Meadows’ Director named Housing Professional of the Year by TAHSA

The Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (TAHSA) has awarded Jil Utterback, Executive Director at The Meadows Retirement Community, with the Housing Professional of the Year award. Jil was chosen for this award for her exemplary leadership and team building skills and her active involvement and support of the residents. Her award will be presented during the TAHSA annual meeting in Houston during the week of May 16.

Jil has been at The Meadows for more than 20 years, working first as a marketing assistant, then the director of information services, the assistant administrator and as the executive director since 1998.

The residents and staff appreciate Jil because of all that she does for them. She visits residents in the hospital and takes a personal interest in the residents who do not have family or whose family members are not involved. She has spent many nights sleeping at The Meadows when bad weather was approaching fearing that she might be not be able to make it in in the event of a weather emergency.

Every fall, Jil invites all of the residents out to her ranch in Bandera for a big barbecue dinner, hay rides and music. She buys every single employee a Christmas gift and always gives the staff a Christmas party – all with her own money. Her door is always open to residents and employees no matter how busy she is. She is extremely patient and kind with everyone.

Jil has been instrumental in bringing many new and innovative programs to The Meadows. She started a caregiver support group for those who have spouses with dementia. Jil bought a Nintendo Wii for the residents when they first came out and began a Wii Sports tournament that is still going on twice a week. She is always looking for new and creative ways to get the residents involved with activities and trips.

Often times, Jil acts not only as the executive director, but as the activities director as well. Every year, she takes the residents down to the rodeo, to the Veteran’s Day Parade, setting up the chairs for the residents herself, and throws a big Halloween party, personally dressing up and providing a fun-themed activity to go along with the costumes.

Jil is committed to the residents and the staff 24/7. Sometimes she even goes to bed with her pager on! When she is away on vacation, she always checks in to see if there is anything she can do to help. At work, at home, out shopping or at the beach, Jil is always available to provide leadership and assistance to her community. She has high standards and a strong work ethic. She supports her staff and bases her decisions on “doing what is right” and never on any personal agenda.

Jil has been active in TAHSA for more than 20 years, as a member of the Marketing Committee, Host Committee and Housing Committee. She served as the secretary of the TAHSA Central Texas Chapter for two years. Jil has a bachelor’s degree from UTSA and is a 1999 graduate of the North San Antonio Leadership Lab. She is a licensed nursing home administrator (LNFA) and a credentialed retirement housing professional (RHP).

Congratulations Jil on this honor!

Will Medicare pay for my care?

If you ever need nursing home care, will Medicare pay for it? Well, maybe, but maybe not.

Contrary to what many people believe, their Medicare coverage will not pay for their long-term care needs. And chances are good that you will need some assistance during your lifetime. According to a recent Business Week article, 65% of people over the age of 75 need long-term care and, with an aging population, that number will continue to climb.

Generally, Medicare will pay for care in a skilled nursing community if it is medically necessary and you have met certain conditions that they have set out. Medicare will cover a short-term nursing stay for rehabilitation from an injury or illness, but only following a three-night hospital stay. A rehabilitation stay is covered in full for up to 20 days. After 20 days, if the need for skilled care continues, the resident will be required to pay a co-insurance, which is the amount uncovered by Medicare from days 21 – 100. Many Medicare supplements pay the co-insurance amount.

Medicare does not, however, provide coverage for services in assisted living communities. Assistance with the activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, medication management and using the bathroom are not considered “skilled” services and are not covered under Medicare. Assisted living communities typically only accept private pay and long-term care insurance.

So if Medicare will not pay for your needs, will Medicaid? Once again, the answer is maybe. Medicaid is a joint state and federal government program that pays for long-term care services for older adults with low incomes and limited assets. But, to qualify, you must exhaust all your assets and virtually all of your income. Medicaid recipients must have less than $2,000 in assets. To qualify for long-term care nursing home Medicaid, you must meet “medical necessity,” which basically states that you require 24-hour nursing care supervision. Because the number of applications for Medicaid has increased exponentially over the past few years, states are increasingly making it more difficult to receive Medicaid funding.

According to the U. S. Health Care Financing Administration, about 40% of long-term care bills are paid for by Medicaid and 18% are paid by Medicare. That leaves 42% of all long-term care bills to individuals and families to pay out of their own pocket or to insurers to pay.

Volunteering in a senior community can be rewarding for you and the residents

Everyday, people of all ages are looking for ways to make a difference in their community and to give back to society. And, increasingly, instead of making monetary donations, people are looking for ways to give of their time. Volunteering in a senior care community is a very enriching and rewarding experience – not just for the seniors, but also for the people who volunteer. Many times, people can shy away from volunteering in nursing homes because they think they do not have anything to offer. But everyone does have something to offer – even if you don’t consider yourself talented.

Volunteering can take many forms: reading the newspaper or books to residents who cannot see, playing a musical instrument or singing for a group of residents, leading an exercise class, calling bingo, facilitating an arts and crafts project, teaching a basic computer class or a Spanish lesson, running errands or personal shopping for residents, giving manicures, playing table games, writing letters, making welcome baskets, taking residents outside or more simply making one-on-one in-room visits. During these visits, residents may want to talk or may want to just listen to someone tell them about what is going on in the world today. They may just need a small touch on the arm or a loving smile.

For the volunteer, helping out in a senior care community can provide you with an incredible sense of fulfillment and purpose and an outlet for your knowledge, talent and abilities. You can enrich the life of an older adult and at the same time learn new skills, obtain unique life experiences and meet a diverse range of people that have lived long and storied lives. You can get a better understanding of the history and development of your community and the people who cultivated it.

Volunteering in a senior care community is simple and can take as little time as one hour a month or just on holiday occasions to as many hours as your heart desires. There is no right or wrong way. But your gift of time can make a huge difference in the life of an older adult. And in your life as well.