By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Music is good, singing is good, both of these things encourage movement and deeper breathing and better posture, which is half the battle, and can be done sitting if necessary.
If the person is fit and cognitively ok, a dog is excellent. I meet several people on my walks around the town who take much better care of their dogs than they do of themselves, and are out and about for one or two hours each day, minimum. One uses a rollator, one has a mobility scooter, one has been wearing the same jacket for three years but his two dogs are always smartly turned out. Dogs provide emotional input; plus even reclusive dog owners talk to other dog owners. But from an animal welfare point of view there does need to be a support network in case of emergency.
When you say there's no sidewalk... Are these dangerous, busy roads with no sidewalk, or do you just mean that the terrain is naturally rough?
Do you have one particular senior in mind that you would like to say a little more about?
That is a very good point about senior programs. That used to be an issue with kids programs as well. Now there seems to be more variety in programs than there was when I was a child.
Perhaps people will start to *get it* for seniors as well. It seems like people should start to organize something for people who need something that is socially low-key but still active—like a senior birdwatching/hiking club or a senior walking group.
Love your suggestions. Lots of activities for those willing to participate.
I have noticed before now that there can be a tendency for people to think that "nothing is being done" when actually quite a lot is happening, it's just that they don't know about it. Are you sure there aren't walking groups, book clubs, swimming sessions, library lectures and so on?
As she's aged, it has become apparent that neglecting her "inner core" has caused great damage. She stayed in bed, most days, all day. For the last 50+ years. She had multiple surgeries, to the point nobody could keep track. None of them gave her a better quality of life, except maybe the hip surgery she had 3 years ago. She's had multiple back fusions, both knees replaced, appendix removed (it was fine, the Dr just got sick of seeing her for this phantom pain) and many, many other surgeries.
As a result, she is stooped over into the "C" curve you so often see. No bone density--even though she's been begging her ortho doc for another hip replacement, he simply told her he was going to fire her and would not perform any more surgeries. She went from a cane to a walker and another hip replacement would put her in a wheelchair, which she would love.
She would be compliant with after surgery PT. Always. Some hunky PT would come to the house and she'd flirt away (so embarrassing) and when the PT was "over" she'd fold right in half again. The PT's and docs all say her posture (lack thereof) is simply due to her lack of exercise and strength building exercises. We're talking 15 minutes a day, twice a day.
She's 89. She's been bent over like this for about the last 10 years, it gets worse all the time, but at some point, you simply don't notice.
One day I stopped by and she proudly pointed out that she had walked to the neighbors house (maybe 200 ft). I said "That's a great start!" Never happened again.
I do not know how she functions, day to day. She cannot lift her head. She can't see anything more than about 4' about the floor. She sits hunched over her table or her puzzle table all day. Walks maybe 500 steps a day.
I realize as I type this I am sitting ramrod straight in my office chair....
Her mother had impeccable posture--no matter what. She lived to 94 and walked up to 5 miles a day. If she couldn't walk, she got on her small stationary bike.
I think that aging simply catches up with us. I broke my foot over a year ago and life got in the way, so I didn't DO anything about it. Finally wound up in a knee high boot for 6 weeks....and it's healing. I got so sick of being in pain and not being able to keep up----I've had 2 back surgeries and made sure the dr knew I wanted to be able to bend over and touch the floor after each one--Bingo!
Yes, I am in chronic pain from the back surgeries, but am trying to not let it define me.
If mother had opted to get into her neighborhood "waling groups" she would have recouped so much better. As it was, she did in home PT and as soon as she could, she quit.
You can lead a horse to water---that would be mother. She was always told she was a frail and fragile little person. (She's not) and she used that DX from 1935 to "engineer" her life.
I gave up YEARS ago trying to get mother to DO anything. She's one fall from a wheelchair and a NH. Her apartment cannot handle a Wheelchair.