Oppportunity knocks this holiday season for reaching a First Goal for Long-Term Care Planning

This time of year offers ample opportunities to gather with loved ones and celebrate the holiday season and initiate conversations of a deeper thought. Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest part. How do you initiate a conversation about long-term care planning with your parents or other loved ones? Start with taking advantage of time sitting around the table or relaxing on the sofa and open the conversation with letting your loved ones know how important they are to you. Next, be honest, you are doing this not only because you care for them but you also see your future and how it relates to your aging parent. Besides, long-term care planning is more than planning for when you are sick. It's about paying it forward, protecting your future and being prepared. It's also about money. Long-term care is expensive. Individuals are often ill-prepared for the hefty price tag,  which exceeds $40,000 per year for the most basic personal care assistance less than an 8 hours per day. Families are often in a pinch, having to find ways to liquidate assets, borrow money, or use their own savings to pay for the care needs of a loved one. Don't let yourself get bogged down with the process. Start with the first step in beginning the conversation and making an appointment to have an hour visit at a later date. Setting a measurable goal will help you achieve this first step. An example of a  way to direct the conversation is to state "I would like to set-up some time to sit down with you and discuss long-term care planning. I would like to set this time up for sometime in the next 30 days." Set the date and time, mark it on your calendars. You have just achieved the First Goal for Long-Term Care Planning. Taking the first step is the hardest part.
Eagleview West specializes in long-term care planning and has a unique 7-Step process for decision-making and conversation guidance. To learn more or get help Call 406-752-LTC1.
 

Tomorrow is Today: One remarkable man's endeavor to use Robotic Technology to assist him with his disability

If you thought robotic vacuums were cool, you are sure to be inspired by how robotics and technology contribute to much more than cleaning the floor. Thanks to pioneers like Henry Evans there is hope and promise for the future of the disabled or chronically ill. The real challenge will be affordability and access as well as trained personnel, or capable loved ones, to help with implementation and maintenance.

National Attention towards recognizing the importance of Memory Screenings

Reps. Waters & Smith Commemorate National Memory Screening Day | Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Eagleview West is a proud participant in the National Memory Screening Day on Tuesday, November 19th, 2013. For the 4th consecutive year in a row, Eagleview West has helped carry out the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's annual initiative to help raise awareness and provide free, confidential screenings by licensed, trained health care professionals. It's not too late to call for an appointment 406-212-0620 or show up anytime between 2-6pm at Prestige Assisted Living, 125 Glenwood Dr., Kalispell, Montana.

Can I screen your memory?

Alzheimer's experts encourage early planning


If you would like to learn more, please send an email to: Jennifer@EagleviewWest.com
 

Health Insurance Q&A 
A helpful website provided by Monica Lindeen, the Montana Commissioner of Securities & Insurance.
If you haven't heard the news, there are a lot of changes as we approach 2014 with respect to health insurance and healthcare in general. Here's a good place to start if you have some questions bugging you about health insurance.

A creative name for a support group catered to helping caregivers and those afflicted with cognitive impairment:  Check out the Memory Cafe! Reuniting people who face similar challenges, offering tips for coping, strategies for long-term success, and social activities. Many communities already have "support groups' in place for coping with Dementia but have low attendance with little advertising to help inform the public. Does a cool, modern name invoke more interest and improved attendance? 

Dementia friendly cities?

Is this a start of a new era moving beyond technology for aging and into something more broad in concept? While at the International Symposium on Life Care Planning three years ago the discussions heard repeatedly focused on the global impact of aging. Communities across the world will be placed at risk if they lack preparedness in caring for the largest number of seniors ever experienced on Earth.There is a quiet urgency for the development of new ideas for successful aging and caring for those with disability in the community. Take for example my geographical region of Flathead County in Northwest Montana. The number of persons diagnosed with cognitive impairment is expected to increase over 80% in the next 15 years. That's right, eighty percent! With this in mind, it seems logical that Flathead County agencies should prepare now for strengthening and reinforcing its community-based approach to wellness and health promotion and exploring possibilities for new projects to help ease the burden of caring for an aging population.
A new idea worth checking out focuses on a design for a Dementia friendly city.