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BMA Blog |
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Touching Lives · Providing Dignified Lifestyles
Posts Tagged ‘Affordable Assisted Living Coalition’
Friday, April 26th, 2013
By Rick Banas of assisted and senior living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
With my years of experience in assisted and senior living, an article recently posted on the Medical News Today website really has me thinking.
The article <link> is about research that ties social isolation to shorter lifespans in older adults.
One of the surprising results, the article notes, is that even people who are happy being alone are more likely to die prematurely if they don’t have enough social interactions with other humans.
One of the biggest benefits of living in an assisted living community is all of the opportunities that are available for residents to socialize with others.
Instead of eating alone in front of a television, older adults in assisted living communities are dining with other residents.
They can gather with other residents in a lounge area to watch a movie, a ball game or their favorite television shows.
They can join others for exercise programs. Our Heritage Woods of DeKalb community, for instance, offers Tai Chi on Thursdays; Heritage Woods of Centralia has Yoga on Wednesdays; John Evans Supportive Living in Pekin hosts a “Move Those Joints” program three times a week. Residents of Bridle Brook in Champaign County can stay active with a Walking Club in the indoor comfort of their assisted living and memory care community.
They can participate with other residents in the activities and special events offered by the community.
Wii Bowling has become a very popular activity, with the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC) hosting an annual statewide Wii Bowling Tournament. This year, nearly 80 teams of residents from affordable assisted living communities in Illinois entered the competition, which will culminate with the top teams bowling against each other in a Final Four on May 14 and 15 in Decatur, Illinois.
This year, the AALC also is hosting a statewide Spelling Bee. More than 100 teams of residents entered the competition, with 12 teams qualifying to compete in the Spelling Finals in Decatur on May 14 and 15. The most frequently used words in the Scripps National Spelling Bee will be used.
Other recent and upcoming programs at the communities BMA manages include:
Laughter Yoga
Mother’s Day Celebrations and Memorial Day Tributes
Fashion Shows with residents and staff modeling the clothing
BBQs, Ice Cream Socials and Happy Hours
Senior Proms
Hawaiian Luaus
Musical entertainment and health education programs
Residents can participate no matter what the weather.
With this in mind, isn’t it possible that assisted living can help prevent premature death among seniors?
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
Tags: Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, assisted living, Bridle Brook of Mahomet, Fashion Show, Heritage Woods of Centralia, Heritage Woods of DeKalb, John Evans Supportive Living, Laughter Yoga, Medical News Today, Memorial Day, Memory Care, Mother's Day, older adults, Premature Death, senior living, Seniors, Shorter Lifespans, Social Isolation, Spelling Bee, Wii Bowling
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Thursday, April 18th, 2013
By Rick Banas of assisted living and senior living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
The nine teams of residents from affordable assisted living communities in northern Illinois were gathered together at the Manteno Golf Club in Manteno, Illinois.
They were joined by Arlene Allen and Ann Atkinson. Arlene grew up in Jo Davies County, Illinois, where she attended school in a one-room schoolhouse for seven years. She taught school in the Kankakee area for 38 years. Ann taught kindergarten in Quincy, Massachusetts and Bourbonnais, Illinois, and worked for 22 years in the Graduate School at Olivet Nazarene University.
Anne and Arlene were there to serve as judges for the Illinois Supportive Living Spelling Bee Regional Finals for the North Region. The competition is being sponsored by the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC), an organization that represents affordable assisted living communities that operate through the Illinois Supportive Living program.
The program enables older adults and adults with physical disabilities of all incomes, including those on Medicaid, to live in a residential-apartment home environment and receive personal assistance, help with medications, and services such as meals, housekeeping and laundry.
Also there to help as assistant judges were six students from Manteno Middle School. Nora Crockett, Taylor Gilliam, Caitlin Godsey, Colin Smith, Olzea Smolinski and Cassidy St. Peter are all members of the school’s Spelling Bee team. They were joined by the school’s Spelling Bee team’s sponsor Erica Lehrus.
More than 100 teams of residents from communities located throughout Illinois had entered the Spelling Bee, with nine teams qualifying for the regional finals in the North Region.
Standard spelling bee rules were followed, with judges giving the team a word to spell. The team had two minutes to work together to agree on a spelling. They could ask the judge to repeat the word, for the definition and for the word to be used in a sentence. One member of the team needed to correctly spell the word for the judges. One wrong letter and the team was out.
The Gold Medal winners was the team from Heritage Woods of Rockford, with Heritage Woods of Manteno coming in second, and Victory Center of Joliet finishing in third.
All three teams qualified for the Spelling Bee Finals, which will be held on May 14 and 15 at the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center in Decatur, Illinois. The most frequently used words in the Scripps national Spelling Bee will be used.
They will be competing against the teams that qualified in the Cook County, Central and Southern Divisions.
Cook County
Eden Supportive Living of Chicago
Victory Centre of Bartlett
Victory Centre of River Woods
Central Division
Springfield Supportive Living
Mary Bryant Home in Springfield
Heritage Woods of Charleston
South Division
Prairie Living at Chautauqua
Cambridge House of Maryville
Cambridge House of Swansea
Dorie Johnson, one of the members of the winning team from Heritage Woods of Rockford, mentioned that winning the regional title and qualifying for the state finals was an early birthday present. She is celebrating her 90th Birthday today. Like judge Arlene Allen, she grew up in Jo Davies County.
Dorie’s teammate, Nita Mahan, will be 85 on June 26. She started her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse and then taught second and third grades.
When Dorie and Nita returned home to Heritage Woods of Rockford from the competition in Manteno last Thursday, they were honored by residents and staff with a victory celebration and a banner congratulated them on victory.
Spectators are welcome to attend the Spelling Bee Finals next month in Decatur. We hope to see you there.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
Tags: aalc, affordable assisted living, Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, assisted living in Illinois, bma, Cambridge House of Maryville, Cambridge House of Swansea, Eden Supportive Living of Chicago, Heritage Woods of Charleston, Heritage Woods of Manteno, Heritage Woods of Rockford, Illinois Supportive Living Program, Illinois Supportive Living Spelling Bee Regional Finals, Manteno Golf Club, Mary Bryant Home in Springfield, Prairie Living at Chautauqua, Spelling Bee, Springfield Supportive Living, supportive living, Victory Center of Joliet, Victory Centre of Bartlett, Victory Centre of River Woods
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Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
By Rick Banas of senior living and assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
 If you think assisted living residents do nothing but sit around and play BINGO, you should have been at the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that we manage in Manteno, Illinois, this past Friday afternoon.
For the second year in a row, residents on the community’s Wii bowling team smoked firefighters and paramedics with the Manteno Fire Protection District during an annual Wii Bowling Challenge.
In fact, the members of the Acorns did themselves one better in this year’s competition. Last year, they beat the firefighters by a combined total of 225 pins, or an average of 37.5 pins per bowler per game. This year, they won by a combined total of 226 pins.
Resident Helen Wotring, who is 86 years young, had the high game, tossing a 236. Her game included a turkey and a four bagger.
“I like to show off,” Helen told those who were gathered in the dining room at Heritage Woods to cheer on the bowlers. It only took a couple of thousand games to be able to do this, she said.
“You have every right to be bragging,” Mary Robbins of the Fire Protection told Helen.
Scott Spanos rolled the high game for the Fire Protection District, tossing a 167.
Wii Bowling is an activity that has become very popular at the assisted living communities that BMA manages.
We have 44 teams of residents entered into the 2013 Supportive Living Wii Bowling Championship sponsored by the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC).
AALC represents affordble assisted living communities located throughout Illinois that operate through the state’s Supportive Living program. The program enables the communities to serve older adults and adults with physical disabilities of all incomes, including those on Medicaid.
The 4th Annual Supportive Living Wii Championship will culminate with a Final Four competition to be held on May 14 and 15 at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel in Decatur, Illinois.
Last year, three of teams competing in the Final Four were from BMA communities.
The Oy Vey! team of residents from Heritage Woods of Bolingbrook brought home the Second Place trophy. Team member Michael Malina had the high game in the Final Four competition. He rolled a 279 in the semi-finals. In addition, team member Manny Shellist was recognized for being the oldest bowler ever to compete in an AALC Wii bowling Final Four. Manny, who turned 101 not long after the Final Four, averaged 176.
The Prairie Pins from Prairie Living at Chautauqua in Carbondale finished in Third Place.
For the Silver Sliders from Cambridge House of Maryville, qualifying for the Final Four was old hat. It was the third year in a row that the team from the community in the St. Louis Metro East area were among the four best teams in the state. In 2010, the Silver Sliders struck gold and brought home the First Place trophy.
For those of you who might be interested, we invite you to watch the 4th Annual Wii Bowling Championship Final Four live in Decatur. If you cannot make it, live streaming on the Internet will be available.
We will be sure to keep your informed.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
Tags: 2013 Supportive Living Wii Bowling Championship, 4th Annual Supportive Living Wii Championship, aalc, Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, assisted living, bma, Cambridge House of Maryville, Decatur Conference Center & Hotel, FIrefighters, Helen Wotring, Heritage Woods, Heritage Woods of Bolingbrook, Heritage Woods of Manteno, Mary Robbins, Paramedics, Prairie Living at Chautauqua, Scott Spanos, senior living, Wii Bowling, Wii Bowling Challenge
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Thursday, May 10th, 2012
By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
Oh, how the residents of Heritage Woods of Moline enjoyed the “Remember When Fashion Show.” The smiles, the laughs, the applause, the hooting and hollering.
The Move-In Coordinator parading around the Dining Room in a black Flapper Dress trimmed with gold braiding.
The Director of Maintenance coolly playing a Greaser,
The Administrator dressed as June Cleaver, offering up freshly baked cookies. These are just a few of the highlights of the show, which was part of the community’s celebration of Supportive Living Week 2012.
Sponsored by the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, Supportive Living Week is designed to bring attention to the Illinois Supportive Living program. The program provides a cost-effective solution to older adults and adults with physical disabilities who can benefit from an affordable residential style of living with the availability of personal assistance and support services.
Residents of Supportive Living communities such as Heritage Woods of Moline also benefit from the opportunity to socialize and enjoy programs such as the “Remember When Fashion Show.”
Staff members did the research and tracked down examples of what was worn. They shared the information and modeled the fashions to the delight of residents.
1910s
When it came to fashion, women were beginning to think more of comfort than fashion, although many quickly fell for the “ hobble skirt,” which was so tight around the ankles that moving quickly was impossible.
Fabrics became lighter, colors were brighter and styles were looser. Lowered necklines became popular, and sales of cold cream and lemon extract escalated. The Tea Gown was worn at home, and the sack, sheath oriental costumes, harem trousers and the Hellenic tunic were all introduced. Head gear was worn and was very costumary.
 When World War 1 – the first war to end all wars – began, fashion design came to a standstill and “Made in America” was in style.
Also during the decade, new materials and technologies made colors more available. The suffragettes focused on more comfortable fashion, with lots of pockets. And, hemlines began to inch up – to show the ankles. 1920s
 The Flapper dress is the most iconic outfit of the Roaring 20s.
Marked by its tight fit and knee-high length, the Flapper Dress was emblematic of the entire Jazz Age. A woman showing the skin of her legs in public would have been a case for scandal in prior decades, but in the 1920s society was changing and fashion changed along with it.
The narrow and straight style of the Flapper Dress gave women an adolescent look. The term Flapper, however, is open to debate. Some folks say that it was used to describe a young woman (bird) just learning to fly while others used the term to describe a woman of the night. 1950s
When it comes to fashion, two distinctly different television characters come to mind.
June Cleaver was a principal character in the sitcom Leave It to Beaver. June was very ladylike and slightly formal in appearance. She was notorious for consistently being dressed as a part hostess, even when doing her housework or relaxing around the house. She wore a pearl necklace in almost every scene, even when gardening.
 The sitcom Happy Days featured Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli. The Fonz portrayed the Greaser, an iconic symbol of rebellion and pure coolness.
The Greaser sported a plain white cotton t-shirt and a pair of tight blue jeans. The shirt was never ducked in daddy-o. A leather jacket with the collar flipped up said “your crusin for a brusin” if you mess with this cat.
Having a comb in hand to slick back a heavily greased up head of hair was essential as was a bandanna to mop up any extra grease.
Smooth black shoes accented the rolled up pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black mirrored shades was the final accent to help convey the coolness of the Greaser. 1960s
Both the fashions and music of the 1960s reflected the counter-cultural revolution that was underway.
In the early 1960s, women wore mini-skirts and leather boots and men wore Paisley shirts and velvet trousers.
In 1966, the age of the Hippie was born and Psychedelic clothes featuring bright colors for both men and women were introduced. Men started to wear their hair longer, and women identified with the Hippie look by wearing longer skirts and dresses known as Maxies. Anything and everything had color, including the body. 1970s
In the 1970s, the influence of the Hippies was mainstreamed into fashions. Men sported shoulder-length hair. Bellbottom pants, hip huggers, colorful patches, hot pants, platform shoes, earth shoes, clogs, t-shirts and gypsy dresses were some of the non-traditional clothing that became the rage.
 Women were wearing everything from ankle-length dresses to hot pants and micro-miniskirts while men were donning leisure suits.
Fashions also were impacted by Woody Allen’s movie “Annie Hall,” which was released in the spring of 1977. The clothing worn by Diane Keaton in the movie started a fashion trend of women wearing traditional men’s clothing. In particular, derby hats, tweed jackets, neckties, and baggy pants or skirts were the rage. 1980s
 The “In Things” in the 1980s included big hair, bright color patterns, mismatched clothing and stone-washed jeans.
Aquanet hairspray helped women keep their ratted up big hair in place for days, and some men joined the big hair trend by sporting a Mullet.
MC Hammer brought us parachute pants, which seemed to come in any color or pattern one could dream up, and Madonna brought us the look of lace, black leather, long pearls and a big hair bow. To view the Remember When Fashion Show
photo gallery, click here.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
   
Tags: 1910s, 1920s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, aalc, Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, Annie Hall, Aquanet Hairspray, assisted living in Illinois, Diane Keaton, Fashion Show, Flapper, Happy Days, Heritage Woods of Moline, Hippie, Hobble Skirt, June Cleaver, Leave it to Beaver, MC Hammer, Psychedelic clothes, Roaring 20s, Supportive Living Program, Supportive Living Week 2012, The Fonz, World War I
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Thursday, February 9th, 2012
By Rod Burkett of senior living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
As President and CEO of the largest provider of assisted living in Illinois and Immediate Past President of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC), I found some recent information about Medicare spending on older adults to be intriguing.
 The information was posted in a DataBrief on the SCAN Foundation website and reflects an analysis of Medicare Benefits prepared by Avalere Health, LLC. You can see the DataBrief at thescanfoundation.org
The SCAN Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization that supports efforts to keep seniors self-sufficient at home and in the community.
 The analysis looked at how much Medicare spent on health care services for older adults who required supportive services to assist them with activities of daily living such as help with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting and transferring.
The analysis showed that over the course of one year Medicare spent approximately $4,300 less on health care for a person who lived in assisted living or a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) than a person who required supportive services and was living in their own home or apartment.
The figures shown in the analysis reflect Medicare spending for inpatient hospital, outpatient hospital, physician, emergency department, skilled nursing, home health and hospice services.
The analysis reflects spending data on nearly 2.2 million individuals on Medicare who required supportive services. Of those, nearly 1.2 million lived in their own home or apartment; more than 800,000 in a nursing home; and more than 200,000 in assisted living or a CCRC.
When you multiply an annual savings of more than $4,300 per person times the more than 200,000 that lived in assisted living or a CCRC that totals a savings of more than $870 million in Medicare spending in just one year.
The analysis also shows that the Medicare health care costs for individuals who need assistance and are living in assisted living or a CCRC is nearly $600 a year less than those living in a nursing home.
In light of the tremendous cost savings, how unfortunate it is that the Draft Framework for the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s that was recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.org) virtually ignores assisted living.
In our assisted living communities, we have and do care for a significant number of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. These are people who do not require the skilled nursing care services of a nursing home. These are people who may need help ordering their food and remembering what time of day it is and how to get to their apartment.
According to the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA.org), more than one-third of the residents currently living in assisted living communities nationwide have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.
 A growing number are living in specially designed Memory Care neighborhoods that offer special individualized and group programming. We are honored to have received approval from the State of Illinois to develop one of five pilot affordable assisted living Memory Care programs. The pilot projects will operate through the State’s Supportive Living program so they can serve those of all incomes, including individuals on Medicaid.
We will soon have under construction Memory Care apartments on the campus of our Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community in South Elgin, Illinois.
Unfortunately, the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s only mentions assisted living in one of its strategies and recommendations. Our company is providing feedback to the Department of Health and Human Services on why assisted living should play a much more prominent role in the National Plan.
We encourage you to join BMA in sharing your comments with the HHS. You can send an e-mail to NAPA@hhs.gov
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
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Tags: aalc, Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, Affordable Assisted Living Community, ALFA, assisted living, Assisted Living Federation of America, Continuing Care Retirement Community, DataBrief, Medicare, Medicare Benefits, Medicare Spending on Older Adults, Memory Care, Memory Care programs, National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s, Rod Burkett, senior living, Supportive Living Program, The SCAN Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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