Author: Cambrian Senior Living

There is no doubt that helping a parent or loved one make the move from living at home to an assisted living community involves a lot of change. It will possibly be the most dramatic change that they’ve had to make in a very long time. With any change often comes stress and uncertainty, but there are things that you can do today to help this process become a little easier for everyone.

First, always start with open and honest conversation. As we grow older, our health needs increase. If symptoms of health problems are making daily life tasks difficult to complete, an assisted living setting can offer the specific care that is needed. It may be beneficial to make a list with your loved one, talk about their daily routine and where they know they need additional support.

Unfortunately, some of our loved ones will be resistant to the idea of getting help, even when it’s clear that help is needed. Try talking about your concerns in other ways. Ask them what chores do they find the most fatiguing? And be honest about what you as a friend or family member can and can’t do! We all have additional responsibilities that take up our time and energy, we simply can’t do it all. Here is a sample list of tasks which may begin to become a challenge:

• Walking and getting around the house and yard
• Grocery shopping
• Preparing meals
• House cleaning and chores
• Transportation
• Managing medications
• Dressing, Bathing, and Basic Hygiene

A visit with their health care professional can also be beneficial to clarify any medical challenges they are facing. It’s important to listen to your loved one and develop empathy towards what they are experiencing. It can be hard for any of us to admit we need help, and yet the chores of everyday life may be starting to overwhelm them. At Cambrian Senior Living, every resident is given careful and considerate care, support where needed and the respect and encouragement towards the things each individual can do on their own. An assessment is given to each new resident to help determine the level of care that will give them the utmost benefits for a full life.

Moving out of a home, and away from a familiar neighborhood can be emotional. Experiencing feelings of grief over leaving their home, or simply the loss of a lifestyle is very common. It’s important to acknowledge these feelings and not try to minimize them. However, it’s okay to share the benefits that come with making such a move as well. Mandy Otto, who is the Life Enrichment Coordinator at the Cambrian Senior Living center has said, “The Cambrian management and staff care about honoring your loved one and giving them the care and interactions that will help them be able to enjoy their life with fewer frustrations. We make everything we can into an activity; cooking together, setting the table, gardening. Our residents stay engaged throughout the day and frequently I see this positively impact both their physical health and mental clarity.”

It can be true that leaving what is known and comfortable may seem like a surrender to the elderly. It can also be true that transitioning into a well run assisted living community, like Cambrian Senior Living, can bring real victories in the quality of your loved one’s life. If you would like to see these benefits in person schedule a tour at either our Tecumseh or South Lyon location.

All of us, at some point in life, have started to leave for work in the morning and not known where we put our keys from the day before. Or perhaps you’ve walked into a room but forgotten why you went there in the first place. These types of memory lapses are completely normal, albeit occasionally frustrating. When you’re caring for an older friend or family member though, observing moments of forgetfulness in them can become worrisome. A daughter of an aging parent recently shared with me some of her experiences as she began to notice a change in her father,

“When Dad first couldn’t remember by supper what he had for lunch I thought I needed to watch for other signs of memory loss. But it wasn’t until about three months later that within one week I noticed a big change. He forgot how to run his TV remote, use his cell phone correctly, and misplaced his medicine three different times. He was becoming increasingly more frustrated. This is when I first called his doctor and asked for help regarding my Dad’s decline with his memory and thinking skills.”

The Mayo Clinic defines dementia as a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America reports that the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. It has been estimated that there are 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease today. So, as your loved one ages it’s important to understand the differences between normal age-related forgetfulness, and symptoms that may point to some form of dementia. The AFA provides this sample list of symptoms that may warrant an appointment with a doctor for your loved one.

• Trouble with new memories
• Relying on memory helpers
• Trouble finding words
• Struggling to complete familiar actions
• Confusion about time, place or people
• Misplacing familiar objects
• Onset of new depression or irritability
• Making bad decisions
• Personality changes
• Loss of interest in important responsibilities
• Seeing or hearing things
• Expressing false beliefs

Most importantly if your loved one is experiencing difficulty with daily life because of memory loss, it is time to reach out.

It’s heartbreaking to see the people that we have depended on, and have looked up to, begin to struggle as they age. The very people who have been so strong for us are now in need of our help. In order to help them we must surround ourselves with the resources of medical knowledge and caregiver experience. Cambrian Senior Living offers this knowledge and experience with a compassionate staff who are dedicated to the care of the aging seniors, and the support of their family.

On the third Thursday of every month, Cambrian holds a support group meeting in Tecumseh, MI for the friends and family of loved ones with memory loss concerns. This is a great opportunity to give and receive social support as you talk and listen to others who are experiencing some of the same challenges. Caring for someone with dementia can be wearying and hard to balance with the other responsibilities in your life.

Understanding more about the disorder, and gaining advice and encouragement from others can make all the difference.

Additional Resources:

Age-Related Memory Loss information

2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures

The Cambrian Group, a Michigan based senior living development and management company is constructing a state-of-the-art living community designed to meet the unique, individual needs of seniors in South Lyon, Michigan.  The property is located at 52365 Ten Mile in Lyon Township, Michigan. Livonia based Canzano Contracting Corporation, which has built many residential communities in the area, is the general contractor for the project. The 70,000 square foot building will feature 71 private apartments with four different floor plans.  A variety of common area living spaces will also be offered throughout the setting: multiple dining areas, activity and social spaces, a library and billiard room, a beauty salon and spa, a workshop, a meditation room, and two inner courtyards with fountains, elevated planters, walkways and benches in a richly landscaped setting.  The project is already approved for a 2nd phase of construction which will add an additional 28 apartments.  Construction on Phase II will commence after Phase I is fully occupied.

The development started in May of last year and the estimated opening date will be late Fall of 2016.  The property included an 18,000 square foot emergency telecommunications structure built in the 1990’s which was designed to survive disasters.  Rather than tearing it down, the developer incorporated it into the design of the new building which will offer residents a safer space to evacuate to during severe weather.

Cambrian Senior Living will offer both assisted living and memory care services.  The assisted living operations will provide hospitality features such as dining services, housekeeping, laundry, and activities, as well as assistance with activities of daily living (ADL’s) such as ambulating, bathing, dressing, taking medications, etc.  The memory care operations will do the same, but in addition the living spaces are secured, the staff are trained in Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and the life enrichment programming is specialized for the unique needs of the individual living with the challenges of memory loss.   

According to Cambrian’s owner, Gareth Zebley, “As seniors continue to live longer, healthier lives the incident rate for advanced dementia and Alzheimer’s disease also increases.  Nearly 50% of seniors who are 85, and older, are negatively affected.  The South Lyon and Lyon Township areas indicated a need for a modern Home For the Aged licensed facility like the one Cambrian is developing.  Local seniors currently need to travel to towns outside of Lyon Township to find comparable facilities and care.” 

“The senior care market has seen an array of technology improvements recently that allow operators to improve the quality of care for their residents while preserving their dignity.  Tools such as Electronic Charting and EMars (medication administration), improve quality of care, state-of-the-art monitoring systems help reduce the risk of elopements and falls, and web-based training provides consistency in educating our employees.  While these are nice tools, in the end we are still a business of people serving people.  Our mission continues to be hiring individuals who have a passion to serve seniors, and give them the training and resources they need to provide excellent care.”  said Zebley.    

This project will create 80 new jobs when fully occupied. Positions include nurses, caregivers, dietary professionals, maintenance professionals, housekeepers, activity specialists, and office administrators. Hiring efforts will begin in June.

Cambrian Senior Living is always looking at ways to conserve energy and resources, while still insuring they meet the ever evolving building codes.  The vast majority of lighting for this project are specified as LED lights as well as other low energy light fixtures which will provide lighting at a much lower operating and maintenance cost.  Modern HVAC systems will include advanced management systems that are much more energy efficient. Overall, the building is designed and built to meet, or exceed, the current energy efficiency codes.

The Cambrian Group is owned and operated by South Lyon residents Gareth and Denise Zebley.  They are hands-on operators of their communities, and this helps differentiate Cambrian from other more corporate senior living settings.  They currently own and operate two other senior living communities both located in Tecumseh, Michigan.  Cambrian Senior Living just celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary from its inception in 2005. 

Cambrian is accepting reservations for residency now in anticipation of it’s opening this fall.  For more information about room selection and pricing please call 517-423-5300 and specify you are interested in the South Lyon location.

Did a phone call wake you late at night? Or perhaps you were heading into a meeting at work? Now, you’re quickly making your way to the emergency department because Aunt Helen had a fall and may have broken her leg. Or maybe Dad called the ambulance with chest pains and now you’re on the phone with doctors and nurses.

The CDC reports that from 2009-2010, adults aged 65 and older made 19.6 million visits to the emergency department. Regardless if you are there in person, or miles away, there are things that you can do to help your loved one and ensure they receive consistent care. The Family Care Alliance conveys the importance of advocating for the patient and for yourself. They state,

“Effective discharge planning can decrease the chances that your relative is readmitted to the hospital, help in recovery, ensure medications are prescribed and given correctly, and adequately prepare you to take over your loved one’s care.”

Thorough communication as your friend or family member leaves the hospital can help to make a steady progression from one form of care to another. Here are three useful points to consider:

• Hospitals in the US do not have a universal system for discharging patients. Doctors authorize a patient’s release but they are not commonly involved with completing the discharge. Talk to the doctor or nursing staff about who will be completing this task for your loved one. Some hospitals have case managers on staff, others rely on social workers or the nurses themselves. Having a name and phone number will keep you in direct contact with the person in charge of this process, instead of waiting on messages to be relayed.
• Take notes. Surely, you will have many questions but you will also receive many answers. You will probably have conversations with multiple doctors and countless nurses. Writing the information down will help you recall it correctly later, and settle any inconsistencies that may come up. Medicare.gov has also offered a free, printable Discharge Planning Checklist.
• Make contact with the assisted living community that you’ve chosen. When that unexpected hospital stay turns into an unprepared move to an assisted living, Cambrian Senior Living has staff available to help walk you through the process. If you’ve written it down, you can even give them the name and contact information for the person who is handling your loved ones discharge plan.

Jen, whose family member is a resident at Cambrian recently told me about the personal attentiveness she has experienced,
“Throughout my life, I’ve been in many similar types of facilities, but Cambrian was hands down the most impressive. Initially I was blown away by the beautiful building decorated in such peaceful decor. Then, I had interactions with so many kind staff members. I NEVER felt like Eric was a number there. Many people gave him tremendous care.”

Call today to talk to a staff member, schedule a tour or make arrangements. Cambrian Senior Living cares about your loved one, and will help do everything they can to assure a smooth transition from the hospital to the Cambrian community.

As with most things in life there are different perspectives for the best way to handle a situation.  How to approach and handle the aging process we face on a daily basis is no different.  Being able to remain at home for as long as possible is a popular school of thought, but with that choice also comes the responsibility to be able to assess when choosing to stay at home can begin to have its drawbacks.  The top two issues that often arise are safety risks leading to falls and decreased socialization leading to loneliness, depression and decreased brain health. 

Complications that arise from falling is the number one factor that causes seniors to lose their ability to maintain their independence.  Therefore, knowing your personal risk factors based on health status and living environment is very important.  Choosing a senior living community that is right for you can be a proactive way to decrease your risk of falling.  Many seniors find themselves living at home with stairs to climb, or a bathtub to step up and into when it’s time to shower.  These barriers can make it difficult, and most senior living communities offer a completely barrier free setting designed to make mobility safe and easy.  The flooring selections in these settings often have a very short pile carpet among other easy to manage coverings promoting an easy surface to walk with a shuffled gait, or to maneuver through with a walker or wheel chair.  Color selections also come into play making the living environments a visually friendly space to live, even with impairments.  Residing in a secure environment designed with the aging senior in mind, coupled with having staff onsite available 24/7 at the push of a button often gives seniors and their families great peace-of-mind.

The other very important benefit of being in a setting where you can live among your contemporaries is the socialization that comes naturally.   Residing in your own senior living apartment gives you the option for privacy at any time.  Yet, you can open your apartment door and be on your way to a nourishing meal that you didn’t have to shop for and prepare, as well as many activities and wellness options that are made available at various times throughout each day.  Meal times and activities give residents the opportunity to enjoy the company of others, making loneliness much less of an emotional concern.  Simply engaging with others keeps the neurons in your brain firing, which wards off the propensity of dementia type symptoms setting in.  A growing body of research studies link a robust social life with stronger long-term cognitive functioning.  This refers to the ‘use it or lose it principle’ and it yields a tremendously positive influence on your brain’s cognitive and emotional mechanics. 

If you think it is time to learn more about senior living options near you, contact the Area Agency on Aging at 517-592-1974.  Also, a complimentary lunch and tour is being offered to all Lenawee County seniors at Cambrian Senior Living in Tecumseh.  Please call ahead to Laura Beyer at 517-423-5300 or Laura@CambrianAssisted.com. 

Published in The Daily Telegram as a Silver Threads Feature on February 19, 2016