10 Ways for Pittsburgh Seniors to Celebrate Fall

A skilled nursing facility is administered b6 professionals under the direction of a physician.  Many facilities also offer sub-acute, respite, rehabilitation and other short-term care.  Rehabilitation services can be especially helpful for individuals who are recovering from surgery, an illness or any other life-changing event.  These communities service as permanent residences for those who are too sick or frail to live at home, or as temporary facilities during a recovery period.  Some residents enter a nursing care for a short-term stay after a surgery or illness, while others enter on a more permanent basis.  Medicare, Medicaid, private pay insurance and personal assets are all used under various circumstances to pay for services in a skilled nursing facility.  If a facility if is not certified by Medicare and Medicaid, the care will have to paid entirely with personal funds.  In general, Medicare pays for skilled nursing care following a hospitalization for the same illness or condition at 100% of the cost for days 1-20.  Some long-term care insurance pays for nursing care centers; insurance payments are usually a fixed amount for a specified number of qualified days.  The basic daily rate is the standard charge the nursing care centers bills to all residents, which covers the fundamental services every resident receives, including rent for the room, housekeeping, meals and general nursing care.  It is important to understand all the services that are not included in the basic daily rate.  Below is a checklist to review options:PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Are public areas and resident rooms clean and comfortable?Is ample parking available for visitors? Are private rooms available? Does the community have a pet?Does the community have safety features, such as handrails and grab bars? Are the exits clearly marked?RESIDENT AND STAFF INTERACTIONHow many Registered Nurses (RNs) and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are on staff? What type of education and training do staff members have?Do all staff members undergo screenings and background checks prior to employment?How does the community handle residents who need additional care and support?Is there a care plan developed for every resident?Are care plans reviewed and updated by providers and family members?Is the interaction between residents and staff members warm and respectful?What is the staff-to-resident ratio for each level of care?Do staff members respond to residents' requests for assistance promptly?What is the staff-to-resident ratio at night and on weekends?CERTIFICATION AND LICENSUREWhat levels of care does the community offer?Skilled nursing care?Short-term rehabilitation?Memory care?LOCATION Is the community conveniently located for friends and family to visit?Is the community near preferred medical providers?OVERALL IMPRESSIONDoes the community look and feel like a place you could call home?Sources: www.whereyoulivematters.org, a resource powered by the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) and www.medicare.gov, Medicare's Nursing Home Checklist

Isolation and loneliness are not new concepts to those who work in the field of aging. And, as a result of the COVID pandemic, almost everyone, regardless of age, experienced some form of isolation and loneliness. Many of us were separated from family, friends, and coworkers for so long that the isolation left a nearly permanent mark. As a senior service provider, Cultivate has seen, firsthand, the negative effects isolation has had on our senior clients. We have also seen the power of healing that the volunteers provide when they take time to build connections with our clients. According to the CDC, loneliness and social isolation in adults can lead to serious health conditions beyond the effect it has on mental health. The senior population has been disproportionately affected by isolation for years, and it is only in the aftermath of the pandemic that much of the population can begin to understand. Society saw a surge in volunteerism during the beginning of the pandemic because many people were struggling with the loneliness of quarantine while becoming very aware of the fact their neighbors needed help. However, that surge ended, and non-profits are finding a significant reduction in the number of new volunteers. Many forget that just because most of the population is no longer quarantined, this does not mean that the issues of isolation have disappeared. There are different ways that the community can get involved to help reduce isolation and loneliness in seniors. This work can start by reaching out to family, friends, and neighbors. You never know how much of an impact your time and words can have on someone. Volunteerism is also a good way to reach people who need the most help. Often the volunteers get as much out of their experience as those they are helping do. Whatever you choose, remember that we all know what it feels like to be lonely, and we all have the power to relieve the loneliness of others. Editors Note: This article was submitted by Carly Marquis. Carly is the Director of Volunteers with Cultivate and may be reached at 303-443-1933 or by email at cmarquis@cultivate.ngo.

Written by: Patti Chenis, WEC Team SupervisorContemplative Practices/ meditation/mindfulness are beneficial ways to strengthen our wellbeing, resilience, and develop a fuller capacity to recognize the healing power in ones heart to work with stress and difficult challenges.Mindfulness is knowing what you are doing as you are doing it. It is bringing awareness to your present moment lived experience. Bringing our attention to breathing is one of the most widely used objects of meditation and anchor for our attention. Continually coming back to the attention and awareness of our breath brings a sense of precision, (being in the present moment-connecting to our life force of breath) gentleness, (allowing whatever is arising e.g. thoughts, emotions, sensations to be as they are without judgement and returning to our awareness of breath) and openness ( being curious about the richness and fullness of our experience).Mindfulness can be developed as a formal practice on meditation cushion, chair, standing up, lying down or walking meditation. The point of meditation is to remember to bring mindfulness (that conscious awareness of being in our present lived experience) into daily life, so you could say any aspect our lives can be a mindfulness practice.Her are some thoughts about bringing mindfulness, loving kindness, self-compassion and compassion into daily life.Deep Conscious BreathsTaking some deep conscious breaths in the morning or whenever you feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or want a fresh restart in you daily life. Before you do something stress- full, step back and take some deep breaths; research shows deep breaths calm the nervous system.MovementWalking (especially getting out and enjoying nature), yoga, tai chi, qigong, dancing to your favorite music, laughter (full belly laughs can do wonders for the spirit-try it), singing your favorite song(s); crying (allow yourself to feel the release that crying can bring e.g. tears of sadness, joy) whatever gets your energy moving and flowing.Self-compassion and compassion practicesDispel the myths that self-compassion is selfish or that we are not worthy of love and wellbeing. Research show that offering words of loving kindness to oneself changes our brain and improves our resilience, strengthens our immune system and increases our capacity to be of benefit to others. When we feel resourced and have a sense of well-being our capacity to work with stress and difficult emotions is greater.Good morning Practice:Good morning (put your name here) I love you. You can repeat this in the morning or anytime during the day to interject some good will toward oneself or someone else in your life if it is difficult to say this about yourself at first.Compassion is not only feeling empathy and emotional connection to the suffering of others but also wanting to relieve that suffering. It is the courage to open our hearts to our own suffering as well as that of others and that we are all interconnected, in the same boat so to speak. We can offer words of care and loving kindness to ourselves, mentors (someone who has been kind to us) friends, strangers, difficult people, as well as to all beings as we open our heart of compassion to include all. May I and all beings have happiness, well-being, safety, health and live at ease and in harmony.