Misconceptions about assisted living and what it really is.
In my opinion (as is always the case in these spaces, knowing I don't know it all), deciding if, or when to make a life-changing decision, especially in regard to changing the locales of the physical spaces in which we live, because we might NEED to make those changes, has to be one of the most important decisions we can ever make. Again in my opinion, perhaps it's THE most important decision. There are several reasons, I opine, as follows: 

When many of us, or possibly most, decide it's time to live our remaining senior years in relative comfort, without some of the anxieties that come with individual basic needs not being met, as well as home ownership and maintenance, it's comforting to know assisted living exists. 

For some of us, perhaps many, it's difficult to ever admit we're "slowing down." Maybe it’s hard to admit we are not always doing what we should in regards to our personal care. Things that used simple and routine like dressing for the day, cooking and cleaning, bathing, and even managing our medication  may be getting increasingly challenging as we age.

Even though many of us are blessed with minds that are still sharp and aware, chronological age can still play a major role regarding how ALWAYS alert we are, or are not. It's tough to admit, but sometimes many of us feel those moments and realize it IS time to "slow down" and perhaps let a 102-year-young organization such as Ebenezer, and its many assisted living  communities, help make life a lot easier and, truly, happier.

One of several misconceptions about assisted living is that when one decides to move into an assisted living community, the new lifestyle will cause you to lose your independence. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, choosing some a la carte home health services as needed, meals, or housekeeping assistance helps seniors to keep their independence. Often times, by continuing to neglect the issues we need help with, we’re increasing the chance of a health crisis which would in turn cause our loss of independence.

As noted on the http://www.EbenezerCares.org website, if you or a loved one need help managing daily activities or if care giving is consuming too much of your time, Ebenezer offers solutions that are close to home and may be even more affordable than you think. Ebenezer's assisted living communities are designed for those who are looking for a more carefree lifestyle (the word "happy" comes to my mind again, and based on the truth) and who may need help with daily activities, like  dressing, cooking and cleaning, medication management and bathing. Also noted on part of Ebenezer's website, Ebenezer’s beautifully-designed assisted living rental apartments provide the care and services needed and the independence residents want.  Ebenezer’s affordable monthly fee includes a meal plan and light housekeeping. One can add personal and care services as needed.

Ebenezer assisted living communities are a great solution for those who want more services than independent living communities can provide. Staff is on duty 24-hours a day.

Please consult with one of our assisted living specialists at Ebenezer and they can help you navigate and understand assisted living. Thank you for reading, as always!

Medication management tips, safety, and how you can best manage your medication. 
Moms, or even Dads, who forget to take their medications should not feel as though their forgetfulness is something too unusual, or if they should consider accepting Pariah status, Heaven forbid.
 
Even those of us who are perfectionists, even in our 80s, sometimes forget to take those all-important medications. I take a total of at least 14 pills (meds) a day to control, among other ailments, Type-2 Diabetes; high blood pressure (hypertension); Chronic Lymphocytic: Leukemia (under control, I’m happy to state, thanks to the meds); Neuropathy, and more. Sometimes I feel like a walking pharmacy! I'm certain you can possibly identify with that unenviable description, too. Regardless, all the prescribed and over-the-counter meds many of us are taking are either helping us live more healthful lives or elongating our years via the wonderful breakthroughs that have developed to amplify our quality and length of life.
 
Regardless, as we age and not necessarily because of dementia, some of us DO sometimes forget to take our meds. If it happens once in a long while (the case for yours truly), one missed dose should not be taken with the next dose. That's the advice from my wife who during her early work years, was employed at the Minneapolis VA Hospital and learned considerable information about patients who were on enough multiple meds that missing one scheduled intake would not be life-threatening. Missing the meds on a recurring basis could be.
 
Respectfully, following is the regimen to which I subscribe daily to not miss the very necessary meds I ingest:
1. Keep the compartmentalized meds container on the kitchen counter 24/7/365 reminding me it's there to help me remember to take the pills contained in each day-part "compartment" (for breakfast, evening dinnertime and bedtime).
2. Leave the meds container on the kitchen counter at the very same spot, as a constant reminder.
3. If for some reason a dosage is missed, just skip that dosage, as previously suggested and resume "full speed" with the next scheduled intake.
 
Obviously, my suggestions are strictly based on the regimen I've been following for many years. Hopefully they may serve as a successful guideline to you, your Mom, Dad or any relative or loved one who shouldn't be forgetting taking those all-important meds.
 
If you find you or a loved one is needing more help with their medications, please visit Fairview Lifeline for medication dispensers. 
Thank you for reading, as always.
Barry ZeVan

THE BEST TIME TO MAKE A PLAN IS WHEN YOU DON'T NEED ONE.
I've never been a procrastinator. In fact, especially in these days of phone calls not returned in a timely fashion, or emails also not acknowledged, at least within a couple hours, I'm the antithesis of what was just described. Perhaps it's the era into which I was born, i.e., the late 1930s. Non-procrastination and planning ahead was instilled in me by my mother. Indeed, the common practice, in those days and until at least the 1970s, to be considerate of other people's needs for punctual responses, as well as preparing for possible eventualities that NEED to be addressed before they occur, is almost a lost and much-needed "art."
 
Obviously, people still purchase life and other sorts of insurance and the outstanding Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," hasn't yet been abandoned. Regardless, there are some families and individuals who still wait to take action until disaster strikes. Some of those disasters affecting mostly seniors are, of course, strokes, heart attacks, pneumonia (from which I'm thankfully just successfully recovering), dementia, Alzheimer's, physical trauma, automobile accidents and so many more too numerous to mention, or predict. 
 
What can you do to prepare for the above-stated possibilities (or probabilities) when one or more of all the preceding haven't yet occurred and life is presently "good?" In my opinion, common sense should prevail. Just those two Boy Scout words, "Be Prepared,"should be the mantra for almost everything we might encounter in life. There have been very few times in my life, even when times were good, when I didn't have the blessing of forward-thinking Plans A, B, C, D and beyond, again, in my opinion, attributable to my mother and that era into which I was born.
 
Hopefully, the preceding respectful admonition to create Plans A, B, C, D (and beyond) will motivate those who haven't yet made safety-net plans for their senior loved-ones before those plans need to be activated, to please do so, not only because it's common sense but also because your pre-planning will help create peace of mind for you and/or your senior loved ones. 
 
Thank you for reading, as always. I hope these thoughts have been helpful. 

 Television producer/actor Carl Reiner is in his 90s. So are Producer/actor Mel Brooks, comedian/actor Jerry Stiller and singer Ed Ames. Actor Kirk Douglas is 102. They all have one thing in common. In my opinion, they pay no attention to their ages, and a few of them are still strong enough, physically and emotionally, to still be in the business (pleasure) of creating entertainment for millions of us. They are, of course, all multi-millionaires who have the luxury of access to only the world's finest medical and emotional help, with cost not a factor. I've been blessed to have close relationships with all of them, except for Kirk Douglas. (His son, Michael, and I have had some good professional and personal times together, however.)
 
I also have met, even recently at Ebenezer's Trails of Orono, community members in their 80s and 90s who are as alert and alive in spirit as people half their ages. I'm 81-1/2 and still psychologically feel 20 most days. Regardless, moods are normal, especially as we get older, since we've had more life experiences occur than people chronologically younger than we are. Sometimes, I think the moody negatives jump into our minds because we have too much time to think. 
 
Regardless, there are a few "secrets" in my opinion, to ridding ourselves of remembrances of our chronological ages, if those remembrances tend to make us feel depressed. One "secret" in my opinion and to which I refer frequently. is just telling my mind to "be quiet" and simply think of happy thoughts and memories. Also listening to uplifting music. It can really be achieved, sometimes not easily, but can definitely become a good and relatively easy habit in relation to knowing aging is just a number.
 
One of my long-ago friends was a man named Everett Kircher. Everett founded the Boyne Ski Resorts in Michigan and eventually bought Big Sky, Montana and Crystal Mountain, Washington resorts. I was blessed to have Everett's son, John, have Everett and me as passengers on their private jet to visit Big Sky (I'd been there several times previously), flying from Kalamazoo. Michigan to Bozeman, Montana, the airport closest to Big Sky. During the flight, Everett, who was then 75, told me he was depressed. here was a man who could buy and sell half the U.S. About what was he depressed? He told me, at age 75, he hadn't done one-tenth of what he wanted to accomplish in life, but also stated he knew age was just a number and was bound and determined to do as much else as possible until he could do no more. I'm not certain at what age Everett left us, but I know he definitely didn't consider age being a deterrent to additional successes.
 
There are numerous stories about people, famous or not, powerful or not, that echo those chronicled above. The numbers on our birthday cards should not deter us from realizing we're more than  blessed to have achieved living more than the three-score-ten the Bible states would be the goal to achieve chronologically. Knowing we have those blessings, in my opinion, we should forget the annual numbers and rejoice in the daily numbers we're been blessed to have and ENJOY.

Ebenezer has been blessed with numbers as well.  For instance they've been around more than 100 years. Another happy number for Ebenezer is 91.  As of today, Ebenezer has 91 locations in Minnesota and Iowa. And just like my age, Ebenezer's number's keep growing! Oh, and here's another number to consider:  612-672-7262. That's a great number to know if you are looking for senior living.
Best!
Barry