome budget item, consider the costs you may save by not owning a car. Even if you have already paid for the car itself, you are still incurring costs for insurance, maintenance, repairs, gas, and tires.

If you added up what it costs to drive your car for a year, how much would it be? Depending on driving patterns, estimates average out to between 56 cents per mile to up to 75 cents per mile. If you are interested in learning more about many factors that may drive (sorry) your decisions about owning and operating your own car, as well as realistic alternatives available to you for transportation, please join Success Matters on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd, at 1:00PM in the Agelink Great Room.*