The unnamed gastrointestinal virus has spread throughout the Northern Riverview assisted living complex in Haverstraw.  So far the results haven’t been fatal; residents were sent to the hospital because of their age or medical conditions, and for dehydration observation.  Most of the 15 people who ended up in the hospital were released within two days.

The county’s health commissioner said her office is working to identify what’s making the residents sick.  Joan Facelle said the only cases reported were towards the beginning of the week and no new cases occured in the past few days.

When residents moved into their facilities, ALC told residents they could apply for Medicaid and the company would accept it.  Once Extendicare, Inc. bought ALC, they decided to remove residents who couldn’t pay privately, something Public Advocate Ronald Chen says is a “clear violation of their state license.”

The Lindsay House in Pennsville, one of the facilities the state looked in to, charges $6,000 a month to live there, while Medicaid reimburses assisted living facilities about $3,000 for each Medicaid recipient.

After the state found out the company was evicting people who ran out of their own savings, Assisted Living Concepts was fined $66,000, but was removed once the company agreed to cease eviction against one client.

• Figure out what services you (or your loved one) want or need.  Is it help with daily activities like bathing, clothing, and remembering medications?
• Is the residence licensed?
• Does the facility have personal property insurance?
• What happens in a medical emergency?
• What’s the visitation policy like?
• What does the contract include and can it be terminated or upgraded if the patient’s needs change?
• Is the staff appropriately trained?

There’s also other questions regarding the quality of life at an assisted living facility.

• What kind of activities are there for residents?
  
• How’s the food?  Are there set meal times or can residents eat at their choosing?
• How are the apartments set up?  How many bedrooms and bathrooms are in each living space?  Are bathrooms communal or private?

Fox4 reported over 150 people were displaced from the Rockhill Manor assisted living complex in Kansas City, Mo. this morning.  Firefighters knocked down the fire, which started in the attic, but as a result, the building is now without power.

It’s unclear when the residents will be able to return to their home.

But what happens when you get to the bottom of the hill and make it to 100?  What’s the joke for the 100th birthday?

Jokesters better start thinking of an answer.  By 2030, about one in 20 people will be 85 years old.  And new studies show one in 26 baby boomers will make it to their centennial.  This is good news for assisted living communities, as industries relating to “eldercare” are expected to increase by 30 percent in the next five years.  These communities should expect to see an almost 50 percent increase in jobs, and of course, and increase in residents.

Better get the birthday candles ready!

But it’s not the kind of “help me with my walker-did I take my medicine?-when’s bingo?” kind of assisted living.  It’s more about the “a little nip here, a little Botox there” kind of assisted living.

It all stemmed from a photo of actor Michael Douglas circulating around the Internet, showing him bloodied and bandaged, sparking rumors he’s had a little “assistance.”

You can be the judge on whether or not some of Hollywood’s most famous men have been aging gracefully or have had some help.  So far most readers (90%) agreed that Barry Manilow has updated his look through surgery while 90% think Dustin Hoffman has gone sans surgery throughout his life.

The Gaston Gazette is reporting police charged Joel Webber, 48, with two counts of assault after he grabbed two women in the same day.  He grabbed the butt of a 19-year-old food server, and then inappropriately grabbed a 42-year-old woman twice when she was helping him get dressed.

He was arrested and held on a $500 bond.

A report in the Dallas Morning News says the residents at the Treemont Retirement Community in North Dallas are facing increased fees for things they usually didn’t have to pay for including:

• Rides to doctor’s appointments, grocery stores, and churches if residents don’t go along with a prearranged schedule put out by Treemont (one resident said they’re only allowed 20 minutes to buy groceries on trips)
  
• Beauty salons or trips to the post office could cost anywhere between $15 to $50 per round trip

It might not sound like a lot, but when you don’t have a car and this is your only way of transportation, it adds up quickly.  And, add on top of that the rental price for an apartment (One woman said she loves her “small” apartment and her daughter’s paying the rent – almost $1,200 a month) and assisted living isn’t so cheap.

The Dallas Morning News noted the facility is not overseen by the government, so the residents “must fight their own battles” when it comes to complaining about the costs of driving, activities, and food.

Rosemarie Frith is no different.  The Certified Medication Assistant at an assisted living in Fanwood, N.J. was recently named a Champion of Senior Living by the Assisted Living Federation of America.  The award goes to an employee who goes above and beyond the call of duty every single day for the residents she serves.

According to the article, Frith definitely goes above and beyond at her job.  She’s known to stay late, accompanying residents to the local post office or taking them on other trips outside the complex.

Frith isn’t just a champ when it comes to working, she’s a champion in her everyday like too.  She was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer which required surgery, and was back to work in less than two weeks.  According to the facility, minus her surgery days, Frith has never called in sick.

Congratulations, Rosemarie!

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wallace “Wally” Schmidt, 84, and John Hinkle, 81, both residents of an assited living facility in Mascoutah, signed out of the complex around 3 p.m. on Tuesday and were heading to Scott Air Force Base near St. Louis.  About two hours after they left, the pair called family to tell them they were lost.  The two men, who both are reportedly suffering from the early stages of dementia, were reported missing Tuesday night.

What happened during the time between that phone call and 4:30 p.m. yesterday is unclear, but after following a lead that the men had traveled through Missouri and crossed the border into Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol found the two men safe in Miami, OK. in Schmidt’s pickup truck.

Miami is about a 340 mile drive from Mascoutah.