A special care unit (SCU) is an inpatient unit within a healthcare facility that is custom-designed, staffed, and equipped to care for people with specific health conditions. They are usually in a physically separate space from other patient populations. Traditionally found in hospitals, SCUs also are becoming increasingly common within assisted living and skilled nursing [...]
Are you on the fence about whether you think living in a retirement community (such as a continuing care retirement community [CCRC] or “life plan” community) is right for you? Do you think remaining in your current home is the better path to happiness during your retirement years? If you fall into either (or both) [...]
The death of a spouse or partner is one of the most difficult losses a person can suffer. The person you have shared your life with, raised a family with, weathered ups and downs with leaves a tremendous void when they are no longer with you. Dealing with the grief that comes with the loss [...]
I know that it’s only within the last 10 years or so that the term “aging in place” has become part of the vernacular, driven in large part by countless industry articles and surveys showing that upwards of 90 percent of seniors say they want to stay in their home for as long as possible. [...]
Are there certain words that make you feel a certain way, triggering either positive or negative feelings? Family, work, home, taxes, and vacation might be a few examples. Working in the senior living space, I think a lot about the specific terminology that is used within our industry vertical, as well as the aging-related language [...]
The holiday season is a joyful time for most people as they spend time with friends and family, eating delicious food and reminiscing about good times in years past. But for others, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is particularly difficult as they struggle with loneliness and grief for loved ones who are no [...]
I often talk and write about the many benefits that come with living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, or “life plan” community). Travelling to CCRCs across the U.S., I am fortunate to witness firsthand the ways so many of these communities enhance the lives of their residents, and also provide compassionate care if [...]
Countless studies have shown that human interaction has many benefits for seniors (and conversely, loneliness is detrimental to seniors’ mental and physical health); it’s an important topic I’ve frequently written about. Indeed, humans are naturally social creatures, and it is our hardwired predisposition to crave companionship and connection, no matter our age. This is why [...]
A few weeks ago, Bluespire Insider, a marketing group that focuses on promoting senior living communities, hosted a virtual roundtable conversation about innovative ways to encourage social connections for residents of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs, or life plan communities), a subject I’m always interested in learning about. The roundtable was led by John Franklin [...]
What is your attitude about the aging process? Do you view it as a positive rite of passage or a negative phenomenon that must simply be endured? I recently read an inspiring article written in 2017 by oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens in which he reflects on his life’s “fourth quarter.” Having suffered several strokes [...]
