Senior Living

Senior living options offer a wide range of choices to consider. Understanding the difference in services and levels of care will help seniors make informed decisions. In general, the following will help you navigate through these differences:

Senior apartments and "over-55 communities" are residential properties for persons 55 years and older. These places typically offer community rooms, social activities, security and sometimes meals and emergency response systems are also offered.

Scammers are always coming up with new ways to prey on trusting seniors. The following scams have been recently reported by the BBB’s scam alerts:

Microsoft Scam

A scammer calls and claims to be a representative of Microsoft or "Windows Service" Center who is alerting users to "warnings" or "errors" discovered on their computer.

The scammer then instructs the victim to fix the problem by following commands over the phone. The scammer will try to gain remote access to the computer and install malicious software. He may also ask for credit card information to bill the victim for "repair services."

On a beautiful, February afternoon, residents from the Gardens at Westlake gathered at Birds of a Feather craft shop in Westlake to provide their time for the worthy cause of making lap blankets for those with dementia.

The project was developed by Michele Gillum, volunteer coordinator for Hospice of the Western Reserve. It was brought to Michele’s attention that often dementia residents like to hold something that provides some form of tactile stimulation for them and surprisingly the lap blankets, which have been titled “tactile lies,” provide that. The different textured fabrics offer the pleasurable stimuli they enjoy. Also strips are sewn together with three different rows of ribbons which are then sewn into the seams that add a soft, fluffy backing.

There was a time when a man’s word was all it took for a deal to be made, a loan to be granted or a promise to be kept. Those people still exist in our world today, but unfortunately these days we cannot count on everyone’s word to be true. We have to be cautious of whom we trust and be sure that person’s intentions are sincere.

It is a shame that our most trustworthy Americans, our senior citizens, are a target of many financial scams today. The Better Business Bureau of Cleveland has recognized this with a program called Senior Awareness Initiatives. They send out quarterly alerts of recent scams to senior housing facilities, in-home health care services, senior centers and other agencies that service our area’s older population.

I have worked in long term care for 15 years. I spend a lot of my time explaining Medicare benefits to patients and families about what is covered and what is not covered by Traditional Medicare (managed Medicare or Medicare part C is another beast all of its own). Many people are really quite shocked about the answers I give them. Please be aware you can always find out more information from MyMedicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

I will discuss some common misunderstandings I hear regarding Medicare coverage. My hope is that you will be more informed and educated about the coverage in the case that you or your loved one ever need in-patient skilled nursing rehabilitation.

The Cuyahoga Community College Center for Aging Initiatives is offering a senior adult education program called Food for Thought beginning Feb. 29. Classes will be held at Corporate College West at 25425 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake.
 
Over the course of two weeks, you will first chat over lunch and then find yourself immersed in the excitement of the course. Food for Thought is an opportunity to expand your mind and circle of friends. Sessions run on Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost for each two-week course is $40 including lunch.

This past Valentine's Day, many couples from Bradley Bay were treated to a couples luncheon. The activities department decorated the room with hearts and flowers to make the mood just right. A musician strolled around the room playing love songs, as everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by Bradley Bay's kitchen. It truly was a special event just for couples to share.

Spectrum Retirement Communities recently held their annual conference in Denver, Colo., for executive directors and managers of their 25 facilities throughout the United States, of which one is the Gardens at Westlake. We are an independent and assisted living community and host to over 100 residents.

The Gardens' executive director Christina Melaragno's week of attending workshops and seminars ended with an awards dinner where the facility was recognized with top honors in four categories (which is seldom heard of!). The top award, “Community of the Year,” was presented to the Gardens at Westlake for a second year in a row. Other awards included Top Satisfaction Survey results, maintaining 95% or higher census and second-overall Top Financial Performance for Assisted Living.

At 16, Elsie Albrightson would sneak out of her Staten Island, New York, home and sing in New York City clubs. Eighty years later, Elsie can still bring down the house! 

“An Afternoon with Elsie” was part of a HCR ManorCare Heart’s Desire program that Arden Courts Memory Care Community in Westlake sponsors on a couple of times a year for their residents. The program is designed to enrich the lives of residents, encourage them to take advantage of all that life has to offer and continue their active participation in the community.

Ruth Kostur, an 81-years-young resident at the Gardens at Westlake, is known around the building for her handmade quilts and stitched items. A part-time hobby that she took up after retiring from Women’s Federal Bank at age 63, Ruth’s passion has grown into a daily routine.

Looking for a hobby to occupy her time, Ruth turned to her sister – an expert knitter – who got her interested in working with a “knitting machine.” The machine used a computer to program different items such as socks, robes and even booties – what normally took her two evenings to do could now be completed in one.

The Gardens at Westlake continues to make the community service event they took on three years ago bigger and better each year. They donate canned goods or other non-perishable food items to a “Basket of Blessings.”

A large box was decorated and placed in the front lobby at the Gardens and the employees and residents filled the box numerous times with a wide variety of needed items.

This week I was able to get to the lake, something I haven't been able to do for quite some time. We found a bench and watched the show. Several people on jet skis were making waves, a sailboat coasted leisurely toward the east and the weather was perfect. I feel so fortunate to live so near the lake.

Somehow, I also feel a hint of sadness on this day, A few leaves were falling from the surrounding trees, reminding me that winter is around the corner. I really do not like winter. I dread the ice, cold, snow and the cloudy grey skies which contribute to SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, a fancy term for the winter blues.

Donald Stone, an 84-years-young resident at the Gardens at Westlake has no gardening skills nor ever had any interest in planting things until recently.

On a whim this past spring, he went to a nursery and bought seeds for tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes and sunflowers. He planted all of his seeds on a 95-degree June day and much to his surprise, “everything” grew. He had an abundance of tomatoes, five watermelons, three cantaloupes and 10 sunflowers.

The staff at Westlake Village recently hosted two free workshops to help educate local residents about the Medicare system which, due to the complexities of current programs and the potential for changes in the future, poses questions and challenges for many of our senior citizens.

Speaker Bomi Parakh, Senior Director of Managed Care for Brookdale Living, traveled to Westlake to share his vast knowledge and expertise on this topic with the many residents who attended.

On Friday, Sept. 23, Ohio senior citizens will observe the annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day. With winter just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about how to prevent falls. According to the Ohio Department of Aging: "Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization and death among Ohioans age 65 and older."

In order to prevent falls, certain steps can be taken to keep seniors safe and upright. Most of these precautions take just a measure of common sense and a little rearranging.

On Sunday, July 24, a Bath Township man diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease wandered away from his home and was declared missing. For two days police and concerned citizens searched the area with no success. On Tuesday the man was found, disoriented but unharmed. This story had a happy ending. Tragically, many wanderers never return home.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease during 2011. Many of these people will wander at least once during the course of the disease. Searching for missing persons costs many millions of dollars annually. Often these people are never found.

The city of Rocky River has access to a new technology which locates wanderers in minutes rather than hours or days of searching. Undertaking a search and rescue effort is costly and time consuming. There is a better way.

September 11 is Grandparent’s Day and the official kick off to National Assisted Living Week. At Bradley Bay Assisted Living, a week of activities is planned for the residents, families and staff to celebrate.

Please join us for a “Happy Hour” with entertainment during our Open House on Friday, Sept. 23, from 3-4:30 p.m.

It was an afternoon of laughter, fun and reminiscing of years past but still present in the minds of all the seniors that attended the 1950s-themed “Sock Hop” on August 19 at the Gardens at Westlake on Detroit Road.

Upon entering the front lobby, the doors displayed huge, colorful paper cutouts of jukeboxes, and hanging from the ceiling were streamers and 45-RPM rock-and-roll records. Tables were decorated with nostalgic candy, like Good & Plenty, Tootsie Rolls, Chiclets and Dentyne gum and Boston Baked Beans.

One recent Saturday evening, a group of ladies was sitting outside of the Knickerbocker Apartments chatting when an unexpected guest dropped by to visit. The visitor was dressed nicely in muted grey from head to toe. He was first noticed sitting on Betty Carson's walker without even a polite "May I?"

Betty and Minnie Mayerhoffer were sitting on a nearby bench. Then rudely, and again without permission, the visitor hopped into the bag clipped to the walker. Perhaps to show his expertise in acrobatics, he then jumped from the seat to the frame below and back up again!

Burgers, brats, steaks on the grill – is there any better way to celebrate the Fourth of July? Well, yes and no. You could make ham sandwiches and potato salad or head out for some fun fair food at Bay Days. In addition to food, you'll find games of chance, fantastic rides, live music and, of course, a spectacular fireworks display which begins at 9:45 p.m.. Really, it's the best show in town.

A little bird told me some young-at-heart seniors would be scooting up to the Gazebo at 11:30 a.m. on July 4 to show off their decorated vehicles. Will these seniors really rally to make the trip to the park to join in the mini-parade which will take place there? I certainly hope they make it. To find out if they did, why not drop around to cheer on the participants. I'm told there may be lots of little ones on bikes to root for, too. Sounds like fun.

Would you love to step back in time and remember when things seemed so simple? Residents of the Knickerbocker Apartments invite anyone interested in joining them on a bus trip to the Henry Ford Museum, Michigan, to visit one of the premier historical centers in America.

See the actual chair Lincoln sat in when assassinated, Civil War artifacts on loan from the National Archives, presidential limos, and rooms filled with items sure to bring back memories!

By day, Dad was the sales manager of a local company which manufactured wire screen. Each morning he left the house in his starched white shirt and patterned tie. At night all he wanted was peace and quiet. Weekends, however, were another story.

Every Friday and Saturday night throughout my childhood and adolescense he played the saxophone in a three-piece band. Dad was an entertainer. He loved performing. He sang, cracked jokes and put his heart and soul into the music he played. As I look through the pictures of Dad's band, I can almost hear the songs which were such a huge part of my younger years. Dad played the sax well into his eighties, filling in for local bands any chance he got.

Over 100 guests spent an afternoon enjoying a look back at the history of women in America as told through fashion when they attended a luncheon hosted by the West Shore Senior Center, located in the Knickerbocker Apartments in Bay Village. The special afternoon was part of a fundraising event designated to help generate revenue to continue to provide services for area seniors.

Thanks to the generosity of West Bay Care & Rehabilitation Center, the program was a great success. The West Shore Senior Center relies solely on donations for its daily operations and was very grateful to West Bay who offered to provide the entertainment for this important program.

The sun actually came out for the 3rd Annual Ladies Tea at the Gardens at Westlake, a retirement and assisted living community on Detroit Road. A large group of residents and their guests were treated to a well-received presentation by Gloria Cipri Kemer, owner of the Emerald Bed and Breakfast Tea Room in Fairview Park.

As an expert on tea, Gloria enthralled the audience with a program titled: “Teas From Around The World” and neatly tied in a little bow were three samples she discussed which were Chinese, English and Tea Today.

While enjoying the variety of teas, everyone was served Flaming Bananas Foster topped with scoops of ice cream.

On a sunny afternoon in May, eighth-graders from St. Raphael School in Bay Village helped Bradley Bay residents work the soil and plant a lovely flower garden. Everyone joined in. This garden will be maintained and enjoyed all summer long by Bradley Bay's residents and staff.

The West Shore Senior Center is a non-profit organization serving low-income seniors living in the Knickerbocker Apartments in Bay Village. The senior center provides an in-house food service program as well as activities designed to enrich the lives of those living in the building and the surrounding community.

To that end, a fundraising event has been scheduled to raise much needed monies for the daily operations and food service program.

A Vintage Fashion Show and Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 13, at 12:00 p.m. at the West Shore Senior Center, 27100 Knickerbocker Rd. in Bay.

Devon Oaks Assisted Living Community, located in Westlake, hosted lunch and Bingo at the Westlake Center (formerly Westlake Senior Center) on Jan. 27. Devon Oaks provided lunch and a variety of Bingo prizes. Molly Zangerle, a Devon Oaks resident, called the Bingo numbers. Devon Oaks Program Director Carol Sechkar and staff member Joyce Atkins were on hand to help serve the meal and distribute prizes.

Devon Oaks residents enjoy the close proximity of the center and take advantage of wellness opportunities offered there. The assisted living community, located across from Crocker Park, has sponsored other recreational programs, including cornhole, at the Center in the past.

Sunday afternoon usually means football, chips and salsa. But this Sunday afternoon is different.

In a welcoming room tucked away in a shady street in Bay Village, a woman with soft white hair hasn’t spoken for days.  But this Sunday, she quietly sings the words to “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” a familiar hymn she learned as a girl.

“It's amazing how a person who I have seen every other week for a year can't remember me, but lights up at the familiar lyrics of hymns they sang as a young person,” says Erin Hubbard, a member of the Bradley Bay ministry team of Providence Church.

Every other Sunday afternoon, the ministry team drives to Bay Village after attending services at Providence Church in Avon. The team spends the afternoon giving the gift of worship, Scripture, and smiles to the residents at Bradley Bay Health Center. Many of the residents sing along with the time-tested melodies that they learned long ago. Some even remember the familiar passages of Scripture that are read.

On Wednesday, Sept. 15, the dining room in the Assisted Living at Bradley Bay Health Center was transformed into a Hawaiian paradise. Luau decorations, flowers and food were created by the assisted living staff under the direction of Tammy Wearsch, Assisted Living Manager. Bev Spielberger, Activities Director, provided the creative touch with many decorations and leis for the residents, staff and family members. Liz Mescka and staff created the delicious Hawaiian food that everyone enjoyed. Jerry Simmer entertained everyone with his Hawaiian tunes.

Volunteers from the Bay Village Senior Center Woodshop have spent the last two weeks helping inner-city students build sailboats. They volunteer for the WHISTLE program which stands for Whiskey Island to Lake Erie. This six-year-old program was developed by Dan Moore and other sailors at Wendy Park (part of Whiskey Island). The goal is to get inner-city students involved in sailing in boats that they build. The program is directed by Mirek Posedel, who contacted the woodshop volunteers asking for their help last year.

Imagine living in Cleveland when the first Model T rolled off the assembly line. Hazel Hollenbach, who turned 102 years old on April 3, was born in 1908, the year the Model T was introduced. An elegant, charming woman whose eyes sparkle when she is engaged in conversation, Hazel embraces a positive attitude toward life.

With her stylish short haircut and soft pastel blouse, I found it difficult to believe Hazel was anywhere near 102 years old.  A passionate spirit and zest for life radiate from her tiny frame. Hazel is truly a remarkable woman.

Widowed for the first time in 1929, Hazel was left to raise her two young children alone. During World War II she worked the night shift at a Cleveland bomber plant. She also worked for Jubilee Catering, the Oak Ridge Senior Center and Gerber's Nursery school.

Financial abuse is a diverse genre of mistreatment that encompasses the embezzlement, theft or misappropriation of funds or possessions, oftentimes targeted at our most precious loved ones...our senior citizens.

Who could be financially abusing you or you loved ones? They could be anyone, from close family members to scammers a half a world away. I would like to share my experience with readers in the hopes that they can become their own advocates.

An elderly acquaintance of mine recently wanted to check her credit report. This person is very savvy in regards to her finances and investments and wouldn't typically need my assistance. However, I did recommend a reputable company for her to obtain her credit report. Yes, even some of these "free credit report" companies might also be scammers!

I had a chance to visit three local senior centers during the past month. On January 28, I attended the Dwyer Center in Bay Village for its second annual soup cook-off. A large crowd was on hand to taste and compare ten samples of wonderfully hot soup. The aroma drifting from each serving station filled the room with the scent of old-fashioned home cooking. Chefs represented various area senior living residences. From Lobster Bisque to Loaded Baked Potato soup (the winner) and eight delicious flavors in between, it was a food-lovers' dream. Salads, soups, rolls, beverages and dessert were also provided. At $5.00 a person, the soup cook-off was a real bargain. I definitely plan to return next year.

Self-defense is not just for the young or perfectly fit anymore. Most street predators will take the path of least resistance and target someone who appears to be vulnerable.

So where does that leave granny, granddad or the person who has some type of permanent or partial disability? That’s right!  They are the most likely to be victimized, because they are least likely to be able to defend themselves.

In this day and age, no community, not even Westlake or Bay Village is immune from this kind of crime. However, with the latest craze in martial arts training, sometimes referred to as “Cane–Fu”, Combat Cane Fighting or Cane Self-Defense, senior citizens and those who find a need to use a cane now have a option.

The residents of the Knickerbocker Apartments in Bay Village were treated to a special valentine, sent to them courtesy of Bob Howell of the Bay Barber Shop. The singing group, "Four Flats, No Spare," delighted the crowd with many old favorites and plenty of new jokes. Residents and their families remarked that their Valentine could not have been more fun! A special thank you to Bay Barber Shop for the Barbershop Quartet! We love you, too!

It was an extraordinary trip down memory lane for me. James Seman's slide presentation and talk at the Bay Village Library on January 14 brought back so many pleasant summertime memories. Who could forget Laughing Sal, the Tilt-a-Whirl, and the Thriller?

Going to Euclid Beach with family and friends was a big event. Filled with anticipation, we would pile into dad's car and head for the park. Many fun activities awaited us. I remember scrambling for a car on the Dodgems and the triumph of coming in seconds ahead of my friends on the winning racer coaster. Rocking the car when it stopped at the top of the giant Ferris wheel was cool. And yes, Ferris wheels did look gigantic to me. Walking to the end of the pier, dodging fishing lines and hooks, to the take in the sunset over Lake Erie is my favorite memory.

The first meeting for 2010 of the Bay Village Senior Citizen Advisory Board is scheduled for Friday, January 15th, 9 a.m. at the Bay Lodge, 492 Bradley Road. The meeting is open to the public. You need not be a senior citizen to attend.

Bay Village senior citizens needing transportation can contact Mary Beth Rowland at 440-899-3410.

On October 29, 2008, I was diagnosed with cancer. That same month the Gathering Place West opened its doors to cancer patients and their families. This was a life-changing experience for me.

I'd like to tell you a little about the Gathering Place West. Located at 800 Sharon Drive in Westlake, it is especially convenient to the Westshore community.

The Gathering Place offers a variety of activities such as art classes, yoga, lectures, and support groups for persons with cancer and their families. One-on-one services include short term counseling, life planning, and medical billing consultations. Telephone support is also available. All services are free

The Bay Village High School Key Club will be on hand to help the members of the West Shore Senior Center with a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Knickerbocker Apartments on Wednesday, November 11th. Tickets are $5 each for a dinner that includes spaghetti, meatballs, salad, garlic bread, dessert and coffee. Pop is available for 50 cents. The event is scheduled from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

If anyone were to ask the residents of the Knickerbocker Apartments what their definition of a hero is, the answer would undoubtedly be the Bay Village Fire & Rescue Department. This professional group of individuals are always there to help with compassion and understanding. Quick with a joke to lighten the mood or a squeeze of the hand for understanding, the Bay firefighters bring a sense of security the minute they come through the door.