Blog - Part 3

Demand for Long Term Care LTC set to explode

The coming decades will be marked by an explosion in the number of Alzheimer's diagnoses, reinforcing the need for clients to invest in long-term care insurance products, according to re-insurer Munich Re, which hosted its second congress on long-term care insurance in Montreal last week. Citing a recent survey commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, Munich Re said that four in five Canadians believe pressures exerted by the aging population will negatively impact the quality of healthcare services for seniors. Seventy two percent of respondents indicated they did not believe they have sufficient resources to maintain good health in the event of such a reduction in state-run healthcare, and consequently, 40% said they were ready to buy private insurance to compensate. And Alzheimer's is just the tip of the iceberg: several aging-related disorders can push your clients into long-term care (LTC). Virtually any condition that causes them to lose the ability to p…

An opinion on long-term care insurance

Maybe this is a good time to remind everyone that long-term care truly is 'a family affair'. In our country, 90% of care is undertaken by family in one's own home and 1 in 5 caregivers still provide care to their loved ones even when in a care facility. As well, 80% of Alzheimer's-dementia persons are cared for at home, usually by a spouse. "It upsets me!" "It upsets my family!" These are the two major barriers recently identified for not having a conversation about our future long-term care! Shockingly, the majority of couples have not talked with their spouses yet about the three key aspects pertaining to their future care: - - Their options when they need some care and related costs - - What they expect of their family members - - How their future care is to be paid for Many people ask me about long-term care insurance (LTCI) as a method of financing some of the costs of our potential future care. I'm not a planner, insurance agent or broker, nor do I work …

Active aging key to seniors’ independence

Active aging key to seniors' independence; Living at home just part of being independent; seniors must keep active, engaged to stay healthy Eric Steven wants to learn how to use a computer so that he can talk over the webcam with his grandkids. "My wife will see our grandchildren on Skype and I don't have the faintest idea how she does it," he says. "I'm embarrassed by my ignorance." Steven, 75, is a member of the Tantramar Seniors College and is at People's Park Towers for a computer class taught by Dennis Damsell, who is 84. "When grandchildren try to teach they go too fast," explains Damsell. Computer class at Tantramar is certainly not fast. But it is a chance for seniors to get out of the house, socialize, and learn something new. "Everybody thinks I'm crazy because I'm 85 and I want to do this," says Ortha Matthews. "Most people at 85, they don't do these things." Matthews is also learning French. Tantramar offers courses in pottery, poker, quilting,…

Should I stay or should I go?

Should I stay or should I go?; Choice can be difficult for aging boomers when options aren't as easy as they seem Canadian seniors may have long ceased playing games of leapfrog, but their numbers haven't. The latest census figures from Statistics Canada show seniors, those aged 65 and older, vaulting to 14.8 per cent of the population in 2011 from 11.6 in 1991; by 2031, that number will be almost 23 per cent. The explosion is due to the mountain of baby boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 - now entering their senior years. And with that shifting demographic comes a shift in housing needs. The sprawling, maintenance-heavy sub-urban home, for example, will become impractical for many. But the majority of aging Canadians want to stay in their own homes - rather than living in a group set-ting, like a retirement residence - as long as they can, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Some solutions are already common: Renovating an existing home to accommoda…

Are we ready for the boomer tsunami?

John and Bernice Klassen are stumped when asked what they miss about suburban Ottawa. Six years ago, they sold their four-bedroom house in Nepean and moved to a low-rise condo building not far from Elgin Street. They were like a lot of baby boomers: fed up with maintaining a house that was too big for their needs. "It was also a question of lifestyle," says John, 63, and now retired from foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. "There, you had to get in the car just to buy a litre of milk. Here, everything's within walking distance: the National Arts Centre, the ByWard Market." "The transition was so easy, we've never looked back," says Bernice, also 63, and a retired college teacher. "We both wanted to move downtown and we said: 'It's either now or we won't be able to afford it.' " The Klassens, after a lifetime of working hard, likely needn't worry about housing. They have pensions, savings and a comfortable home. Down the road, they can sell the condo and …

Top 5 Ways to Reduce Falls in Senior Living Communities

When a senior falls and breaks a bone, it’s much more difficult to recover. In fact, hospitals and surgeries have been linked to a high rate of decline in the elderly, and in many instances—increased level of care for the duration of life after a senior falls. Senior Fall Prevention A 2012 Expo Conference session, Translating Research into Practice: Implementing Comprehensive Fall Management Across the Care Continuum, discussed evidence-based fall risk management techniques to help educate senior living professionals on how to minimize resident falls. The presenters, Alice Bell, the Vice President of Clinical Services at Genesis HealthCare, and Jennifer Sidelinker, the Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy at Genesis Rehab, suggested that senior living communities take a new approach to fall management. According to Bell and Sidelinker, fall rates are highest and result in the greatest number of injuries among those with fair standing balance and the ability to rise fr…