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BMA Blog |
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Touching Lives · Providing Dignified Lifestyles
Posts Tagged ‘The BMA Blog’
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
By Jo Ellen Bleavins of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
With temperatures in Illinois already climbing into the 90s well before the official start of Summer next week, I wanted to remind folks that high temperatures, especially when combined with very high humidity levels, should be of concern, particularly to older adults.
According to information posted on the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s website, older adults are more at risk for three key reasons :
 Older adults do not adjust as well to sudden changes in temperature.
Older adults are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat.
Older adults are more likely to be taking prescription medications that impairs the body’s ability to regulate temperature or inhibits perspiration. The CDC encourages us to visit at risk older adults at least twice a day and watch for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Other tips include the following:
Drink plenty of water, regardless of activity, even if you are not thirsty. (Check with their doctor if their doctor has limited the amount of fluid they drink or they are taking water pills.)
Avoid heavy meals and alcohol.
Keep the sunscreen handy and use it! As you age, your skin becomes more sensitive to the sun. Choose a sunscreen that offers a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. It should also be a broadband UV spectrum – protecting against both UVA and UVB light. Be sure to apply generously.
Shield your skin and eyes from the harmful rays by wearing protective clothing such as light weight/ light color fabric, hats and sunglasses.
Take cool baths or showers. Ice bags and wet towels also can be helpful.
Visit air-conditioned locations such as restaurants and malls. Air conditioning can do more than help you stay cool; it can be a lifesaver. The Keep Cool Illinois website has a list of cooling centers that are available throughout the state, click here to open the site. During heat emergencies, older adults can contact their local Area Agency on Aging or the Senior HelpLine at 800-252-8966 for assistance in locating buildings that serve as cooling centers.
To cool off during heat emergencies, we also invite you to visit a BMA Senior Living Community near you. We have 35 communities located throughout Illinois. Below is a map of where our communities are located.
One of the included amenities that takes on so much added importance at our communities when heat warnings and advisories are in effect is air conditioning. The cost of utilities such as air conditioning is included in the monthly fee for the senior living and assisted living apartments that we manage.
In addition, in our assisted living and affordable assisted living communities, certified staff members are on-duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Conducting a daily welfare check on each resident is just one of their responsibilities.
An emergency response system comes standard with each assisted living and affordable assisted apartment, and three restaurant-style meals each day are among the included services. Snacks and beverages are available whenever the dining room is not open.
Please remember that temperatures can reach dangerous levels here in Illinois.
From looking at information available from the National Weather Service, the Summer of 1936 certainly claims the top spot in terms of heat.
This was the Summer of “The Dust Bowl,” which especially hit the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
In Illinois, many locations saw peak temperatures in excess of 110 degrees at the height of the heat wave.
In our State Capital of Springfield, highs reached 100 on at least 29 different days in the summer of 1936.
July was the worst. Here are a few examples…
In Charleston, home of our Heritage Woods of Charleston affordable assisted living community, the temperature hit 110 degrees on July 14 and 15 and topped 100 degrees on 15 days.
In Danville, home of our Bowman Estates affordable assisted living community, the temperature reached 112 degrees on July 14 and topped 100 degree on 15 days.
In Decatur, home of our Eagle Ridge affordable assisted living community, the temperature hit 110 degrees on July 14 and climbed above 100 on 17 days.
In the Quad Cities, home of our Heritage Woods of Moline affordable assisted living community, the temperature reached 111 degrees on July 14 and reached 100 degrees on 11 consecutive days.
Urbana, home of our Prairie Winds affordable assisted living community, faired a little better. The top temperature was only 108 on July 14, and they only recorded 13 days where the temperature topped 100 degrees. Nationally, 5,000 people died from the heat.
For more information on heat and older adults and tips on what you can do to protect yourself and others, here are a couple of resource websites that you might want to visit:
Jo Ellen Bleavins is the Senior Vice President of Management
at BMA Management, Ltd and a Registered Nurse.
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 communities, Air Conditioning, Area Agency on Aging, assisted living illinois, Assisted Living Provider, BMA Management, BMA Senior Living Community, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Heat, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke, JoEllen Bleavins, Keep Cool Illinois, National Weather Service, Senior HelpLine, senior living, The BMA Blog
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Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
 I sat in awe last month, listening to William Strickland Jr. kick off the 2012 annual Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA.org) conference with an inspiring message of hope.
Bill grew up in an inner city neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A high school art teacher and a revolving mound of clay on potter’s wheel changed his life. He went on to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in American history and foreign relations. For the past 40+ years, his work as head of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation has helped make the impossible possible in his hometown.
Manchester Bidwell operates two subsidiaries. The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCG) serves as a national model for providing hope and educating young people. The MCG Youth & Arts program and the MCG Jazz program serve nearly 4,000 young people each year through classes and workshops in ceramics, photography, digital imaging and design art. The Bidwell Training Center offers Associate Degrees and diplomas in the fields of culinary arts, chemical laboratory technologies, health care, horticulture and office technology.
Despite not having a degree in education, Bill is nationally recognized as a visionary in the field. What he has, is much more valuable, he says – a degree in common sense.
In recognition of his contributions to the arts and the community, Bill has been honored with the coveted MacArthur Foundation “Genius” award.
Here are a few of his insights that caught my attention:
The way you treat people and the environment drives behavior. Beautiful environments create beautiful behavior. Treating people with dignity also is essential.
 A visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, helped inspire Bill. One of the results is that the MCG building is flooded with sunlight.
The MCG building is located in an inner city neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Artwork appraised at $200,000 is on display. The building has no security cameras and no metal detectors. There is no theft or graffiti.
Bill worked as a pilot for Braniff Airlines in the early 1980s, flying 747s. Great job, wrong airline.
We have fresh flowers in the school every day. You don’t need a task force to figure out how to provide fresh flowers. He launched a horticultural program.
We do not serve students “fast food.” Instead, students dine on gourmet foods courtesy of the culinary arts program.
Our country is graduating kids from high school that can’t read the diplomas they receive.
People on welfare are liabilities; we are working to convert them into assets.
Building partnership with businesses is essential. The focus has to be on what you can do for business, not on what you need.
One of the ways we know that our program is starting to take effect is when we see that the students are pulling their pants up. We know they are hooked when they put on a belt. With Bill’s success in making the impossible possible in Pittsburgh, he is now working to change our planet by developing similar centers in other locations inside and outside the United States.
For more information on Bill,
visit bill-strickland.org
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: ALFA, Assisted Living Federation of America, assisted living in Illinois, Assisted Living Provider, Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater house, making the impossible possible, Manchester Bidwell Corporation, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, MCG Jazz Program, MCG Youth & Art Program, Rick Banas, The BMA Blog, University of Pittsburgh, William Strickland Jr
Posted in BMA Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
As part of its ongoing effort to fight ageism, the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) sponsored its second annual Short Film Competition on Ageism.
Seventy-six films from 15 countries were submitted for consideration.
I was in the audience at Community 2012, ALFA’s annual conference, for a screening of the film that was awarded First Place honors.
The film, “Life is a Ball,” was created by Zac Greenbaum of Pilotfish Productions, LLC.
The film emphasizes that aging is something to embrace. Life is a ball; we should get the most out of it no matter our age.
I invite you to take 3 minutes and 51 seconds to see Zach’s creation for yourself.
If you would another reason to feel good about life, I also invite you to take a look at an inspiring video that was shown at ALFA’s Community 2012 conference. The video features residents of Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids, Michigan, lip dub (lip singing) to Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good.”
To produce the video, which has been recognized by the Most Watched Today website as the first ever senior citizen lip dub, the retirement community teamed up with students, alumni and faculty of Grand Valley State University.
Let us know what you think.
“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: Ageism, ALFA, ALFA Short Film Competition on Ageism, Assisted Living Federation of America, assisted living in Illinois, Assisted Living Provider, Clark Retirement Community, Life is a Ball, Lipdub, Michael Buble Feeling Good, Pilotfish Productions, Rick Banas, The BMA Blog, Zac Greenbaum
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Thursday, May 24th, 2012
By Wayne Smallwood of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC)
Last month, Supportive Living communities from throughout the State of Illinois joined together to celebrate Supportive Living Week 2012.
Out 5th Annual Supportive Living Celebration provided a special opportunity to salute the Illinois Supportive Living program as the best program for affordable assisted living in the country and a model for other states to follow.
 Our theme this year was “Taking the Mystery Out of Supportive Living.” Our focus was on showing why Supportive Living is the obvious solution for seniors and adults with disabilities seeking an affordable residential style of living with the availability of personal assistance and support services.
Residents, their families, and the State of Illinois all benefit from the program.
Residents benefit from a program that emphasizes personal choice, dignity, privacy and individuality. They enjoy a wonderful alternative to a nursing home or to struggling alone at home.
Families enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that a loved one is receiving the help with medications and personal assistance they need while living in a wonderful residential environment.
The State of Illinois and taxpayers benefit because the cost to the State of a person receiving financial support from Medicaid is 40% less in Supportive Living than it would be if the person were in a nursing home.
Since the first Supportive Living community began operating in the fall of 1999, the Supportive Living program has grown significantly. Today, there are 136 Supportive Living communities in operation in more than 70 Counties. Together, these communities house more than 10,500 apartments. To help celebrate Supportive Living Week 2012, the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition sponsored several programs:
SLFs Got Talent
Residents from more than 45 Supportive Living communities participated in our 2012 SLFs Got Talent contest.
A panel of judges narrowed the field down to 25 and then popular voting was used to help determine the “Top Ten”. The “Top Ten” performed live in Springfield, with representatives from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services serving as judges. First Place
Dave “Twinky” Stewart of Friedman Place in Chicago for his rendition on the piano of a song that he wrote.
Second Place
Warren Lane of Courtyard Estates of Sullivan for his piano and vocal performance of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
Third Place
Rhonda Martin of Eden Supportive Living in Chicago for her vocal rendition of “King of the Road.”
Fourth Place
Marjorie Conrad of Springfield Supportive Living for her vocal and dance performance of “Kansas City.”
The other Top Ten winners who performed live in Springfield were:
Flora Morgan of Cambridge House of Maryville singing “God Bless the USA”
Fran Henke of Glenhaven Gardens singing “Unto These Hills”
Irma Sands of Evergreen Village in Normal playing the “12th Street Rag” on the piano
A “Harmonica Medley” by Ray “Budzo” Soltis of Evergreen Place in Streator
Ted Kraft of Eagle Ridge of Decatur singing “Besame Mucho”
A performance of Peggy Lee’s “Fever” by Eleanor Coppola, Virginia Jankowksi, Marilyn Johnson, Vera Mitchell, James Wiener and Mary and Carmen Siciliano of Heritage Woods of Batavia.
Testimonial Contest Link
Our 2012 Testimonial Contest featured testimonials submitted by residents of Supportive Living communities.
First Place
Edward and Mary Jane Marrs of Heritage Woods of Yorkville
Second Place
Ora Mae Goodrich of Springfield Supportive Living
Third Place
Patricia Black of Heritage Woods of Chicago
Honorable Mentions
Mildred Cast of River to River in Marion
Mary Hawkins of Heritage Woods of Flora
Frances Henke of Glenhaven Gardens of Alton
Mary Lois McCarnes of Legacy Estates of Monmouth
Wii Bowling Tournament
More than 70 teams of residents in Supportive Living communities throughout the State participated in our 3rd Annual Wii Bowling Tournament.
The tournament culminated with a “Final Four” at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield, Illinois. First Place
For the second year in a row, the Glenhaven Gardeners from Glenhaven Gardens in Alton took home the First Place Trophy. Team member Edna Mobley was recognized for having the highest average of all bowlers in the Final Four competition. Her average per game score was 246.
Team Members:
Frank Bosoluke • Peggy Brown • Shirley Kane
Carol Kuhlman • Edna Mobley
Second Place
Oy Vey! From Heritage Woods of Bolingbrook finished in Second Place. Team member Michael Malina was honored for bowling the High Game in the Final Four, bowling a 279 in the Semi-Finals. Team member Manny Shellist was recognized for being the oldest resident to have bowled in an AALC Final Four. Many is 100 years of age.
Team Members:
Salvatore Armenia • Dorothy Green • Frances Heagy
Michael Malina • Joan Schmitz • Manny Shellist
Third Place
The Prairie Pins from Prairie Living at Chautauqua in Carbondale secured the Third Place trophy be defeating the team from Cambridge House of Maryville by seven pins.
Team Members:
Alla Boyer • Carol Evans • Chris Garden
Sharon Hawkins • Bridget Watson • Arline White
Fourth Place
For the second year in a row, the Silver Sliders from Cambridge House of Maryville finished in Fourth Place. The team won the inaugural tournament in 2010.
Team Members:
Betty Mahan • Gladys Nasif • P.J. Weihl
Photo Contest Link
Our 2012 Photo Contest featured photos submitted by Supportive Living communities.
First Place
“Wind in Your Sails” by Eden Supportive Living (Image Right)
Second Place
“Enjoying the Barn Dance” by Heritage Woods of Sterling
Third Place
“Academy Awards” by Magnolia Terrace in Waterloo
Honorable Mentions
“Barn Dance” by Heritage Woods of Sterling
“Everyone Enjoy a Little Pet” by Evergreen Village of Normal
“Horseback Riding” by Pathway Senior Living
“Joy & Happiness of Supportive Living” by Heritage Woods of DeKalb
“Planting Flowers” by Heritage Woods of Flora
“Tractor” by Heritage Woods of Batavia
“Watch Out Below” by Evergreen Place of Litchfield
“Advocating in Springfield”
Residents and staff from Supportive Living communities travelled to our State Capitol in Springfield to advocate for Supportive Living. During their visit, they met with Gov. Patrick Quinn to express their concerns over proposed cuts to Medicaid that would have a major negative impact on the Supportive Living program. Our thanks to Wayne Smallwood – Executive Director of the AALC – for contributing this guest blog.
Tags: aalc, affordable assisted living, Cambridge House of Maryville, Courtyard Estates of Sullivan, Eagle Ridge of Decatur, Eden Supportive Living, Evergreen Place in Streator, Evergreen Place of Litchfield, Evergreen Village of Normal, Friedman Place in Chicago, Glenhaven Gardens in Alton, Gov. Patrick Quinn, Heritage Woods of Batavia, Heritage Woods of Bolingbrook, Heritage Woods of Chicago, Heritage Woods of DeKalb, Heritage Woods of Flora, Heritage Woods of Sterling, Heritage Woods of Yorkville, Legacy Estates of Monmouth, Magnolia Terrace in Waterloo, Pathway Senior Living, Prairie Living at Chautauqua, River to River in Marion, Springfield Supportive Living, supportive living, Supportive Living Week 2012, Taking the Mystery Out of Supportive Living, The BMA Blog, Wayne Smallwood
Posted in BMA Management | No Comments »
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
By Jo Ellen Bleavins of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
On Tuesday, Rick Banas of BMA Management posted a Blog about a keynote address that those of us attending the recent Life Services Network 2012 Annual Meeting & Exho heard on the topic of “Can We Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?”
 The speaker was aging and Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Gary Small of UCLA. There are things that you can do to help you potentially delay Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Small said. Eating a healthy diet and maintaining an appropriate weight were among his suggestions.
Your brain, Dr. Small noted, is 70% fat so it makes sense to eat the types of fat that are good for you.
A few weeks before listening to Dr. Small, a colleague alerted me through an e-mail to a video about Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s disease that was posted by The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
In the video, Dr. Mary Newport of Tampa, Florida, talks about the positive impact that coconut oil appears to have had on her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, since she started adding it to his diet.
You can view the video below
The coconut has been a staple in the diets of tropical cultures for thousands of years, and coconut oil is made from the meat of the coconut.
Research shows that eating coconut oil will raise your cholesterol level. The beauty is that it does not raise your LDL, or lousy, cholesterol level. Instead, coconut oil is the kind of dietary fat that raises your HDL, or healthy, cholesterol level.
In addition to potentially benefitting those with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers claim that coconut oil also has many other health benefits, as Dr. Beverly Teter of the University of Maryland notes in the video.
With this information, we are going to begin testing adding coconut oil to the diets of residents at the Bridle Brook assisted living, adult daycare and memory care community that we manage in Mahomet, Illinois. We’ll let you know what we learn.
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, assisted living illinois, Assisted Living Provider, BMA Management, Bridle Brook of Mahomet, Can We Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, Cholesterol Level, Coconut Oil, Disease Research, Dr. Beverly Teter University of Maryland, Dr. Garry Small, Dr. Mary Newport, Eating a Healthy Diet, Health Benefits, Jo Ellen Bleavins, Life Service Network, LSN 2012 Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Mahomet Illinois, Memory Care, Rick Banas, The BMA Blog, The Christian Broadcasting Network
Posted in BMA Management | 1 Comment »
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