How Should Seniors Choose

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1 Letter From The President - Mark Burish How Should Seniors Choose Seniors or their families and caregivers are often confused about what alternatives are available to them for assisted living. That is hardly surprising when one considers the myriad of assisted living residences available from community to community. Most people looking for services are doing it for the first time and do not know where to start. At Our House, we recognize our responsibility to go beyond making a sale when we receive an inquiry. We attempt to educate and assist families in determining if the assisted living option is the correct one and if so, what type of assisted living is most appropriate. available. It may be that Our House is either to restrictive or cannot provide all the care needed by a potential resident. If so, we will inform the family or the resident and help them find an appropriate place to reside. It is important to us that we establish a good rapport with respective residents and their families, first by listening to their particular concerns and requirements and then insuring that they receive the information they need to make an informed decision about Our House or another facility. Our House will always attempt to do whatever is possible to help seniors make the best choice of the appropriate assisted living option. The guiding principles that we follow in advising potential residents are choice, dignity and independence. These are most valued by all seniors looking for care. Our job is to find that facility that will provide the best care; it still respects choice, dignity, and independence of the individual to the greatest extent possible. We do an extensive individual assessment of each potential resident. We determine what care is appropriate and what risks are associated with the care choices I am proud to announce to our readers that Our House Residential Care Apartments in Austin, MN, received the best new building project of the year award from the Austin Chamber of Commerce. The forty-one assisted care apartments were opened in October 2005, and are already filled. They compliment our two memory care residences in Austin. Kudos to Pam Waters, Randy Klein, Shannon Pacholl, and Jennifer Bartholmey who do such a great job managing them and caring for the residents there.

2 For Seniors Innovative Financial Strategies There are many innovative financial strategies available to free up assets of older adults. These assets can be utilized to provide the independence of choice and the ability to enhance quality of life in their later years. Reverse Mortgages An alternative that has existed for a number of years is a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is a special type of home loan that lets a home owner convert equity into cash. The equity can be paid in a lump sum or monthly payments. Repayment is not required until the homeowner no longer uses the home as their primary residence. Under the terms of a reverse mortgage you will be able to live in your home as long as you wish, providing you keep current on the taxes and insurance. To qualify the homeowner must be at least 62 years of age and have a significant amount of equity in their home. Long-Term Care Insurance A third strategy is long-term care insurance. Policies are available that pay a daily rate for nursing home, assisted living or home care which preserves the freedom of choice for the policy holder while providing financial protection from the high cost of long-term care. For an individual or couple with a significant net worth, long-term care insurance is a viable financial strategy to preserve and protect your assets. Another financial strategy to consider is Senior Life Insurance Settlements, which enables an individual to sell their life insurance to a third party in exchange for a reduced amount of the face value. The amount you receive depends on your age, health, death benefit, and the number of years your policy has been in force. Any person age 64 and older is eligible.

3 Assisted Care 1954 State Road 23, Wisconsin Dells, WI Phone: (608) Fax: (608) nd Quarter 2006 Vol. 7, Issue 2 Our Cornerstone Dorothy Van Wie Dorothy became a resident at Our House because she wanted assistance with some of her daily needs. She likes having her meals cooked for her and appreciates all of the help the staff gives. Her favorite activities are playing Bingo and doing word searches. The staff at Our House says Dorothy is a wonderful lady with a pleasant greeting for everyone that enters through the Our House doors. Dorothy s words of wisdom are, Treat others like you would like to be treated. Dorothy was born and raised in Kewaunee, WI. In 1939 she started teaching at Wisconsin Dells High School. After Jack Van Wie had graduated from high school, he asked Dorothy out on a date. The couple was married for 35 years. p Happypy Springtime! Together they had six children, Robert, John, William, David, Elizabeth and Mary. Dorothy taught school four years and then stayed at home with her children. Now, Dorothy has 17 grandchildren to keep track of.

4 Assistant Director Carol Nelson make it in early November and then let it season until Christmas. It was the entire family and took all day, from five in the morning until midnight, recalls Carol. Carol s words of wisdom are, Live for today, yesterday is history and tomorrow may never come. Carol Nelson is very excited to be a part of the Our House team as the Assistant Director in Wisconsin Dells. She enjoys working with the residents and other staff members. Carol is very impressed with the high standards Our House has when it comes to caring for the residents. Wisconsin Dells is home to Carol and her significant other, Bubba Heintz. Carol likes to collect electrical insulators. At one point Carol had collected over 2,000 of them, however she recently sold part of her collection. Special Events April 15 Easter Brunch May 13 Mother s Day Tea June 21 First Day of Summer Cookout Many of Carol s fondest childhood memories involve her family. On Sundays Carol remembers having dinner at her grandma s house. She was an excellent cook and baker, shares Carol. Every year her family would also gather to make Christmas bread. She says they would

5 Assisted Care 1954 State Road 23, Wisconsin Dells, WI Phone: (608) Fax: (608) nd Quarter 2006 Vol. 7, Issue 2 Greetings From Our House! From The Director As the weather finally starts to warm up, we are looking forward to an exciting spring at Our House. I am really excited about my new position as Executive Director and I am looking forward to the many great opportunities that we have here in Wisconsin Dells. To give you all a little background about myself, I grew up in South Bend, Indiana and graduated from Indiana University. I managed a group home in Indiana before moving to Wisconsin and starting my career with Our House in October of I managed the Lodi Our House and really enjoyed all of the close relationships I built there with the staff, residents, and family members. My wife, Cara, and I were married in June 2005, so we have our one year anniversary approaching quickly! May Executive Director Birthdays 31 Kandi A. (staff) Jeremy Reinke As we move into spring I am going to continue to work closely with our Life Enrichment Coordinator, Darcy, to build on our programs and continue to offer meaningful and fun activities for all of our residents. This is a very important aspect of what we do here at Our House. Darcy and I will be working hard to come up with fun new events and activities. If you have any ideas for community outings, feel free to stop by my office and share them with me. I look forward to working with everyone to ensure high quality care for the residents at Our House. Second Thursday of every month 2:00 pm Every Friday morning

6 Moments To Enjoy... Our House Photo Gallery Virginia gets some assistance preparing for an outing. Bea gets started on a new jigsaw puzzle.