This month, I am celebrating the 11-year anniversary of the opening of Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors. I am hoping that I have at least another 11 years of rewarding work ahead of me. I have to chuckle because I have had so many unusual requests over the past decade,…
This week, I was overjoyed when a former client called me to tell me about her mother’s progress. Her mother was a young 70 when they became my clients less than a year ago. When I first met the elder during an assessment, she was at a short-term rehabilitation community…
When I started serving in the senior living industry over 15 years ago, all communities included three meals in the rent. Three meals were just part of the senior’s care package, whether the level of care be independent living, assisted living, or skilled nursing home. While that still holds true…
I want to share a story that may prove helpful to you my readers one day. I serve as the Power of Attorney for Health Care for one of my clients who has severe issues with her memory. She was recently transferred from the assisted living memory care unit of…
Assisted living communities that have a memory care unit are supposed to be adequately staffed with assistants and aides who are educated to deal with the behaviors of dementia residents. The habits of these residents can often be repetitive and endanger the resident if they are not closely watched. Many…
One of my current clients is a former medical professional who has decided to donate her body to science upon her death. She therefore enrolled as a member of a local anatomical gift association. As her Power of Attorney for Health Care, I was assigned the task of pre-arranging for…
There is always danger involved with the choice of hiring a non-licensed caregiver. This time, a disaster occurred right in my own backyard. The choice to hire a private caregiver directly instead of through an agency may have cost a North Riverside man his independence. Charlie Matuska, who is 79…
In my opinion, Medicare Advantage plans were never a smart purchase. That’s because many people don’t understand they are not a Medicare product. They are programs that are underwritten by private insurers. The claims are adjudicated by the private insurer as well. Upon purchasing a “Medicare Advantage” plan, the insured…
As the former Admissions Director of a retirement community that offered independent living, assisted living, and intermediate nursing care, I often had to convince the senior that it was time for him/her to move. Some of the seniors (and their children) knew that it was time to move. Other seniors…
I was sad to read that the search for victims who perished in a Quebec retirement community fire had ended. At least twenty eight seniors were killed when the wood-framed building caught fire and was destroyed in less than an hour. In the fifteen years that I have been involved…