Bringing children to a retirement community can be an inspiring, enjoyable proposition for everyone involved. It is also fraught with trials that can ruin the experience. Bring joy to children and elders alike by planning your visit and preparing for challenges ahead. 

Consider these 6 tips for visiting a continuum of care community with your children:

1. Talk to Your Children

A senior community is probably unlike anything your children have seen before, filled with seniors, some of whom may be physically compromised or intellectually diminished. Explain to your children what they are going to see. If the person whom you are visiting has memory issues, make sure your children understand that they may not be recognized, or may be called by the wrong name.  

Consider getting a book out of the library that teaches children about visiting relatives in a nursing home. They include: A Little Something by Susan V. Bosak; Sunshine Home by Eve Bunting; My Grandma’s in a Nursing Home by Judy Delton. 

2. Prepare to Be the Center of Attention

Older adults light up around children, even other people’s. Your children may be thrust into the spotlight, with people they have never met fussing over them. For some kids, this can be overwhelming and frightening. Let them know in advance that there is no danger in that, and run interference for your children if you detect that they are being overwhelmed. 

3. Bring Toys and Games 

The opposite is possible, too: your children can find themselves with nothing to do. Make sure you have activities to keep them occupied – games, toys, etc. A bored child can lead to acting out that undermines the good tidings you meant to spread. 

4. Show Off Your Kids’ Talents 

Nothing excites seniors more than children singing, dancing, playing musical instruments or otherwise attempting to entertain. Encourage your child to perform their talents for the residents and watch their faces light up. 

5. Plan Activities for Everyone

Think ahead about activities that would be enjoyable for the person you’re visiting and your children alike, and bring any supplies that might be necessary. This will help build a bond between your children and their elderly relative and facilitate an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

Some activity ideas include: 

• Help decorate their room for the holiday; 
• Help put up and decorate their Christmas tree; 
• Sing holiday songs; 
• Play Go Fish! or a board game, particularly one that harkens to the resident’s childhood; 
• Arrange for the children to interview their elder and record the answers; and 
• Have the children teach their elder how to use technology. 

6. Keep Coming Back

A single visit is a valuable experience for the kids that will brighten their relative’s day, but continued visits are even more meaningful. They allow for a true relationship to develop or flourish, provide ongoing joy to the loved one and memories for the children to cherish the rest of their lives. 

Nye Health Services  offers seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing care. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call  402.753.1400  to schedule an appointment at locations in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City,  Norfolk, or  Jackson Hole, or  visit  NyeHealthServices.com  for more information.

Deciding where you, your parents or other family members will live out their lives when they are in need of healthcare services, is a momentous decision, often made in haste during a health crisis.

During these times, it is important to be armed with the information you need to make the best decision possible.

Below are seven key criteria for determining which assisted living or skilled nursing facility is right for you or a loved one.

1.  Check the Star Rating

The federal government’s Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services created a Five-Star Quality Rating System to help families compare health care providers. Facilities are rated based on health inspections, staffing and quality measures. Look for a facility that has a four-star or five-star rating. NursingHomeRating.org also employs a five-star rating system, as you can see here.

2. Seek Recommendations 

An objective review is important, but you also need to think about whether a healthcare provider is right for your particular circumstances. In that case, it can be helpful to seek opinions from both experts and everyday consumers like you. Talk to your friends who may have experienced similar circumstances. Then examine the online reviews of facilities from individual consumers and organizations that specialize in senior living communities. For example,  here is the review from Senior Advice  of Gateway Vista, a continuum of care community in  Lincoln, Nebraska.

3. Research the Company Online

Online recommendations and reviews can be eye-opening, and while they only tell part of the story, they can help you understand the real-life experiences of other families, patients and residents. Research the organization on Google, their website and other online review sites, such as SeniorAdvice.com. Consider both the good and bad information – they will provide ideas of things to look for and questions to ask if and when you visit.

4. Review the Organizational Values and History 

Is the organization you’re looking into family-owned or does it report to a corporate board elsewhere? Is its mission to maximize the health and well-being of its residents or to generate profits for shareholders? Is it a place where employees love to work and remain for years or is there constant turnover of staff? Are the people in charge innovators in the field going back decades or are they fairly new to it? Answers to questions like these will go a long way towards determining whether this is the healthcare provider for you.

5.  Check Their Credentials

It’s easy to determine whether a provider is recognized for excellence by the American Health Care Association and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

6.  Get a Sense of How It Feels There

You want to walk onto the campus and feel like you’re home. You want to see staff and residents smiling and celebrating life. You may feel down when you need assistance with daily activities or rehab for an injury, but you want the people around you to pick you up with their spirit.

7.  Make Sure There is Easy Access to Healthcare Partners

Most continuum of care communities have a wide range of healthcare providers on site, but how about the physicians, therapists and specialists you may need while living there? Determine in advance whether those providers are right down the road or two towns over where they might be difficult to access. That can make a world of difference for you or your loved one.

Nye Health Services  offers seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and one in Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing care. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call  402.753.1400  to schedule an appointment at locations in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Norfolk, or Jackson Hole, or visit  https://nyehealthservices.com  for more information.

Are you dreading the holidays because you’ve left your longtime home? Do you feel as if all your holiday traditions have become upended? 

It makes a big difference in your life. Part of our identities are tied up in those holiday traditions, often those that include family and friends. 

But you don’t have to give that all up when you move to a continuum-of-care community. Home is where the heart is, so get the people you love around you, wherever you are. Here are X tips to making that happen. 

1. Play Host Again 

Was your home the center of holiday activity for your family? Make your new place the center of activity again by inviting family to enjoy holiday meals and events hosted by the community onsite. Or, host your own gathering in your house, apartment, room or communal space. With family photos and holiday decorations, it will feel just like old times only in a new place. 

2. Create a New Tradition with New Friends 

Most senior living communities organize their own holiday parties and invite everyone on campus to attend. Often they organize daily holiday-themed events from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. These might include baking parties, nostalgic movie nights, gift-wrapping sessions, etc. If you don’t have family around to share in the holidays, what a great way to meet new friends and feel included in holiday traditions. Even better, when the facility throws the party, you don’t have to cook, host or clean. That is a welcome relief during stressful times. There is also a health and safety advantage to joining your neighbors at a facility party. You may not be physically equipped to host a party or travel to family, and your family may not be able to provide the level of care you need. 

3. Take Advantage of Provided Transportation to Family 

Your senior living community likely has an arrangement that will bring transportation off campus to your door. Taking advantage of that convenience can deliver you to your family to enjoy the holidays in their homes safely and quickly. Adult children with young children of their own sometimes stress about traveling to grandparents during the busy holiday season. Having grandparents travel to where the whole family is celebrating could be more convenient for everyone involved. 

4. Create an ‘Orphans’ Holiday’ 

Many seniors feel alone on the holidays, but in fact, this feeling of isolation is widespread among those who live by themselves. While you may not be prepared to travel or host, you can connect with other people who are feeling the same way you are and have your own Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Eve.   

The holidays are always a festive time at the seven communities in Eastern Nebraska and one in Wyoming affiliated with Nye Health Services, offering independent living to skilled nursing care. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call 402-753-1400 to make an appointment at a location in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Norfolk, or Jackson Hole, or visit NyeHealthServices.com for more information. Happy holidays!

Are the punishing winters turning you into a shut-in? Do the short days and long nights make you feel lonely and sad? What about shoveling your driveway or salting the sidewalk? Do you dread having to do it? If you go out less because you’re afraid of falling on snow and ice, we may have the solution.  

It doesn’t have to be this way. A continuum of care community can give you all the independence you want without the hassles and dangers of living in harsh weather.  

Consider the six reasons moving now will improve your winter: 

1. Assistance at Your Fingertips 

A continuum of care community allows you to continue to live your active lifestyle while someone else takes care of the chores like snow removal. And if you’re not so active, a continuum of care community provides whatever assistance you need and plenty of opportunities for socializing with people in the same stage of life. 

2. Services Are Right There 

You don’t need a car to go out to dinner, hit the gym, take a dip in the indoor pool or join in activities at the community center. They’re all right there for you. And if you need transportation off campus, they’ll arrange that too. 

3. Your Safety Matters 

Older people are at risk for illness and injury during the cold, dark, slippery season. Just walking is often treacherous. Frostbite and hypothermia disproportionately affect older people, too: seniors account for more than half the deaths from hypothermia in the U.S. And living alone can be deadly for seniors who catch the flu, which already takes three-quarters of its victims from among those age 65 and older. Being around others, where the grounds are clear, indoor activities are convenient and medical care is present can be lifesaving. Which means you should move now before winter hits. 

4. Happy is Healthy 

Seasonal Affective Disorder is tough to endure but easier around active, like-minded people your own age, and a caring staff that looks out for your health. Isolation and sadness can exacerbate medical conditions that seniors endure, so being around others is important for your physical and your mental health. 

5. Give Yourself Time to Make Friends 

Moving to a continuum of care community in the winter allows you to make friends during the season when you won’t be leaving campus much. Then, when the robins sing, flowers bloom and you’re ready to be more active outdoors, you will already have a gaggle of friends to take with you. From a friend-making standpoint, winter is the absolute best time to start life at a continuum of care community. 

6. No Time Like the Present 

Arranging visits to continuum of care communities now allows you to see what life is like around the campus before everything moves indoors. Deciding now means you avoid the hassle of moving in the cold and snow. Once winter hits and the sun sets before dinner, you might not want to take the life-altering step, and you’ll endure another four months alone.  

 Nye Health Services offers six communities in Eastern Nebraska and one in Wyoming, structured to meet the needs of their residents from independent living to skilled nursing care. A family-owned company with a rich history of connecting with the people they serve, Nye Health Services is open for visits anytime. Call 402.753.1400 to schedule an appointment at locations in Fremont, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Norfolk, or Jackson Hole, or visit NyeHealthServices.com for more information.