Elder Law attorney and passionate special needs advocate Jim Koewler joins Suzanne to talk about a new podcast show coming soon. Hosted on the SeniorResource platform along with Answers for Elders, it's going to be called "Seniors, Special Needs, and the Law."

Episodes will discuss long term care issues; some estate planning issues, mostly how it affects long term care; special needs issues; care coordination; and Jim hopes to create an information source that clears up the confusion surrounding these issues. He'll revisit Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA program, so that people can listen and be prepared to deal with these circumstances.

Learn more at http://www.protectingseniors.com or email Jim at jkoewler-afe@protectingseniors.com.

Elder Law attorney and passionate special needs advocate <a href="https://answersforelders.com/jim-koewler/">Jim Koewler</a> joins Suzanne to talk about a new podcast show coming soon. Hosted on the <a href="https://www.seniorresource.com/">SeniorResource</a> platform along with Answers for Elders, it's going to be called "Seniors, Special Needs, and the Law."
Episodes will discuss long term care issues; some estate planning issues, mostly how it affects long term care; special needs issues; care coordination; and Jim hopes to create an information source that clears up the confusion surrounding these issues. He'll revisit Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA program, so that people can listen and be prepared to deal with these circumstances.
Learn more at <a href="http://www.protectingseniors.com">http://www.protectingseniors.com</a> or email Jim at <a href="mailto:jkoewler-afe@protectingseniors.com">jkoewler-afe@protectingseniors.com</a>.

Answers for Elders is the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.  Our content is designed to Empower Seniors and their Families through the Daunting Journey of Aging.

Featuring our host, Suzanne Newman and top industry providers across the USA, together, we support, coach and assist seniors, caregivers and their families in finding the best independent solutions in world of aging, with a comprehensive line-up of topics covering Health & Wellness, Life Changes, Living Options, and Money & Law.

Answers for Elders is the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.  Our content is designed to Empower Seniors and their Families through the Daunting Journey of Aging.
Featuring our host, Suzanne Newman and top industry providers across the USA, together, we support, coach and assist seniors, caregivers and their families in finding the best independent solutions in world of aging, with a comprehensive line-up of topics covering Health &amp; Wellness, Life Changes, Living Options, and Money &amp; Law.

Answers For Elders Radio Network

Empowering Seniors and their Families through the Daunting Journey of Aging

For Caregivers: If you're caring for a senior loved one, or navigating later life care, we help make the journey so much easier for you and your family.

For Seniors: We help you be proactive to prepare for your aging years ahead, honoring your wishes.

Featuring our host, Suzanne Newman and top industry providers across the USA, together, we support, coach and assist families in finding the best independent solutions in world of aging, with a comprehensive line-up of topics covering Health & Wellness, Life Changes, Living Options, and Money & Law.

Empowering Seniors and their Families through the Daunting Journey of Aging
For Caregivers: If you're caring for a senior loved one, or navigating later life care, we help make the journey so much easier for you and your family.
For Seniors: We help you be proactive to prepare for your aging years ahead, honoring your wishes.
Featuring our host, Suzanne Newman and top industry providers across the USA, together, we support, coach and assist families in finding the best independent solutions in world of aging, with a comprehensive line-up of topics covering Health &amp; Wellness, Life Changes, Living Options, and Money &amp; Law.

Answers for Elders

Elder Law attorney Jim Koewler talks about his new podcast show coming soon, called "Seniors, Special Needs, and the Law."

Upcoming Podcast: Seniors, Special Needs, and the Law

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/40169ba1-a641-44c8-995f-afcf010f1038/transcript

If you or your relatives want to build a new structure, or get modifications done on your house, there are resources to make sure that the builders are doing it right. Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about aging in place constructions as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place.

A home assessment at silverspaces.com provides guidelines and recommendations to design an aging in place home, like lever handles on doors and faucets, a raised dishwasher so you don't have to bend down so far, a stove that has controls in the front, a low-maintenance exterior, things you ordinarily wouldn't think about with new construction.

Dr. Jill says, "You can't predict your future. I had knee surgery, I had joint replacement. And boy, did that give me a firsthand view of what it's like to have to use a walker, and to have to shuffle, and... I have stairs. I shouldn't have stairs. How am I going to get up and down the stairs? So this assessment really gives you a picture of what you could be facing in the future if you're not thinking about it."

Learn more at silverspaces.com. Hear more podcasts about Silver Spaces with Dr. Jill Bjerke.

Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

If you or your relatives want to build a new structure, or get modifications done on your house, there are resources to make sure that the builders are doing it right. Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about aging in place constructions as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place.
A home assessment at silverspaces.com provides guidelines and recommendations to design an aging in place home, like lever handles on doors and faucets, a raised dishwasher so you don't have to bend down so far, a stove that has controls in the front, a low-maintenance exterior, things you ordinarily wouldn't think about with new construction.
Dr. Jill says, "You can't predict your future. I had knee surgery, I had joint replacement. And boy, did that give me a firsthand view of what it's like to have to use a walker, and to have to shuffle, and... I have stairs. I shouldn't have stairs. How am I going to get up and down the stairs? So this assessment really gives you a picture of what you could be facing in the future if you're not thinking about it."
Learn more at <a href="https://www.silverspaces.com/">silverspaces.com</a>. Hear more <a href="https://answersforelders.com/silver-spaces/doctor-jill-bjerke/">podcasts about Silver Spaces with Dr. Jill Bjerke</a>.
Answers for Elders is part of the <a href="https://www.seniorresource.com/">Senior Resource Network</a>. Check out our affiliate podcast <a href="https://alzheimersspeaks.com/">Alzheimer’s Speaks</a>.

If you or your relatives want to build a new structure, or get modifications done on your house, there are resources to make sure that the builders are doing it right. Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about aging in place constructions as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place. A home assessment at silverspaces.com provides guidelines and recommendations to design an aging in place home, like lever handles on doors and faucets, a raised dishwasher so you don't have to bend down so far, a stove that has controls in the front, a low-maintenance exterior, things you ordinarily wouldn't think about with new construction.

Building or Modifying for an Aging-in-Place Friendly Home

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/984e20ea-36c1-40bb-aab9-b14f00ea9359/transcript

Silver Spaces is an online home safety assessment tool with a lot of research behind it. It works by taking you through each of your rooms, have you answer questions, and get educated along the way. For this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place, Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of Silver Spaces.

Only 25% of people who suffer from a broken hip are able to return home after they recover. The biggest injury that older adults incur comes from trips and falls, and they are preventable. A $39.95 assessment at Silver Spaces (silverspaces.com) could mean the difference between a good quality of life and living in a senior living community.

Dr. Jill says, "I've been in the senior services realm for 18 years. I own a downsizing company; I had so many people tell me they wish they didn't have to move that. I spent about nine years researching and creating this electronic product, which is an electronic home safety assessment. I talked to gerontologists, researchers, city planners, interior designers, just about anybody you can think of, to try and come up with a content for their safety assessment. I was trying to cover as many bases as I could. So a lot of research and a lot of work went into creating this. It's SilverSpaces.com and it explains what it is and how to use it. The whole purpose is to go from whatever room — there's 18 rooms and places you can assess in the house, you can pick which ones you want to do. You just answer the questions, and you get educated as you go along, because you don't realize that some of those could have been risk places or safety issues. For example, 'I have a smoke alarm. I can hear it.' If you have someone with hearing aids, can they hear it when they don't have their hearing aids in?

"When you sign up, it will ask you questions about your community, because a lot of people don't think about how their community may have changed. It may no longer be safe, and then [it] asks general home questions. Do you have a second bedroom for a caregiver? Do you have a second bathroom? Do you have a lot of stairs? Do you have zero thresholds, meaning flat thresholds, are your doorways wide enough for a wheelchair or walker? And then it goes into every single room you can possibly think of. You can pick the room you want to do, and the questions are right there. You just answer them. Do you have sharp countertop edges in your kitchen? Why is that important if you fall? That's an immediate possibility for a traumatic brain injury. So all of these different kinds of questions that people usually do not think about. And when you're done, you submit it. And what comes back is either a PDF or a printable version, so that you can have it in your hand. You can send it to a doctor, or a modification professional, or a relative. You can take it to a modification professional and get bids on whatever you think you need to change. So it's a very very usable product."

Dr. Jill adds, "We do the exterior. Not in detail, but we ask things like, do you have a tree that drops berries on your concrete? That's a slip and fall hazard. Do you have grass that grows over the edges of your sidewalk? That's a slip and fall hazard. Do you have landscaping that takes a lot of maintenance? That's an issue. Do you have an overhang where at the door that you come in and out of, because you need protection from the elements. That's slippery. Do you have a non-slip surface when you step outside?

"We ask as many questions as we can. But the problem is, if we ask all the questions — I have 300 of them — it would take you a couple of hours to do. So we had to be very selective, and ask the most important questions, which is why I had so many people work on this with me."

Learn more at silverspaces.com. Hear more podcasts about Silver Spaces with Dr. Jill Bjerke.

Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

<a href="https://www.silverspaces.com/">Silver Spaces</a> is an online home safety assessment tool with a lot of research behind it. It works by taking you through each of your rooms, have you answer questions, and get educated along the way. For this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place, Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of Silver Spaces.
Only 25% of people who suffer from a broken hip are able to return home after they recover. The biggest injury that older adults incur comes from trips and falls, and they are preventable. A $39.95 assessment at Silver Spaces (<a href="https://www.silverspaces.com/">silverspaces.com</a>) could mean the difference between a good quality of life and living in a senior living community.
Dr. Jill says, "I've been in the senior services realm for 18 years. I own a downsizing company; I had so many people tell me they wish they didn't have to move that. I spent about nine years researching and creating this electronic product, which is an electronic home safety assessment. I talked to gerontologists, researchers, city planners, interior designers, just about anybody you can think of, to try and come up with a content for their safety assessment. I was trying to cover as many bases as I could. So a lot of research and a lot of work went into creating this. It's SilverSpaces.com and it explains what it is and how to use it. The whole purpose is to go from whatever room — there's 18 rooms and places you can assess in the house, you can pick which ones you want to do. You just answer the questions, and you get educated as you go along, because you don't realize that some of those could have been risk places or safety issues. For example, 'I have a smoke alarm. I can hear it.' If you have someone with hearing aids, can they hear it when they don't have their hearing aids in?
"When you sign up, it will ask you questions about your community, because a lot of people don't think about how their community may have changed. It may no longer be safe, and then [it] asks general home questions. Do you have a second bedroom for a caregiver? Do you have a second bathroom? Do you have a lot of stairs? Do you have zero thresholds, meaning flat thresholds, are your doorways wide enough for a wheelchair or walker? And then it goes into every single room you can possibly think of. You can pick the room you want to do, and the questions are right there. You just answer them. Do you have sharp countertop edges in your kitchen? Why is that important if you fall? That's an immediate possibility for a traumatic brain injury. So all of these different kinds of questions that people usually do not think about. And when you're done, you submit it. And what comes back is either a PDF or a printable version, so that you can have it in your hand. You can send it to a doctor, or a modification professional, or a relative. You can take it to a modification professional and get bids on whatever you think you need to change. So it's a very very usable product."
Dr. Jill adds, "We do the exterior. Not in detail, but we ask things like, do you have a tree that drops berries on your concrete? That's a slip and fall hazard. Do you have grass that grows over the edges of your sidewalk? That's a slip and fall hazard. Do you have landscaping that takes a lot of maintenance? That's an issue. Do you have an overhang where at the door that you come in and out of, because you need protection from the elements. That's slippery. Do you have a non-slip surface when you step outside?
"We ask as many questions as we can. But the problem is, if we ask all the questions — I have 300 of them — it would take you a couple of hours to do. So we had to be very selective, and ask the most important questions, which is why I had so many people work on this with me."
Learn more at <a href="https://www.silverspaces.com/">silverspaces.com</a>. Hear more <a href="https://answersforelders.com/silver-spaces/doctor-jill-bjerke/">podcasts about Silver Spaces with Dr. Jill Bjerke</a>.
Answers for Elders is part of the <a href="https://www.seniorresource.com/">Senior Resource Network</a>. Check out our affiliate podcast <a href="https://alzheimersspeaks.com/">Alzheimer’s Speaks</a>.

Silver Spaces is an online home safety assessment tool with a lot of research behind it. It works by taking you through each of your rooms, have you answer questions, and get educated along the way. For this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place, Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of Silver Spaces. Only 25% of people who suffer from a broken hip are able to return home after they recover. The biggest injury that older adults incur comes from trips and falls, and they are preventable. A $39.95 assessment at Silver Spaces (silverspaces.com) could mean the difference between a good quality of life and living in a senior living community.

Take an Aging-in-Place Safety Assessment: What Happens

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/b5deb242-2ac7-4091-b12a-b14f00e80403/transcript

During our lighting round segment on the Answers for Elders radio show, expert Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to answer three top questions about aging in place as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight.

1. When should anyone start thinking about remaining in their home?

“Probably as soon as possible. At retirement, before retirement. When you feel unsafe in your home. Really, almost any time is a good time to start thinking about it because there's so many decisions to be made."

2. Who should help someone make a decision on this?

“Basically, you'd probably start with your family. But you'd surprised how much your friends, churchgoer, friends, neighbors — people who know you well — can look at your house with different eyes. You see it every day, they don't. You'd be amazed to see things that you aren't even aware of.”

3 How do people pay for modifications to the home?

“It sounds like an intimidating question. It's not. If you go to the government site National Institute on aging.gov (https://www.nia.nih.gov/), they have a whole host of ideas of where you can look. Every county in the United States has an area agency on aging, AAA as they're called. They have all kinds of information on aging in place, but they also have information on funding. There are states that are offering grants for home modifications. So you might want to check and see if your state has any of those. You can also use a home equity loan, a reverse mortgage, there are ways to do it. It just depends on what your financial needs are and what is best for you.”



Learn more at silverspaces.com. Hear more podcasts with Dr. Jill Bjerke at https://answersforelders.com/silver-spaces/doctor-jill-bjerke/.

Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network at https://www.seniorresource.com/. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/.

During our lighting round segment on the Answers for Elders radio show, expert Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to answer three top questions about aging in place as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight.
1. When should anyone start thinking about remaining in their home?
“Probably as soon as possible. At retirement, before retirement. When you feel unsafe in your home. Really, almost any time is a good time to start thinking about it because there's so many decisions to be made."
2. Who should help someone make a decision on this?
“Basically, you'd probably start with your family. But you'd surprised how much your friends, churchgoer, friends, neighbors — people who know you well — can look at your house with different eyes. You see it every day, they don't. You'd be amazed to see things that you aren't even aware of.”
3 How do people pay for modifications to the home?
“It sounds like an intimidating question. It's not. If you go to the government site National Institute on aging.gov (https://www.nia.nih.gov/), they have a whole host of ideas of where you can look. Every county in the United States has an area agency on aging, AAA as they're called. They have all kinds of information on aging in place, but they also have information on funding. There are states that are offering grants for home modifications. So you might want to check and see if your state has any of those. You can also use a home equity loan, a reverse mortgage, there are ways to do it. It just depends on what your financial needs are and what is best for you.”
 
Learn more at <a href="https://www.silverspaces.com/">silverspaces.com</a>. Hear more <a href="https://answersforelders.com/silver-spaces/doctor-jill-bjerke/">podcasts with Dr. Jill Bjerke</a> at https://answersforelders.com/silver-spaces/doctor-jill-bjerke/.
Answers for Elders is part of the <a href="https://www.seniorresource.com/">Senior Resource Network</a> at https://www.seniorresource.com/. Check out our affiliate podcast <a href="https://alzheimersspeaks.com/.">Alzheimer’s Speaks</a>: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/.

During our lighting round segment on the Answers for Elders radio show, expert Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to answer three top questions about aging in place as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight.

Answers to Three Top Questions About Aging in Place

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/d855d6ca-f3eb-4d98-938f-b1450134c0c7/transcript

Upcoming Podcast: Seniors, Special Needs, and the Law

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