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BMA Blog |
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Touching Lives · Providing Dignified Lifestyles
Posts Tagged ‘Heritage Woods of South Elgin’
Thursday, August 30th, 2012
By Jennifer Hanke, Director of Marketing for Heritage Woods of Batavia
 One of the things that is so remarkable about Julie Papievis is that when you meet her you would never know that she suffered a traumatic brain stem injury that was so severe doctors gave her virtually no chance of surviving the night.
As she tells her story and talks about the accident that caused her injury, her remarkable recovery and what she describes as being at the gates of heaven, she is so down-to-earth.
I made arrangements for Julie to speak here at Heritage Woods of Batavia after hearing her presentation at our Heritage Woods of South Elgin affordable assisted living community.
She shares a message of hope and emphasizes the importance of “purpose” in life.
The Strohschein Law Group of St. Charles was gracious and sponsored her Batavia appearance, with residents and their families of Heritage Woods, members of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, older adults from area senior centers, and individuals who provide services to seniors in attendance.
Julie is “truly a miracle,” says Neurosurgeon John Shea of Loyola University Medical Center (LUHS). “Her recovery was not due to medicine.”
Dr. Shea was the doctor who treated Julie when she was transported to Loyola after a teenager ran a red light and crushed the White Mazda sports car Julie was driving. The accident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. the day after Mothers Day in 1993 as Julie was leaving a shopping center in Lombard.
She was 29 years old.
A doctor and his wife happened to witness the accident. An off-duty paramedic was just down the street getting the tires on his car changed when he heard the collision. They were among the first to respond.
Julie’s head was lying against her chest “as if it had been disconnected from her body.”
At the scene, paramedics administered a standardized test that indicates a person’s level of consciousness and the potential outcome of a coma. Julie had the lowest score that was possible.
At best, she was given a 4% chance of survival. If she did survive, she most likely would not have a functional life.
Much to the astonishment of the medical community, Julie woke up from the coma four weeks after the accident while she was at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton. Just six years later, she ran a 5K and has since completed an indoor triathlon.
Julie says that while she was in a coma, she was in a place that was so vast that there was no real beginning or end. She just felt perfect peace, and says “she was happy to be there.”
She remembers her deceased grandmother telling her that she “had to go back” and that “your body would physically heal.”
 Her next memory is waking up.
Julie tells her story in the book “Go Back and Be Happy: Reclaiming Life After a Devastating Loss.”
The producers of “The Blind Side” are in pre-production on a movie about her incredible story.
From a very practical standpoint, she also emphasizes the importance of making sure that you have Advanced Directives in place in case you should ever find yourself in a situation that so suddenly changes your life.
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: Batavia Chamber of Commerce, Brain Stem Injury, Go Back and Be Happy, Go Back and Be Happy: Reclaiming Life After a Devastating Loss, Heritage Woods of Batavia, Heritage Woods of South Elgin, Jennifer Hanke, John Shea, Julie Papievis, Loyola University Medical Center, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Strohschein Law Group, The Blind Side
Posted in BMA Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
 By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
Mahja Sulemanjel and Jorie Gustafson of HCR ManorCare conducted a free informational program on Medicare last week at the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in South Elgin, Illinois.
Here is some important information to keep in mind:
Medicare was created in 1965. The primary purpose of the program is to provide health coverage for individuals 65 years of age and older.
There are four parts to Medicare, with Part C being added in 1997 and Part D in 2003.
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
Medicare Part A helps cover the cost of inpatient care in the hospital. It also helps cover the cost of skilled nursing care, hospice services and home health care.
There is no charge for Medicare Part A if you are eligible.
A person, or the spouse of a person, who has worked in Medicare-covered employment for at least 10 years (40 quarters), and is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States and at least 65 years of age is eligible. Among those who also are eligible are those who meet Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability requirements and those with end-stage renal disease.
Since Medicare helps cover inpatient care, be careful not to assume that just because you are in a hospital overnight or just because you are taken to a hospital room does not necessarily mean that you are an inpatient. Make sure that you are clear about whether the hospital has admitted you as an inpatient versus holding you for observation.
Also, be careful not to assume that Medicare benefits apply just because you have been admitted into a nursing home. Medicare does not cover custodial care or long-term care in a nursing home. Medicare coverage only may apply if you require daily skilled nursing or daily rehabilitation services and have been an inpatient in an acute care hospital for at least three consecutive midnights within 30 days of being admitted to a skilled nursing facility. Being in the hospital for observation does not count. You also must be admitted to a Medicare-certified bed. Up to 100 days may be covered, with co-payments applying after the first 20 days. Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
Medicare Part B helps cover medically-necessary health services such as the cost of doctors, outpatient services, durable medical equipment, and home health care. Some preventive services also are covered.
You pay a premium each month for Medicare Part B. Medicare Part C – Medicare Advantage
Medicare Part C are health plans offered by private companies. These plans provide all of your Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage. Many also offer extra coverage such as vision, hearing and dental services and health and wellness programs. Most also include Medicare Part D coverage.
Different types of Medicare Advantage plans are available such as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and fee-for-service plans.
You usually pay a monthly premium in addition to your Medicare Part B premium for a Medicare Advantage plan.
Each Medicare Advantage Plan can charge different out-of-pocket costs. Medicare Part D – Prescription Drug Coverage
 Through Medicare Part D, Medicare offers prescription drug coverage to everyone on Medicare to help them with the cost of prescription medications.
To get the coverage, you must join a plan run by an insurance company or a private company approved by Medicare.
A variety of plans are available, with each plan varying in terms of drugs covered, monthly costs and potential out-of-pocket expenses.
Keep in mind that if you do not enroll in a Medicare Part D Plan when you first become eligible and you do not have other creditable drug coverage, you likely will have to pay a late enrollment fee penalty. For More Information
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ( CMS) is the branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS) that is responsible for administering the Medicare program.
You can access a CMS Medicare & You Handbook by clicking here.
Additional information also is available at medicare.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.”
Tags: Affordable Assisted Living Community, BMA Management, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, CMS Medicare & You Handbook, HCR ManorCare, Health Maintenance Organizations, Heritage Woods of South Elgin, HMO, Home Health Care, hospice services, Hospital Insurance, Medical Insurance, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part A, Medicare Part B, Medicare Part C, Medicare Part D, PPO, Preferred Provider Organizations, Prescription Drug Coverage, Railroad Retirement disability, Rick Banas, skilled nursing care, Social Security, US Department of Health and Human Services
Posted in BMA Management, Medicare | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
 By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
Russell Yohn caught my attention shortly after U.S. Congressman Joe Walsh had finished his “Senior Forum” at the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in South Elgin, Illinois.
Given that the focus of the forum was on what is happening in our nation’s Capitol, he wanted me to see “The Good Country Emblem” that he had created.
The words he used to describe a Good Country are as follows:
A good country to live in is composed of good people
Who help to keep it so
By each one doing one’s part
As one’s actions do count.
I thought that you would be interested in seeing his creation as well as some of the other handiwork that he showed me as we sat and talked in his studio apartment at Heritage Woods of South Elgin.
 Russell painted scaled-sized images of our world on plastic eggs. With all the attention to Global Warming, the one that I found the most fascinating was the version that shows how much land was covered by glaciers during the last Ice Age. He painted the Ice Age view onto a L’eggs pantyhose container.
He also enjoys working with geometric shapes (as shown above).
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: Affordable Assisted Living Community, Congressman Joe Walsh, Global Warming, Good Country Emblem, Heritage Woods of South Elgin, Ice Age, L'eggs, LinkedIn, Russell Yohn, Senior Forum, The BMA Blog
Posted in BMA Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
When it comes to laughter, Doug Dvorak (pictured below) is quite serious.
“I don’t think we laugh enough,” Doug told those who attended his program on the “Importance of Laughter” last week at our Heritage Woods of South Elgin affordable assisted living community. Children laugh 400 times a day and adults only 15 times a day.
Doug is a humorous motivational speaker, who also is a cancer survivor.
There are many health benefits tied to laughter and having a positive attitude, he pointed out:
- One minute of laughter equals 10 minutes on a rowing machine.
- Laughter increases the levels of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain killers. When you are laughing, you are not thinking about what hurts.
- Laughter reduces the levels of two hormones that cause stress.
- Optimists live an average of eight years longer than pessimists.
- In a study of long-term survivors of breast cancer, participants most frequently cited “Stress” as the cause and a “Positive Attitude” as the most important factor in preventing a recurrence of the cancer.
“You are the CEO of your life,” Doug said. You are your “Chief Everything Officer.”
He encouraged us to celebrate what we have and avoid coming down with a STD (Stinking Thinking Disorder).
If you think you have it bad, keep in mind that there are 1.2 billion people in the world who will go hungry today, 1.8 billion who do not have access to fresh water, and 1.9 billion who make less than $2.00 a day.
In the hope of bringing a little more laughter into your life today, here are several of the nuggets that Doug shared with us during his presentation:
- Newspaper Headline – “Mental Health Group Selling Fruitcakes.” (To view other humorous headlines, click here)
- Real Hyphenated Name – “Poore-Sapp.” (click here)
- Wording on the headstone of television personality Merv Griffin, who gave us “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” – “I will not be right back after this message.”
- One of Doug’s “Top Five Ways to Reduce Stress” – “Fill Out Your Income Tax Forms Using Roman Numerals.”
To learn more about Doug, you can visit his website at dougdvorak.com
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management, Ltd. 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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Doug Dvorak, aka Dr. Earnest Carpediem, talks about the importance of laughter at Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in South Elgin, Illinois.
Tags: Affordable Assisted Living Community, Doug Dvorak, Dr. Earnest Carpediemô, Heritage Woods of South Elgin, Humor, Laughter, Motivational Speaker, Poorly Titled Headlines
Posted in BMA Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
Gladys Minier’s copy of the news story that was written about her role as one of ten young women who pioneered the television industry in Chicago has yellowed over time.
The article about Gladys, who is now living in the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in South Elgin, Illinois, was published 35 years ago in the Family Living section of the Lerner-Voice Newspapers. It was written by staff writer Diane Jensen.
Gladys was living in Hanover Park and working as an advertising account executive for Lerner-Voice newspapers at that time.
The article’s insights into what the early days of television in the Chicago area were like are truly remarkable, especially in this day and age of instant communications round-the-clock.
- Gladys began working in television in 1942 for WBKB, the first TV station in Chicago.
- Her career in television began after she answered an ad that read “Wanted: Telegenic talented girls for technical work in TV studio. Mechanical experience unnecessary.”
- She was one of ten women selected to be WATTS (Women’s Auxiliary Television Technicians).
- Each of the WATTS were trained to be “Jills-of-all-trades,” learning about writing as well as how to be a director, producer and cameraman.
- Prior to going into television, Gladys had worked summers at the NBC radio institute of speech while attending Northwestern.
- In 1942, WBKB was on the air for just 15 hours a week, going on at 7 p.m. and off at 10 p.m. on weekdays. No television during the day or on weekends.
- There were no soap operas and no advertising. The station would open with news, followed by a variety show, drama and a hen cooking show.
- Radio broadcasters volunteered to be newscasters on TV.
- Gladys was responsible for originating news, medicine, entertainment, variety and sports shows.
- Since live broadcasts of sporting events were not yet possible, Gladys devised a way to simulate a baseball game using a miniature playing field she created and ticker tape audio sound. The first game that was broadcast using this method was an opening day game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
My, how times have changed.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
Follow on Twitter Facebook YouTube Google+
Tags: Affordable Assisted Living Community, Chicago Cubs, Diane Jensen, Gladys Minier, Hanover Park, Heritage Woods of South Elgin, Lerner-Voice Newspapers, St. Louis Cardinals, The BMA Blog, Women’s Auxiliary Television Technicians
Posted in BMA Management | No Comments »
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