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Just had a Major Malfunction with the Programme. Hope I can get this baby back to base. Heidi introduced Gail Reid and spoke of her past accomplishments. She is now lifestyle consultant / sales person for Riverbend place and she is here to review the necessity and advantages of retirement living places. We are all going to get older and need something of the sort. The other alternative is not so good. She had a personal thanks for Rotarians. She previously worked at a Children's Centre in Peterborough supported by Rotary and similar to our efforts here. Then it turned out that her son had Cerebral Palsy and every much needed the therapy and support provided. She is very grateful as her son is now 30 yrs old and independent. She said that advocacy for seniors and having them be aware of what their needs are is very important. Knowing when the right time to leave home is crucial. Physical needs can often be looked after by Home Care. But when personal safety issues and trouble making financial decisions arises it is time to consider the move. Some people do not preplan and things have to be done after a hospital visit and this is hard. Not all retirement homes are licensed so the care can vary. The cost of retirement living varies a lot and it is not supported by the Ministry of Health. Long term care homes provide care ie help with meals, ADL. These are run via the local Health Network and Ministry of Health. The Ministry supports a basic non private room leaving the patient with a comfort allowance from their old age security. The cost of private facilites and more bells and whistles comes from the client's income. Older people are reluctant to spend their savings ( you bet!) so a little help in knowing the ropes is important. This whole area can be confusing and the move from retirement home to Long Term Care is not always seamless. Thanks Gail. |
