Beatitudes Community

What You Should Know About Grease Fires

More than 50 percent of cooking fires are caused by grease, cooking oils or fats, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). A grease fire happens when your cooking oil becomes too hot.  Heating oils first start to boil, then they’ll start smoking, and then they’ll catch on fire.

PUTTING OUT A GREASE FIRE

1) Evaluate the severity of the fire. If the fire is still small and contained to one pot, it is safe to extinguish it by yourself.  If it’s beginning to spread to other parts of the kitchen, get everyone assembled outside and dial for emergency services.  Do not place yourself in the way of harm.

Call emergency services if you’re too afraid to go near the fire or don’t know what to do.  Do not risk life and limb to save a kitchen!

2) Turn off the heat on the stove immediately. This is your first priority, given that a grease fire needs heat to stay alive.  Leave the pot where it is, and don’t attempt to move it, as you may accidentally splash oil on yourself or your kitchen.

If you have time, put on an oven mitt first to protect your skin.

3) Cover the flames with a metal lid. Fire needs oxygen to continue, so covering it with a metal lid will essentially smother the flame.  Place a metal pan lid or a cookie sheet on top of the fire.  Do not use glass lids; they can shatter when exposed to fire.

Also avoid using ceramic lids, bowls and plates for this purpose.  These can explode and become dangerous shrapnel.

4) Dump baking soda on small fires. Baking soda will put out small grease fires, but won’t work as effectively on larger ones.  It will take a large amount of baking soda to get the job done, so grab the whole box and dump it generously on the flames until they’re extinguished.

Table salt will also work.  If you can get your hands on that faster, use salt.

Do not use baking powder, flour or anything other than baking soda or salt for this!

5) Use a chemical fire extinguisher as a last resort.  If you have a Class B or K dry chemical fire extinguisher on hand, this can put out a grease fire. Since the chemicals will contaminate your kitchen and be tough to clean up, only do this as a last resort.  However, if it’s the last line of defense before the fire gets out of control, don’t hesitate!

AVOIDING BAD PROCEDURES

1) Never throw water on the grease fire.  This is the number one mistake many people make with a grease fire.  Water and oil don’t mix, and throwing water on a grease fire can even cause the fire to spread.

2) Don’t swat at a fire with a towel, apron, or any other fabric.  This will fan the flames and spread the fire.  The fabric itself could also catch on fire.  Don’t place a wet towel over a grease fire to snuff out the oxygen, either.

3) Do not throw any other baking product on the fire. Flour and baking powder may look similar to baking soda, but they won’t have the same effect. Only baking soda and salt are safe and effective on a grease fire.

4) Do not move the pot or take it outside. This is another common mistake people make and it may seem logical at the time.  However, moving a pot of burning oil can cause it to spill, potentially burning you and any other flammable objects it comes into contact with.

PREVENTING GREASE FIRES

1) Never leave the stove unattended when cooking with oil (and in general).  Unfortunately, most grease fires happen when someone steps away just for a moment.  Grease fires can happen in less than 30 seconds, though.  Don’t turn your back on hot grease.

2) Heat oil in a heavy pot with a metal lid. Cooking with a lid both contains the grease and cuts it off from its would-be oxygen supply.  A grease fire can still erupt with the lid on the pot if the oil is hot enough, but it’s far less likely to happen.

3) Keep baking soda, salt and cookie sheets nearby.  Get into the habit of making sure these items are within easy reach when you’re cooking with grease.  If a fire erupts, you’ll have at least three different ways to immediately snuff it out.

4) Clip a thermometer to the side to monitor oil temperature. Find out the smoking point of the particular oil you’re using, then use a clip-on thermometer to monitor temperature as you cook.  If it gets too close to the smoking point, turn off the heat.

5) Watch for smoke and be aware of acrid smells. If you see wisps of smoke or smell something acrid while you’re cooking with oil, immediately turn down the heat or remove the pot from the burner.  The oil won’t immediately catch fire once it starts smoking, but smoke is a danger sign that it’s getting close to that point.

LeadingAge Arizona Volunteer of the Year—Leroy Calbom

To serve others, one must be able to connect and listen. To serve others, one must show compassion and humility. To serve others, one must have vision alongside determination and hard work. All of these characteristics distinguish Leroy’s service and involvement in projects within our campus community and in projects benefiting the greater community and neighbors living near Beatitudes Campus.

These were the opening words of our very own Leroy Calbom’s nomination for Volunteer of the Year Award. For those who know him, you know this is so true! It was my absolute honor to be the emcee of the LeadingAge Arizona Awards Luncheon on May 24th and present the well-deserved award to Leroy!

As a past employee and now a resident, Leroy wanted to know more about the neighborhood and how he and the campus community could serve them. Through the Studio, he encouraged other residents to join him in meeting with the City of Phoenix, the Phoenix Police Department, Department of Human Services, Area Agency on Aging and local neighborhood schools, churches and neighborhood associations to find out more. What emerged was that there were many intergenerational refugee families living within a short distance of the campus. When Leroy heard about this, he led a group of fellow residents and sprang into action. He met with the Mosaic Elder Refugee Program at the Area Agency on Aging, became a certified ELA (English Language Arts) instructor and persuaded his fellow residents and neighbors to join him. He persuaded me and other campus leaders to dedicate a room to hold ELA classes for refugee families, and further persuaded the campus leadership to use the campus bus to pick up refugees to bring them to class and take them back to their home. That’s the thing about Leroy – his quiet, unassuming demeanor is a powerful instrument of intentional leadership.

The ELA classes are embedded here at the campus. When Leroy was asked why he did this he responded with “Because they are us. Their story is our story. We are a nation of immigrants and immigrants are part of America’s founding story. Immigrants share the very values we hold dear – work hard, practice your faith, love your family and love this country.”

Please join the campus community on Wednesday, June 5th as we celebrate Leroy and his award during the monthly Town Hall meeting!

Bad For Your Health

I noticed an article the other day, “In Later years, Your House May be Bad For Your Health.”  Of course I had to read more.  It cited recent results of the first of a five-year study being conducted by Chicago-based Mather Lifeways Institute on Aging and Northwestern University which found that nearly 70% of Life Plan Community (also known as Continuing Care Retirement Community) residents stated that moving into such a community, “somewhat or greatly improved their social wellness.”

We are consistently interested in what distinguishes Beatitudes Campus from other senior living options.  What we experience here seems to track with what the study was finding.  Including more than 5,000 residents in 80 Life Plan Communities across 29 states, the study survey found that residents of the communities (which typically offer independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing in a single location) scored higher across five of six recognized facets of wellness than about 1,000 peer group older adults living in the community at large—including greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness.

Focusing on just assisted living, a 2018 study of residents in just over 20 communities operated across four states by New Jersey-based Juniper Communities, found that hospitalizations of residents were half that of peer group seniors living at home. Juniper in turn estimated that such reductions are saving Medicare between $4 and $6 million each year and would save between $10 and $15 billion annually if applied across the similar larger population of Medicare beneficiaries.

While both studies are essentially conducted by senior living organizations, they reflect what has been intuitively suggested by not only professionals, but residents within senior communities for years. Specifically, that living within a community setting, with daily access to friends as well as personal health assistance, dining, wellness and social programs, housekeeping, maintenance, and transportation services – may not only improve quality of life for individuals age 75+, but add to it. I hear this from our Ambassadors time and again as they speak to prospects considering Beatitudes Campus as their home.

To be clear, more, longer and larger studies are needed. And there is no industry-wide research indicating all assisted living communities could produce the same health outcomes as Juniper, considered by many to be among the best in the industry. Still, surveys have consistently shown that as high as 90+% of senior housing residents and family members are satisfied with their experience.

Which leads to the question of why approximately 90% of Americans age 75+ are choosing to remain at home. Yes, many are still physically and socially independent, but data suggests more may be able to benefit from the services and care senior living offers than are accessing such communities.

Consider:

Lack of socialization is a major source of depression, with nearly half of women age 75+ living alone. The National Institute of Mental Health has declared depression among older adults a major public health issue.

44% of older adults 75+ report having at least one physical disability that impairs their ability to live independently.

14% of adults age 71+ and 32% of adults age 85+ suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementia.

Drivers age 80+ have the highest rate of fatal crashes per miles driven of any age group.

More than 34 million Americans are serving as unpaid caregivers for an older adult parent, spouse, other relative, friend or neighbor, the majority of whom are age 75+, for an average of 24 hours per week.

Perhaps the largest factors inhibiting utilization of senior housing are cultural and based on stereotyped perception. In the first case, the current “Silent Generation” of older adults (born during the Great Depression) were raised on the idea of putting a roof over their heads and never giving it up, along with an ingrained responsibility to never be a burden on anyone. In the second case, many older adults continue to assume that a senior living community is a place for “old people” and represents the institutional “nursing homes” of yore – even as the studies above indicate otherwise.  Just today, I spoke with a fellow whose mother lives close by in our neighborhood and he remarked how much he knew she would benefit from the “purposeful living” about which we center so much of what we do at Beatitudes.  He will be by soon with her to see the campus and I can’t wait to have her experience what so many of you delight in communicating to our visitors – our mission and philosophy of the campus and the effect on superior senior living!

 

February 2019 Town Hall Recap

Read all about it! The latest recap of our February 2019 Community Town Hall is now available online for your reading pleasure!
Be sure to read it here: https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gQl

Courage and Joy

Fifty-five years ago, the visionaries and pioneers of Beatitudes Campus held a historic groundbreaking on undeveloped farm land, bought for $25,000 an acre, with a vision to change the face of nursing homes of the 1960s—to build  a place where older adults could live, learn and play for the rest of their lives. They created a vision so big and so bright that it lives on from generation to generation.

From the first apartment built after that groundbreaking (Plaza South), so much has been built, and 16,000 seniors have lived vibrant and fulfilled lives at Beatitudes Campus.

Ten years ago, another historic groundbreaking occurred—the building of the Central Park Apartments and creation of our Town Plaza. At that groundbreaking ceremony, our founder, Rev. Dr. Bill Nelson, offered an invocation:
“…Never let the mystery keep us from plunging into the future with courage and with joy…may we turn the sod over and rearrange the world in more human ways…”

I have never forgotten those words, and they seem especially pertinent as we prepare for another chapter in the life of the campus—an eight-year master plan of redevelopment. We are rearranging the world—in ways that allow our residents to live empowered and purposeful lives, in ways that nourish and strengthen our neighborhood and community, in ways that allow our staff the privilege of servant leadership. I am honored, and humbled, to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors—Dr. Nelson, Rev. Everett Luther, Rev. Ken Buckwald and Peggy Mullan—to build on the firm foundation they have laid and embark on the biggest redevelopment the campus has seen. And, I am so privileged to serve our residents and our future residents and learn from you the lessons of hard work, of survival amidst momentous change, of sacrifice and of honor.

Our master plan is not just an investment in Beatitudes Campus. It is an investment in our community-in the lives of residents and future residents and in the staff who answered the call of service to others. We have grown from a dozen staff members to our 450 dedicated staff who have a sacred responsibility of service to 650 residents. The growth of the campus to become one of the largest employers in North Central Phoenix and in the Top 100 in Phoenix, is a testament to our vision to be a leader in aging services and serve the broad middle class. Our focus is not only confined to our campus – the campus is also a major contributor to our community’s economy. More than half of our expenditures to vendors is  returned to our local community businesses that are headquartered in Arizona, most of whom are located in Maricopa County or are small businesses.

As Dr. Nelson so clearly stated ten years ago, we must plunge into the future with courage and joy. It takes courage to redefine senior living as we are doing each and every day, but the joy I feel when you thrive and contribute to our community is life affirming. Our redevelopment and expansion speak to the heart of our campus mission.

We will celebrate this new chapter in the life of the campus with a Groundbreaking Ceremony on Thursday, February 21 at 10AM. Residents and staff can watch the ceremony live from the Luther Life Center, followed by a reception and refreshments from 10:00—1:00PM with our special guests and future residents. The Beatitudes Campus Board of Directors and I invite you to share with us, and each other, this important milestone in the evolution of the campus and feel the joy along with us.

Arizona State Retirement System Changes

Are you an Arizona State Retiree who gets health insurance through your retirement plan? This year the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) announced a change in one segment of its retiree health insurance.

ASRS has traditionally had two plans to choose from: they offered both an HMO Plan (Medicare Part C) and a Medicare Senior Supplement (Original Medicare with Part B Supplement, also called a Medigap plan). If you previously had Medicare coverage through the ASRS HMO Plan, these new changes do not affect you. If, however, you had Original Medicare with a Senior Supplement through ASRS, the 2019 changes will affect your coverage.

Both ASRS plans rely on “passive enrollment,” which is a convenient way for people to keep their current plan from year to year. This year, however, retirees who had the Senior Supplement Plan (not the HMO) were passively enrolled out of Original Medicare and into a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) through UnitedHealthcare (the same insurer who provides coverage for the HMO beneficiaries).

The “behind the scenes” problem with this change is that retirees were not informed that by enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan, they would lose “guaranteed issue” to future Supplement / Medigap policies. Guaranteed issue means that you have the right to buy a policy without medical underwriting, which can lead to denials of coverage or inflated prices based on age and health conditions. Another concern is that the new lower premiums, while attractive, are due to a temporary rate adjustment, and future costs may not remain low.

How might this affect you? Both our contracted outpatient services through OASIS and our Campus Home Health program accept Original Medicare but not Advantage Plans (HMOs or PPOs), with the exception of Home Health accepting UHC Community and UHC Dual Complete (AHCCCS). For example, if you are a retired teacher previously on the ASRS Senior Supplement Plan, you are now on a PPO Plan. You may have had physical therapy on campus as an outpatient, or through the campus Home Health service. Now, however, you will not be covered and will need to seek outpatient services off campus, and Home Health from an outside agency.

SHIP Medicare Counselors believe individuals can get better coverage at a better price by remaining on Original Medicare with a Supplement and Part D coverage. The new deadline to change your Medicare coverage from the new PPO to Original Medicare with a supplement is March 3rd, 2019.

If you are affected by this change, and wish to speak to a Medicare counselor about making a change, please let Josephine know no later than February 15th at x16117.

New Medicare Cards

Medicare has recently changed their health insurance cards.  If you have traditional Medicare, you will notice that previously your Social Security number was used as your medical identification number as well as your Medicare Number.  As we know, over the past several years there has been nationwide concerns with identity theft and this is one way Medicare is addressing the concerns to minimize the risk of future identity theft.

Most of you should have already received your new Medicare card in the mail.  If you have not, please contact the Social Security Administration to ensure your address is correct.  You may contact them at ssa.gov/myaccount or by calling 800-772-1213.

It is important that when you receive your new card that you destroy your old card and replace with the new one which has a unique combination of letters and numbers and provide a copy to all of your health care providers. Please see the example below.

In addition to replacing your card, we are requesting all residents/responsible parties to provide accounting with a copy of your new card.  You may take it personally to their office in Agelink or it can be sent in with your monthly payment so that the new information can be updated in your Electronic Record here on campus.  Accounting’s office is open from 7:30AM to 4:30PM Monday through Friday.

Having the most up-to-date information will assist with transition so that if you are sent to the hospital we can provide them with the most current and up to date information.  Additionally, it allows a smooth billing of Medicare if you are admitted to the Health Care Center for a short stay or need to utilize Home Health or Outpatient Therapy services on campus.

Please be advised that only health care professionals should be requesting your Medicare card.  The Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) also wants beneficiaries to beware of anyone who contacts you about your replacement Medicare card, as scammers have already targeted recipients with new ploys. CMS officials say they will never ask a beneficiary for personal or private information or for any money as a condition of getting a new Medicare number and card.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at x16111. *

Are You ALTCS Curious?

The Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) is designed to help people pay for long term care. Part of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, AHCCCS (pronounced “access”), ALTCS (pronounced “all-tex”) provides support for both children with substantial needs as well as older adults. ALTCS is part of the Medicaid system, and it has very specific medical and financial qualifying guidelines.

To qualify medically, applicants will be interviewed by a nurse or social worker who will come to your apartment. The interviewer will ask for a list of current medications and recent medical records. Questions are designed to evaluate activities of daily living (“Can you dress yourself? How long does it take?”). They may ask about recent falls, as well as orientation to time and place. In order to qualify medically an applicant’s level of need must be determined to be at or near a nursing home level of care. I often observe these interviews on Campus and have found the interviewers to be friendly and helpful.

While the majority of people who receive ALTCS services do live in assisted living or higher level of care, an ALTCS designation does not mandate setting.  If an individual lives at large in the community, or in an independent living apartment here on Campus, they can still qualify for ALTCS services. However, in these cases ALTCS will provide (pay for) caregivers to assist with needs; these caregivers can be from an agency or someone of your own choosing, including your spouse. If you are in independent living, ALTCS will not help pay for rent. If you live in assisted living, they will.

The second qualifying category is financial. Income and assets are evaluated to see if a person meets the qualifying standard. If you have over $2,000 in a checking account, or earn more than $2,250 per month (these numbers change for married couples) you will not appear to be financially eligible. However, the financial guidelines can get complicated. For example, if you earn over the monthly limit, but meet other criteria, you can have an income-only trust set up that will allow you to qualify. It can pay in the long run to have your application handled by experienced ALTCS planning professionals or elder law attorneys. Please feel free to contact me at x16117 if you have questions about ALTCS.*

Beware; You Need to Be Aware

For those of you with Medicare Part A and Part B insurance, the following may come as a surprise to you.  What I am referring to is, over the last few years, there had been an increase in the hospital admission practice of admitting patients under an outpatient “observation” status versus an “inpatient” status.  While we don’t see this happening as often, it is still something to be aware of and keep fresh in your mind.

Some Medicare patients have found that after being admitted into the hospital for a few nights, they were then discharged to a skilled nursing facility and that their stay was not going to be covered under their Medicare Part A benefits because when they were admitted to the hospital, they were admitted under an outpatient “observation” status.

The difference between an outpatient “observation” status and “inpatient” status according to Medicare.gov, is that an “inpatient” status means you are formally admitted to the hospital per a doctor’s order.  An “observation” status means a doctor has not written an order to admit you to the hospital.  This may be the case if you are getting emergency care, observation services, outpatient surgery, lab test, x-rays, etc. Medicare.gov also states, “The decision for inpatient hospital admission is a complex medical decision based on your doctor’s judgment and your need for medically necessary hospital care. An inpatient admission is generally appropriate when you’re expected to need two or more midnights of medically necessary hospital care, but your doctor must order such admission and the hospital must formally admit you in order for you to become an inpatient.”

What does all of this mean? If you have been admitted as an “inpatient”, Medicare Part A will cover your hospital services after you have met your deductible as well as will cover eligible drugs administered as part of your inpatient treatment during a covered stay.  Medicare Part A will also cover 100% for the first 20 days in an approved skilled nursing facility or rehab if the patient had spent at least three midnights in the hospital admitted as an “inpatient”.  If you were classified as “observation”, Part A will not cover the services.  Medicare Part B can cover your hospital services; however, a copay is required and varies depending on the service.   Additionally, prescription drug coverage during an outpatient “observation” stay is not covered by Part A or Part B potentially leading to more out of pocket expenses.   Medicare Part B may be used in skilled nursing facilities to cover the physician visits as well as the rehabilitative therapies prescribed.

What can you do to avoid this type of situation?  AARP offers the following tips:

  1. Ask about your admission status each day you are in the hospital as it may change.
  2. Ask the hospital doctor to reconsider your case if you were admitted under an “observation” status.
  3. Ask your own doctor whether “observation” status is justified. If not, ask him/her to call the hospital to speak with the hospital doctor for an explanation.

For more detailed information on how Medicare covers hospital services, including premiums, deductibles, copayments, or any other questions you have about Medicare, you may reach out to Josephine Levy, our Success Matters Resource Navigator who is also a Medicare State Health Insurance Program Counselor, at x16117.  You may also visit Medicare.gov/publications to view the “Medicare & You” handbook or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.*

Keeping Older Adults Connected to Community

The word “community” is a tricky term to pin down nowadays. Members of a Facebook group may have never met in real life and consider their digital interactions, wherein they’ve never heard each other’s voice, to have communal components. And residents of a large apartment building might be part of a community, although their only interactions with neighbors are awkward silences in the elevator, or a nod as they pass each other in the hallway. In senior living communities, the term means something very different.

One can think about a retirement community in its most basic form: a roof, four walls and many resident apartments and rooms in various buildings with a lot of furniture. But the people who make up a community make it much more than just a roof over residents’ heads. There are the residents, their families and the employees. As I leaf through some photos from holiday parties at previous communities at which I have served as well as those at Beatitudes Campus, I’m struck by how many employees brought their own children and other loved ones into the communities to celebrate the holidays.

That sort of interconnectedness reflects what Beatitudes Campus is all about: the people. Connectedness is about people. When prospective residents come to visit the campus, the most common things they ask are whether the community is right for them and, if would it be OK if they talk to other residents. We actively encourage prospective residents to get to know the people who live at the campus by sharing a meal, going shopping or just hanging out together over coffee. It’s kind of like dating. You can tell after half an hour or so if the person on the other end of the table, or beside you at the bar, is someone you want to go out with again or hang out with as friends.

Feel the energy of connectedness. In my 25 years working in aging services, I’ve noticed something about senior living communities. You can feel the energy of the community – or the lack thereof – very quickly. Are people active and engaged? I’ve seen enough to know that when that energy and activity are present, it’s very likely due to the cultivating efforts of the senior management and the staff. When they hold this value high, they can facilitate a great energy and sense of interconnectedness. How proud I am to know that is a core value and a daily determined effort by not only our life enrichment department, but of the campus as a whole—staff and residents alike.

The wisdom of staying connected? That interconnectedness not only makes residents feel more comfortable and engaged, it also has tremendous health benefits. When residents were surveyed who are at least 100 years old for the e-book “100 Years of Wisdom: The Perspective of Centenarians,” many of the centenarians cited their marriages and their relationships with family and friends as factors in their longevity. Of course, there were differences; some centenarians felt that abstaining from alcohol and smoking helped them live very long lives, while others swore by the efficacy of their regular whiskeys. But the benefits of communal living and close relationships were a common benefit that was cited frequently.

Most people want to feel a sense of belonging and satisfaction in finding their purpose and meaning. And many residents of senior living communities find that sense of belonging amongst their peers who are all living together within a common context and vision.
As aging takes place, we may find it harder to remove ourselves from our comfort zone. Meeting new people and welcoming them into one’s life can be stressful and difficult even under the best of circumstances. But as people age, they refine and fine-tune their emotional intelligence. In a community where members bring long lives full of wisdom and experience, a lot of great ideas and stories are sure to get shared.

Staying connected doesn’t mean loss of privacy. And, of course, there’s no pressure. Residents have their own living spaces. They can choose to stay in their apartments and read a book, or they can meet a small group of friends in a community room, or invite them over for coffee. They can be as active as they want to be.

As we near the end of another fiscal year here at the campus, I’ve been thinking about how Valen-tine’s Day falls in February. Wouldn’t the day celebrating love and warm connections make more sense in the spring or summer? Irrespective, what is great to know is that no matter what point on the calendar, whatever sort of relationship or friendship residents are looking for, the key is to feel part of a larger community, where they can feel comfortable, safe and appreciated and where, as my friend Rev. Jerry Roseberry often quips, “to have a great third act.”

Going Places

One of the toughest decisions that older adults make is to give up driving. Cars mean independence. However, younger generations are finding they may not be so eager to buy a car. There may be economic reasons for this, but there are also new technological developments that let people of all ages get where they want to go without the full cost of owning a car.

Meeting Your Needs, Whatever They May Be

As you know, living at Beatitudes Campus has many benefits. Did you know that one of the most important is that you have a full continuum of care services available to you should you ever need them? We would like you to be aware of what is available to you prior to you possibly needing the services.

Recently, while taking part in The Design Studio, I was asked if I could explain what is needed or how we determine what level of care or services someone needs. That was the perfect time for me to give a shameless plug for a presentation which will be given on Tuesday, February 14th. I shared that myself and the Directors of these areas on campus will discuss this information and much more and encouraged everyone to attend. I am sure there’s many of you with questions like—how many of you are wondering what services are provided on each floor of the Health Care Center? What is the difference between Independent Living and Assisted Living? What services are offered on campus that may help support you in staying in your apartment longer? Also, have you been curious as to what Medicare services are available on campus? How about the cost of services? You will find out these answers plus a whole lot more if you join us for this informative presentation in the Agelink Great Room on Tuesday, February 14th at 3PM.

During this 90 minute presentation—graciously sponsored by The Health and Wellness Committee and Lifelong Learners—you will hear from not only me, but also Teresa Borton,  Health Care Center Director of Nursing; Elizabeth Kerr, Administrator/Clinical Director of Beatitudes Home Health and Beatitudes at Home; and Ron Ingram, Director of Assisted Living and Early Memory Support.

Please don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn about what care services the campus offers in what is sure to be a fun and interactive way. Hope to see you on the 14th at 3PM.

National AMD & Low Vision Awareness Month

February is National Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month, and many of the residents at Beatitudes experience low vision in various forms. Macular degeneration causes loss of central vision and is one of the most common low vision diagnoses amongst older adults, but others on campus have glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and numerous other visual conditions. What many don’t realize, however, is that almost all older adults experience age-related changes in vision.  These age-related changes frequently include increased sensitivity to glare, diminished ability to see contrast, increased sensitivity to light changes, decreased depth perception, diminished visual acuity or sharpness, and decreased ability to see in dim light.  For example, according to University of Kentucky researchers, an 80 year-old needs four times the amount of light to see things as clearly as they did in their 20s!  Thankfully, there are a number of great resources in place to assist residents at Beatitudes Campus to navigate age-related vision changes.

The Low Vision Support Group meets on the second Friday of each month at 1PM in Boardroom East to share resources and support for those who are coping with varying degrees of vision loss. This group is open to ALL residents, and it publishes a reference list of eye doctors, optometrists, specialists, and local organizations that provide services for the visually impaired. In addition to sharing news and information about the latest developments in eye care and vision technology advancements, the Low Vision Support Group makes buttons available to residents with low vision, so that they can easily identify themselves to others.  You may notice your friends and neighbors wearing a button that says, “I HAVE LOW VISION.”  When you see others wearing these buttons, please be mindful of the fact that they may not be able to see your face clearly and may need extra time to orient themselves to their surroundings.  As a courtesy to all residents on campus who may have low vision (whether or not they wear the button), please identify yourself when you say hello.

As an occupational therapist and Director of Success Matters, one of my roles also includes working with individual residents to help make their environments more visually accessible —  from home lighting to computers.  For individualized information on setting up your apartment for improved visibility, feel free to call me, Jessica Meyer, at x16110.  Please contact Mark Pelkey at x15586 or Mary Lou Philips at x18371 for additional information about upcoming Low Vision Support Group meetings.

Foundation for the Future

Dining Services has a long standing tradition of developing talent within the department. Most of our current supervisors were servers or cooks within the department. We hire a large number of younger people in Dining Services. Many of the people we hire have no interest in a career in Dining Services. That’s okay. We understand not everyone will be a “lifer” like me. However, we do get a large number of very vibrant, personable and talented individuals entering our doors. We teach them how to provide a customer service experience and work with others while serving their 700 new grandparents.

Many great careers have been launched in food service mostly as a stop gap to earn money while going to school. Our very own CEO, Michelle Just, got her start in food service as a bartender during college before beginning her healthcare career as an administrator in Denver. When Michelle moved to Arizona, she started at the Campus in 2000 as a marketing counselor, was promoted to VP of Fund Development, then Sr. VP, Health Services before ultimately being promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the Campus in 2014.

Many others within Dining Services have developed and transferred to other departments starting as servers and working their way up to lead server then supervisor. After having this experience, they transferred to Human Resources, Life Enrichment, Resident Services, Transportation, and Welcome Center roles. We love to see our people develop and learn. Who knows, our next CEO in the future might have been a Campus Dining Services team member!

The Dining Services Department has recently launched an intentional development tool titled “Path to Promotion” to ensure formal growth paths for staff.  Team members are invited to participate and given activities within the department designed specifically to learn the next steps on the path to promotion, so that they are ready when a next level position comes available. The persons in the program will be mentored through the steps on the path by their immediate supervisor and frequent conversations will take place with the staff member along the path until they have developed competency in the activities and are ready to come off the bench and fill a next level role within the department.

Beatitudes Campus is a leader in senior living and it only makes sense to develop people and become a learning organization.  Further developing on the gifts and talents our team members possess will assist not only in providing an exceptional customer experience for current residents, but will continue our legacy into the future as the premier place in Arizona to live or work.

P.S.  I’d love to hear from you if you have grown here at the Campus.  Please leave a comment below about your experience.