I was recently referred to a new client by her financial advisor. The client is only 68 years old. She had suffered a stroke when she was in her late 50s and decided to move to a well-respected Continuing Care Retirement Community when she was still able to perform most activities of daily living. She started out at the independent living level, where she received 3 daily meals and help with housekeeping. Then her health gradually became worse and she moved to assisted living. There she received some hands-on help with her activities of daily living, meaning bathing, dressing, toileting, trans ..read more

My friends tell me I should write a book. At times when I think I have heard everything and would have no new stories to share, the next phone call from a prospective client proves me wrong. Does my heart ever get broken? The answer is Yes. But the following story has left me the most devastated as any I have experienced in the 18 years I have owned this business. My clients were a woman in her 90’s and her adult son. She had been an active woman who was suddenly stricken with a disease that caused her to become bedridden. Her son lived several hours away. Her wish was to remain in her indepen ..read more

I was contacted by a therapist to provide an assessment of one of his senior clients. When I spoke with the senior’s son, he told me that his mother was receiving terrible care at an assisted living community. He claimed that the care that had been promised had not been delivered and his mother’s apartment was not being kept clean. I set up an appointment to meet the son and his mother in person to evaluate the situation. The woman met us at the door of her apartment thoroughly unkempt – clad only in a shirt and a diaper that was falling off. I observed a terrible rash down the back of her leg ..read more

As the Guardian of a ward with Autism, I have grown to love and respect the nursing home staff members who have taught me so much about his disease and care. My ward is a 67-year-old adult who was found in an uninhabitable home and unable to care for himself after his brother’s death. Following a hospital stay, my ward was sent to a nursing home that could accommodate his needs for in-house kidney dialysis. He spends most of the day in bed with a blanket over his head. If his routine is disturbed, he bites his hands, yells, punches himself in the face, and hits his hands against the wall. He f ..read more

I have some exciting news, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you ? I’ve been asked to speak at a unique and innovative event called Retire Wiser Chicago. This online summit begins just days from now, Sept 9th, 10th & 11th. This educational event is hosted by two, very well-respected Chicagoland financial advisors who I know you’ll really appreciate. For many years, John Bever and Jim Uren, have been helping Chicagoland residents just like you make wise decisions as they prepare for and enter into their retirement years. What sets them apart from many other advisors I have met is their p ..read more

No one ever likes the idea of placing their loved one in a senior living community. But sometimes an observation from a non-family member and unbiased third party like ADSLA can bring another perspective into light. My client was a child of elderly parents in their very late 80s and mid-90s, respectively. One parent had issues with dementia and needed serious help with toileting and bathing, including lifting. The more independent spouse, who had health issues too, insisted upon completing these tasks for reasons that I have heard many times before: e.g., “We don’t want in-home care because we ..read more

Guardianship is among the services that I have specialized training and experience to provide. Guardianship is a legal process whereby a court appoints a qualified individual the authority to make decisions on behalf of a person who is deemed to be legally incapacitated. The Guardian’s ward (the person I am appointed to protect) doesn’t have the capability to make decisions about his or her personal care or finances. The Guardian must protect the rights of the ward and allow the ward to function in the least restrictive setting without the danger of harm. The Guardian acts as the ward’s Advoca ..read more

If you are thinking of hiring licensed non-medical home care for your loved one, you should be aware of some changes that have arisen due to the pandemic. My Real-life Story will outline what they are. Real-life Story My client is an 84 year-old man. He is still an avid skier, and flies a glider plane. His wife who is only 72 years old is well in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Although she is ambulatory, she cannot bathe or dress herself. Previously, she had prepared all of the couple’s meals. Since my client doesn’t cook, meal time was a huge challenge. He told me that getting his ..read more

I turned 62 on my last birthday. I have never allowed my age to deter me from enjoying my avocational interest in tap, ballet, and jazz dancing. As a senior living advisor and former, part-time amateur children’s dance teacher of 13 years, I am pleased to see senior communities offering dance therapy classes to their residents. In addition to founding and leading ADSLA, I have also taught tap and ballet in several senior centers and in the dementia area at The Arbor of Naperville. On a number of occasions, I was made aware that several of the class participants also had Parkinson’s disease. Ex ..read more