What are your senior housing options?

When looking for senior housing for yourself or a loved one, you’re going to find a wide selection of options for every budget and need. United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen, a continuing care retirement community in Sussex County, New Jersey, offers the a wide range of  options – allowing residents to stay independent and active. We ensure that all the hassle of owning a home is taken on by us. Here’s how we do it:

• Apartment-style living: Spacious and well-appointed, our apartment homes make living easy, convenient and comfortable. Designed for easy maintenance with beautiful views, they allow our associates to assist residents easily and quickly – no matter the weather or time of day.
• Dedicated residential buildings: The community consists of three different residential buildings, each customized to meet a specific level of care. This enables quick and efficient services and encourages residents to socialize easily. Although separate, these building are connected, both through their beautiful natural setting and a calendar of social events.
• Wide range of floor plans: Our apartment homes are as unique as our residents. There are different floor plans in each residential building, and you can choose the one that best suits your lifestyle and budget, based on availability. The different options include a custom two-bedroom, 1489 square feet apartment and large one-bedroom, 844 square feet apartment, as well as smaller corner units of 699 square feet.
• Beautifully appointed communal areas: In addition to spacious apartments, comfortable communal areas encourage relaxation and socialization. These include a dining area, library, activity center, wellness center, town hall, and more. In addition, the extensive and well maintained grounds cover a massive 74 acres consisting of woods, meadows, flower gardens, porches, vegetable gardens, patios and walking paths.
• Aging in place: We believe in aging in place, a less restrictive caregiving model that aims to keep residents in an apartment for as long as it is safe.  Our apartments, designed to support this and our healthcare strategy, ensure that residents can access any of their required healthcare services onsite, including assisted living, Memory Support, short term rehabilitation and hospice care.

Independent senior living and assisted living in Sussex County, NJ 
United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen is a continuing care retirement community that caters to seniors of all ages and support requirements. Our services are completely customized to your individual needs and range from basic daily assistance all the way to end-of-life care. Our educated and dedicated staff pride themselves on the quality and compassionate nature of their care, ensuring that residents enjoy a high quality of independent life for as long as possible.
To find out more about our individualized assisted living services and our senior living community, please contact us today or visit https://bristolglen.umcommunities.org.

This content was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/blog/senior-housing-options/

Financial Planning Tips for Retired Seniors

It’s no secret that retiring costs money. Not only do you have to be prepared for rising expenses and the eventual costs of assisted living services, but also you need to ensure that your money is protected from scams and spent within a realistic budget. Here are some helpful tips on financial planning for seniors from a leading assisted living facility in south New Jersey.

1. Cover all of your bases: When making a financial plan, be sure to consider your current and future living expenses, current and future sources of income (including benefits), the current and future value of assets, tax planning, insurance, and investments.
2. Get professional help: Financial planning can be complex, especially if you don’t have a background in finance or have managed your finances without professionals. However, it is essential that you get help from a qualified, reliable professional to ensure that your money remains safe and secure. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s website helps explain what each qualification means and how to select a financial advisor.
3. Prepare for the worst case scenario: No one likes to think there will be a time when they will be unable to manage their finances, but it’s always best to prepare just in case. Have a list of the financial institutions you use along with account numbers and keep it in a safe place that is accessible by a trusted family member in emergencies. Consider hiring an estate planning attorney to draw a financial Power of Attorney document that puts your finances in the hands of someone you trust in case you are unable to manage them yourself. You can also work with your bank to add a co-owner to one or more of your accounts – but again, extend the privilege to someone reliable and trustworthy, as they will be able to withdraw from your account.
4. Be on the lookout for fraud: Seniors are a target for con artists, scams and fraud – whether from family members and caregivers or from professional fraudsters. Some indicators of fraudulent activity include unsolicited requests to pay a sum of money for an emergency situation or before receiving goods or services; any unsolicited requests for your bank account number, social security number or PIN; and investments that promise an excessively high return. Even financially savvy people can fall victim to fraud, so keep a close eye on your accounts, credit card bills and bank statements, and report anything suspicious as soon as possible.

High value assisted living in South New Jersey
United Methodist Communities at The Shores, a well-appointed residential assisted living community in southern New Jersey, offers customized services ranging from independent living to short-term rehabilitation, respite, and hospice and palliative care. Our dedicated team is happy to work with you to discuss assisted living costs and the services we offer.
To find out more about our individualized assisted living services and our senior living community, please contact us today and organize a visit.
This content was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/blog/financial-planning-tips-retired-seniors/.

Getting to know associate roles at a senior living facility

The team of associates at a senior living community is generally determined by the size of the community as well as the scope of its services and the levels of care they provide. Here’s a general guide from senior and assisted living providers in New Jersey.

• Administrator and administrative staff: This team oversees the day-to-day management of the facility and coordinates other departments.
• Sales and Admissions staff: These staff members work with residential applicants and their families, explaining the application process, touring, answering any questions and providing general assistance.
• Medical Director: The person in this role focuses on the facility’s healthcare strategy, ensuring that the right resources go to the correct departments and ensuring that different medical, healthcare and therapy teams work together to deliver the highest level of healthcare for the residents.
• Nursing Director and staff: This role oversees all nursing personnel, coordinating schedules, ensuring that 24-hour nursing care is available for emergency care as well as residents requiring rehabilitation, short-term care or hospice and palliative care (if the facility provides these services).
• Housekeeping Coordinator and staff: These associates take care of the resident’s many daily cleaning and housekeeping tasks, including general cleaning and laundry.
• Maintenance staff: This team’s duties range from cleaning the facilities and managing general waste removal to taking care of any handyman tasks for residents as well as overseeing outdoor maintenance.
• Dining coordinator and staff: This team plans, manages and prepares meals for residents, both in the facility dining room as well as the bistros, and long term care residences.
• Volunteers: Volunteers play an important role in senior living communities, providing essential assistance to associates, companionship to residents and compassion to all. Volunteers offer their skills in many different capacities, from hosting entertaining craft classes, giving lectures, leading a group, singing, playing musical instruments to playing games with the residents and much more.

Comfortable independent senior and assisted living in New Jersey
United Methodist Communities serves the state of New Jersey. Our services range from independent living through to assisted living, respite care, short-term rehabilitation and hospice and palliative care, we are able to offer our residents dignified, comfortable and enjoyable senior years.
Our services are fully scalable, ensuring that our residents receive assistance when and where they require it at each stage of their lives. Our dedicated and experienced associates are passionate about giving our residents the highest level of care available.

To find out more about our individualized assisted living services and our senior living communities, please contact us today and organize a visit.

This content was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/blog/getting-know-associate-roles-senior-living-facility/. 

A senior’s guide to keeping joints healthy

One of the biggest health challenges facing seniors today is keeping bones and joints healthy and strong. Unfortunately, as we get older the cartilage that cushions our joints wears down, eventually leading to inflammation and pain. “However, there are a few things you can do to help relieve this pain and protect your joints from wear-and-tear. This is awkward here. Since it’s in the last paragraph can we delete it here?)

1. Get off the couch: Exercise builds strong muscle tissue that helps provide protection for your joints. A good exercise routine includes walking or swimming, lifting light weights, gentle stretching and movement to strengthen balance. These help ensure you maintain a healthy weight, build bone and muscle tissue, improve range of motion and help prevents falls. However, in order to make sure that you are exercising safely and within your health guidelines be sure to consult a specialist before you start your fitness journey.
2. Eat well: A healthy diet contains the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to keep muscles and joints in good repair. Foods like almonds, avocados and oily fish (like tuna, salmon and sardines) are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that fight inflammation and keep nerve tissue healthy, while protein helps the body build muscle tissue. In addition, be sure to include vitamin D and calcium for their bone-strengthening properties.
3. Lose excess weight: If you are above the healthy weight range recommended by medical practitioners, it’s a good idea to start a healthy weight loss regime to take the extra pressure off your joints. This will include diet and exercise appropriate to your current requirements.
4. Get creative: If traditional exercise doesn’t sound appealing to you, then think outside the box! Gardening is a great way to give your body the exercise it needs, as are nature walks and dance lessons. Joining a few classes or clubs is also a great way to meet new friends and make getting fit a fun, as well as healthy, experience.
5. Get the right shoes: There are lots of great looking shoes out there but many don’t actually provide the orthopedic support your feet and joints require. Look for exercise and casual shoes that have good grip and properly support your feet and ankles, as these will help keep your joints healthy and prevent joint pain.

Compassionate assisted living for seniors in New Jersey 

United Methodist Communities at Pitman is a beautiful and comfortable senior living and assisted living community serving Gloucester County, NJ. Our dedicated and compassionate associates help residents through their daily activities and provide professional medical care support, all in a private residential setting.

To find out more about our individualized assisted living services and our senior living community, please contact us today and organize a visit. Or visit our website at www.pitman.umcommunities.org.

This content was originally published at  https://umcommunities.org/blog/seniors-guide-keeping-joints-healthy/