Besides holiday parties in the nursing homes right around Christmas time, there are several other activities that <a rel=”external nofollow” target=”_blank” href=http://www.greatplacesinc.com/features/AssistedLiving.aspx>assisted living</a> centers have in store.
Local And Community Plays
Besides the local theater, stage house or ballet, affordable plays and performances done by elementary schools, junior highs and high schools are just as entertaining, more affordable and often times in need of more attendees.
Christmas Light Displays
An affordable and beautiful activity for seniors is taking in the sites from the comfort and mobility of an assisted living bus or van.
Decorating Holiday Cookies
Decorating holiday cookies is an affordable and fun way-as well as delicious way to celebrate the holidays. Decorated holiday cookies can be given to their family members or last as dessert throughout the week.
Knitting, Scrapbooking, Ornament Making Classes
Gather anyone who is interested in learning how to make a gift from the heart for their loved ones in the activity area and have an “expert” guest come and demonstrate making scrap books, ornaments or other crafty projects like knitted scarves, hats or potholders for family gifts.
Sleigh Ride
More of a splurge say than other outings or activities- a sleigh ride is a fun, festive thrilling activity that is still okay for sedentary individuals. Nothing says winter holiday like a sleigh ride.
Nativity Event
For your religious residents, making plans to attend a church nativity performance or other choir concert may be a very popular activity that more than your religious residents will treasure.
Christmas Tree Decorating Party
Once everyone has made an ornament, the next best thing to do is to have a Christmas tree decorating party to show them all off. Make it a social and festive event complete with lights, eggnog and music.
Candy Cane, Holiday Cake Tours
There are several different companies around town that offer free tours of their facilities- be it candy cane factories to holiday card printing presses. See what factories are in your area and plan for an exciting and interesting outing.
Even during these hard economic times, there are several things assisted living facilities can do to make the season more festive. From crafts and parties in house to free events out about town, there is no reason any assisted living calendars shouldn’t be filled with holiday themed events.
Watch the video related to assisted living
Seniors who choose assisted living enjoy a vibrant, independent lifestyle, with assistance customized to meet their personal needs. Residents enjoy a community where comfort, dignity, family connectedness and social activities are promoted. More than 1 million Americans are currently living in 36000 assisted living communities.
Help answer the question about assisted living
Where can I find appliances for assisted living homes?Im trying to find a distributor that specializes in selling appliances such as bathtubs, stove tops, etc for assisted living (senior homes). If anyone has any info for me it would be greatly appreciated.
note: I dont need it for myself. Im a realtor and im trying to convert a building.
About Author
About the author: Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information regarding assisted living, go to Great Places.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Basically it would depend on if she is going to be on any state or government assistance; if so, then yes, they will take any assets in order to offset the cost. If she is not, her personal property should remain her own. She can also consider selling or putting her property in someone else's name (one of her children perhaps), but check into the laws in your area as there are sometimes time frames that are applicable.
Check these out:
http://www.yellowpages.com/Akron-OH/Assisted-Living-Facilities?From=qpiCityState
You should be able to get information from a home health care provider on how to get assistance from the government and be able to get appliances, etc. free or for little money. If you call a home health care company, you can just get the informaiton to the goverment offices that help with this sort of thing. My neighbor did this and got a new fridge free because her social security wouldn't cover it but she was able to get what she needed for free. Good Luck.
Hi! Congratulations on getting your CNA! That's an accomplishment!
Your pay probably depends on experience, and certainly depends on what area of the country you live in. In our area — Chicago suburbs — the average a CNA makes is $11- $16 an hour. I used CareerBuilder.com to research this. You enter your own zipcode, and it spits out averages. Other areas of the country, especially the South and rural areas, likely pay much less than this.
At an assisted living facility, the residents are rated according to level of care they need. Some are still pretty "with it" and need very minimal care, such as only a wake-up call, transfers, bedmaking, or stand-by assist with bath/ shower. However, many people could still be a High Fall risk, even if their mind is good, because their balance is not so good anymore.
Others need MUCH more help, even to incontinence care. Especially in the "Memory" or "Reminisce" units, for people with Alzheimers or dementia, the residents might need a good bit of personal care — feeding, dressing, and toileting.
Many CNAs like working in Assisted Living facilities because often the residents are not as debilitated physically and mentally as those in nursing homes. Often they become very close to their clients — like family– and they relate on a very personal level.
(TIP: An important tip for every CNA to remember is that most older folk do NOT like being called "honey" or "dearie" or being talked down to like a child. Speaking in a respectful way is always the best policy. It does not mean you have to be formal — just don't belittle their intelligence just because they might have some memory or physical problems.)
Many hospitals will not hire an inexperienced CNA, because the fast pace of a hospital is not the place to perfect your skills. So, many CNAs get nursing home experience first, and then they see if a hospital will hire them. Also, some hospitals use fewer un-licensed staff these days than they used to, preferring to try to keep to all RN/LPN staff. However, other hospitals have such a shortage of staff that they are willing to hire even inexperienced workers.
You would probably want to make sure ANY facility you hire into has a good orientation program — don't hesitate to ask questions about how long theirs is, and what is covered, and who you can ask when you have problems or questions.
There is no doubt that the CNA is an important member of the health care team. Often, it is the experienced CNA who recognizes that skin is starting to break down, or that "something is just not quite right with" Mrs. "X", and asks the RN or LPN to look in on the resident or patient. The wise RN and LPN will listen to the reports of the CNA.
i hope this helps! good luck on your career! And remember, some facilities will help pay for further schooling after you have worked with them a while. Keep this in mind if you decide to go on to your LPN or RN.
kathy, MSN, RN
I do not agree with your reasoning about the accompanying person deduction (a $50 per day lodging deduction for an accompanying person who is required to travel with the patient for treatment away from home) applying to the spouse. There is no section of the IRS code that supports your position.
In fact, the wife could be living in the facility without a spouse, it happens all the time. While the husband is in the facility only because his wife is there and he chooses to be there, it is not necessary that the husband accompany the wife in the assisted living facility. His lodging would not be deductible.
Only the portion of the fee for the wife which is related to medical treatment would be deducted as a medical expense. If the fees cannot be separated between husband and wife, I believe the IRS would accept 50% of the fee as a medical expense for the wife. If there is a surcharge for nursing care for the wife, of course add that to the normal charges. The wife's meals are also deductible, but not the husband's.
There is no extension of the time limit for an amendment in this case.
According to the National Alzheimer's Association, statistical data such as that you're seeking isn't really maintained at a national level. Each state has its own HQ, so unfortunately, the best way to get national data would be to contact the HQ for each state and use the data collected to extrapolate an aggregate number.
That said, there's a national-level Alzheimer's Association Library that was recommended by the director of public education at the National HQ. That library may maintain records from each state, so you could get the information you need from one source.
You can contact the Alzheimer's Association Official Library at (312) 335-5767.
As much as they want.
contact the state for their guidelines and criteria
Hi,
Having recently had my mother in both of these types of facilities, it differs by level of care and also the staffing requirements.
In a nursing home (sometimes called skilled nursing of SNF), the patients typically require more advanced therapies like IVs, wound care, PT or OT. SNFs have strict requirements in most states regarding the number of RNs, LVNs and CNAs per patient. These facilities can be long-term care but are also used as transitional facilities for folks that are recovering from surgeries (i.e. someone needs IV antibiotics for a month).
Assisted living is not really medically oriented. It is designed to provide assistance with daily tasks like dressing, cleaning, bathroom, etc. Some facilities have a no-dimentia policy and some are licensed to care for alzheimers patients. There are not strict requirements for nursing or LVNs on staff, and most do not require full-time nurses. Most use med-techs for medication management. The patients in assisted living are mostly all long-term and there can be (with the right place) a more familial environment.
I often got questions like these from friends and family, so ended up started a blog to discuss these kinds of issues. Feel free to check it out, or send me a private note if you want to chat more. Good luck on the new gig!
Ryan
http://assisted-living-guide.blogspot.com