Answers For Elders Radio Network

At Answers for Elders this week, we continue our conversations to open up the hood, peel back the curtain, and talk about what goes on behind the scenes at senior living communities. And we're honored to have conversations today with two incredible C-level executives here at Chateau Retirement. Angel Audino Averman, the Chief Financial Officer of Chateau Retirement, joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show from Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood. Suzanne points out, "You've seen the industry change, where management companies come in and everything keeps changing. It makes you guys so much different in the fact that you can keep that consistency." Angel says, "We own the real estate. And we partner with our mortgage lenders and HUD, being a primary lender for us. And we were fortunate to refinance most of the portfolio 3% over a 30 year term. I know that we sat on a very stable foundation. And so the fact that the Godfrey family owns the bricks and mortar and the operations, it's one phone call when we need to make a decision." Angel adds, "There's two generations of family in the Chateau and the family members who have worked here in the past and the grandchildren that have worked here, that continues. And we can point to a half a dozen families employee families where it's the mom and the dad, it's the kids, it's the grandkids. So that family element is there as well, or will have a resident come in and their grandchild is looking for a job. And and we say we'd love to have them. So it's a community, and it's not the physical building. It's how it feels... "We invest in years of service. So we celebrate that every year at the holiday party. And it's $100 for every year of service. So if you think about 350 employees, and the benchmarks of three, five, 10, and every five years after that, the idea being that it's not so much that we want you to stay because it reduces our cost now, but the way that we train, the way that we develop employees, we can't get that traction [by] constantly turning people every six months. "Most of our suggestions come from our employees. And Jim [Godfrey]'s famous for saying, 'What's the dumb thing that we should stop doing?' And I thought, that's an interesting way to ask that question. He's truly interested – you're the boots on the ground, what do you see that we don't?" Family-owned Chateau Retirement is Greater Seattle's expert in senior living, with a legacy of success in its culture, tenure, and dedication of staff to its residents. This episode was recorded at Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Washington. Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit Chateau at https://www.chateauretirement.com or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

This week, we're going to open up the hood, peel back the curtain, and talk about what goes on behind the scenes at senior living communities. And we're honored to have conversations today with two incredible C-level executives here at Chateau Retirement. Jason Brooks, the Chief Operating Officer of Chateau Retirement, joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show from Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood. Jason says, "We've been family owned from the beginning. And having that family ownership really translates down to treating people with love, dignity, respect. We feel like our job is to take care of our employees, because we know that a happy employee who loves where they work, who has been there forever, is going to treat the resident better... Literally 25% of our workforce have been here ten years plus. "We really want to bring in people who have a real cultural fit, have a real caring sense to them, a real sense of wanting to to serve and do well for other people. If they need to learn how to be a better server or be a better caregiver or be a better maintenance guy, we can teach them all of that. What I can't teach somebody is to care. I can't teach them to have that heart. They have to kind of come by that a little naturally." Jason adds, "You also have to be very responsible with your growth and your trajectory. You know, we're 25 buildings, we're looking at expanding here shortly again, but we've built three buildings in 25 years. It was very steady. It was very purposeful... Unfortunately, there's a lot of companies that get into, 'the Silver Tsunami's coming!,' so they want to build as quickly as they can and capture as much of that as they can. And then they end up either being highly leveraged or they don't actually own the property. They're managing it for somebody else. So they don't actually get to make the call. Jim [Godfrey]’s always kept a very conservative fiscal approach to everything, which has really allowed us to do the right thing by our employees and by the residents from day one. "There's a couple of different [financial] models out there, right? Some people are beholden to Wall Street, because they're publicly traded. And as share prices dip, they have to make sacrifices financially, and cut back services and programing. Or somebody comes in, at their management company, they could be a management company and have to report to several different ownership groups. And then it gets really complicated, because you can't have the same programing if you can't fund things all the same. If you're if you're a management company for multiple people, building A and building B, even if they're in the same town, may be completely different. It could be a completely different culture that's being run through there, because of how they have to manage the financial aspect of the business." Family-owned Chateau Retirement is Greater Seattle's expert in senior living, with a legacy of success in its culture, tenure, and dedication of staff to its residents. This episode was recorded at Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Washington. Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit Chateau's website or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Hear some examples from Rob Haynie of what people have done with the proceeds from selling their life insurance policy. Rob joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show. Rob serves on the Board of Directors of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) and is a charter member of the Association’s PPC committee, which is charged with the regulatory and legislative activities of the industry. The Managing Director of Life Insurance Settlements, Inc., he has been proactively in the industry for more than 31 years. Rob describes a family who had been donating money to a ballet center, but were running low on funds around 2008. "The money that would be going to the 501c3 [the ballet center] was not going to go to them, because they were going to lapse the policy. So they were losing money. Their financial planners said, 'What about a life settlement?' He said, 'What are you talking about?' They said, 'We're going to sell the policy.' "Two things happened. They immediately donated the money, what they got, to the 501c3, who was able to take it tax free. But the key thing was, the donors, he and she were both alive, were able to write off the donation while they were alive. And they also were able to go to the ballet center and see their name above the doors as you walked in for a number of years, before they passed away." Rob adds, "Your life insurance policy is like any other assets you own. It's yours. You can do with it as you please. You can find out what it's worth – exactly what it's worth, today – by going through a process, a free non-binding appraisal, and then at that point you will have a decision to make as to what's best for you. And you can sell some of your life insurance policies. We can split a policy in half. You can sell half, and keep half. But at the end of the day, we just want you know there are options." Email Rob Haynie at rob@lisettlements.com, call his cell phone at 954-599-4433, or learn more at the LI Settlements website. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Rob Haynie joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about selling your life insurance policy for cash. Rob serves on the Board of Directors of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) and is a charter member of the Association’s PPC committee, which is charged with the regulatory and legislative activities of the industry. The Managing Director of Life Insurance Settlements, Inc., he has been proactively in the industry for more than 31 years. Suzanne asks, "What are people most confused about with life settlement?" Rob answers, "That they don't understand that, they think there's a catch, they're missing something. "It isn't too good to be true. It's a life insurance policy. You own it. You can do whatever you want with it. And if you can get more money then you can from the carrier, you have every right to get it." Email Rob Haynie at rob@lisettlements.com, call his cell phone at 954-599-4433, or learn more at the LI Settlements website. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Believe it or not, you don't have to be sick to sell your life insurance policy. You can sell it and repurpose the proceeds in a life settlement. Rob Haynie joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about how Life Settlements work. Rob is the Managing Director of Life Insurance Settlements, Inc. and serves on the Board of Directors of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA). He has been proactively in the industry for more than 31 years. Rob says, "Life insurance policies are not designed to pay a death claim. They are priced to know they're going to lapse. You don't have to be sick to sell your life insurance, it's just another misnomer in our industry. "I've been saying it for 30 years: we're putting the life back in life insurance... We are helping people with life expectancies exceeding 20 years to sell their policies. I sit on the board of LISA [Life Insurance Settlement Association], and I was told the other day we do a market data collection study every year. On average, when you talk about things you could do with the settlement money versus not having so much money, we determined that the typical seller gets 5.2 times to as much as 7.8 times. This is on average. So if you were about to give up your policy for $100,000, and now you're going to get make it up $500,000, that's a big difference... "There's a lot of fear about Social Security. A lot of people are living on Social Security right now. So the idea of knowing that this is a resource, it eliminates a lot of that uncomfortableness, knowing that they're going to be okay no matter what happens." Email Rob Haynie at rob@lisettlements.com, call his cell phone at 954-599-4433, or learn more at the LI Settlements website. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Rob Haynie, Managing Director of Life Insurance Settlements, Inc., joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about Life Settlements: selling your life insurance policy and repurposing the proceeds. Rob serves on the Board of Directors of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) and is a charter member of the Association’s PPC committee, which is charged with the regulatory and legislative activities of the industry. He has been proactively in the industry for more than 31 years. Rob explains, "A life settlement is the sale of an existing life insurance policy to a third party – we'll call that person an investor – and for money that is greater than the cash surrender value, or certainly in the case of lapsing, but less than the death benefit. And it's all based upon someone's life expectancy and the cost of insurance going forward from that. They might have been 45 years old when they bought it and they had a whole list of reasons down on a pad of paper... [Maybe there's been] some chaos in the financial sector of the person's household. Most people will lapse the life insurance policy, or surrender it for the cash, because that's the only thing they know to do. The insurance company is certainly not going to tell them they could [sell it]. "You can sell your life insurance policy. We've always kidded the life insurance industry, saying, 'You should be telling people they can sell the life insurance policy because they could turn around, take the proceeds and buy something else you offer, as opposed to letting it lapse or surrender.' "They can take the proceeds from the settlement, and we use the word repurpose that, and buy something that fits their current needs, such as an annuity. So instead of paying money, they're getting money every month off of an asset they didn't know had any value." Email Rob Haynie at rob@lisettlements.com, call his cell phone at 954-599-4433 or learn more at the LI Settlements website. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Chateau Gardens memory care director at Chateau Valley Center Michelle Oleas joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders podcast with Lacy Steed, Vice President of Life Enrichment for Chateau Retirement. This episode was recorded at Chateau Valley Center in Renton, Washington. Michelle and Lacy talks about how memory care interfaces with with Life Enrichment at Chateau, and how they work together. Michelle says, "They're both very important entities, but I don't look at it as separate entities, rather independent pillars. That is very important to enhance the quality of life of our residents. Nursing, we take care of the medical part. We give the medications. We want to keep them safe. While life enrichment, they're there to provide social interaction, meet their spiritual needs. There's just so many things that work hand in hand that are both essential in providing the needs of our residents." Michelle says, "Usually in dementia, we cannot dwell in the past nor the future, right? They live in the moment. When I have a family member come up to me and say that was a wonderful event, and my mom was really happy with what was going on in memory care, that really hits me hard, right? Because at the end of the day, we're here for the residents. Whatever time they have left, we want to make sure that they do have quality time. We always hear, 'Oh, they have dementia. They won't remember any more.' That's not true. Because at that moment, if you made them happy, then they know – something made them happy. So I think that's a very important piece with these activities." Lacy adds, "Memory care holds also a special place in my heart. My grandmother suffered through dementia, and it's just a horrible disease. So we work very closely with all of our nursing staff and our caregivers and med techs. We try to be very involved in memory care, and we are working on having weekly morning meetings with the teams to make sure we're all on the same page. It's everyone's job to enrich people's lives, especially for memory care. In memory care, it takes a lot. It takes a village. I have so much respect for nurses and memory care, and it's a hard job. And dementia and Alzheimer's, and we couldn't do it without them and vice versa." Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit Chateau's website or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Why is senior living the next adventure, and not your grandma's nursing home? Cindy Serrano, community relations director of Chateau Retirement at Chateau Valley Center, joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders podcast with Lacy Steed, Vice President of Life Enrichment for Chateau Retirement. Chateau's services are helpful and consultive, guiding seniors through a journey to live a happier, healthier, longer life – providing resident and family support, and increasing family involvement. This episode was recorded at Chateau Valley Center in Renton, Washington. In the previous segment, Lacy and Suzanne talked about how Life Enrichment plays into senior living. Cindy talks about this starting at the beginning, integrating the interests of new residents into the community. Cindy says, "We want to make sure that they have an understanding of everything that we have to offer. We're more than just apartments for aging adults. Life Enrichment plays a huge role. You have your day-to-day activities to really enhance the quality of care... I almost treat every meeting almost like a first date, because it's getting to know the core of who the person is and how we can help out." Cindy adds, "If we hear a story, we want to include that with them, it means a lot. It's a huge part of their life. So housekeepers, maintenance, whenever they hear something that resonates with them, they will let us know. And then we try to do our best to make that happen. I think that is really what also sets us apart. "At each community, the Life Enrichment directors and occasionally our Culinary Directors will all meet once a month to plan either the year or the month ahead. And that way we know what is needed from everyone to make sure that this successful. And we're all very communicative. We all work really well together. And if we need help, everyone steps in. It is a very team-oriented company. It's very true: teamwork makes the dream work, and that is what Chateau is. And if they know something about a resident that we didn't know, they will share it and then we will work together to make sure it happens." Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit Chateau's website or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Lacy Steed, Vice President of Life Enrichment for Chateau Retirement, joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders podcast to talk about the ways Chateau supports independence and successful aging with a varied activity schedule. But life enrichment goes beyond social activities to quality of life, quality of care, as well as resident and family support. Family-owned Chateau Retirement is Greater Seattle's expert in senior living, with a legacy of success in its culture, tenure, and dedication of staff to its residents. This episode was recorded at Chateau Valley Center in Renton, Washington. Lacy says, "We have activity committees, we have dining committees, we have anything you can really think of — and anything that we can do, we will do. I like to think of Chateau as a cruise ship on land. I want to do anything we can within reason and safety. I think that this is the best part of living. You're retired. You can kind of do what you want, and I want that to happen everywhere." "Life Enrichment is an all-encompassing program. It is not just activities where it's bingo, pinnacle, canasta, It's health, it's well-being, it's overall happiness. I really try to involve physical, social, emotional, mental, everything into the life enrichment experience. It's a huge step, moving into a retirement community or just moving in general, and to move somewhere where you're not just playing games, but you are actually living the next part of your life in all aspects of the word." Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit Chateau's website or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Our common denominator with indoor and outdoor safety is walking. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to share tips for seniors on how to be more mindful of how we walk. Dr. Shawn says, "I've [talked to] five people in the last three months that have had an issue because at home they use a walker. And for some reason, when they went outside the house, they didn't think they needed it with them, or they didn't want people to see them with a walker. What you have to remember, it's a mindset shift. The initial response of most older adults is they don't want an assisted device, because they feel like that's the beginning of the end, right? It's all going to go downhill from here. But actually, those devices allow you to walk safely, give back independence, make people more independent." "Walking is the number one exercise for a healthy body because it builds bone density, keeps your bones strong, it's keeping your muscles strong. It's also building cardiovascular endurance, being able to especially community distance. If you're going to go out and go to the store, being able to be able to walk those longer distances, it's literally the number one thing I recommend." In May, Dr. Shawn will be hosting "Stand Up, Keep Up," a two-session Zoom course covering not only steps for fall prevention, extrinsic and intrinsic factors, but also digging deeper to find the root causes of why they might be at a high fall risk. Answers for Elders viewers and listeners can get special pricing. Click here for more information or to register. Visit Rockstar Seniors.net to learn more or to set up a free discovery call with Dr. Shawn Weiss to get answers to any questions or concerns. Hear more podcasts by Dr. Shawn here. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show with a safety checklist for the indoors. Dr. Shawn discusses items like having adequate lighting in rooms where you're doing spring cleaning. Also, check the batteries in smoke detectors, make sure they're working. If you have air vents, have them cleaned, to help get rid of toxins and buildup of dust. Dr. Shawn adds, "My mom, she likes to run the sweeper still, herself. It's one of the things that she can still do. She noticed that her sweeper is just becoming too heavy. And so we went out and got her a lighter-weight sweeper, which means less energy consumption. It's much safer for her to push, and it's just done wonders. She's able to do more things." In May, Dr. Shawn will be hosting "Stand Up, Keep Up," a two-session Zoom course covering not only steps for fall prevention, extrinsic and intrinsic factors, but also digging deeper to find the root causes of why they might be at a high fall risk. Answers for Elders viewers and listeners can get special pricing. Click here for more information or to register. Visit Rockstar Seniors.net to learn more or to set up a free discovery call with Dr. Shawn Weiss to get answers to any questions or concerns. Hear more podcasts by Dr. Shawn here. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning

To avoid senior loved ones slipping and falling in their yard, check it first for slippery areas that could pose a fall risk. Make sure if they have arthritis and want to garden that they have electric pruning shears, as well as light folding stools to help them sit while gardening. Local volunteer groups may be available nearby to help seniors clean up winter debris in their yards. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about senior safety outdoors now that spring is blooming. Can your senior loved one get outside easily? Would handrails help? Composite decks can get slippery. Make sure they take breaks, stay hydrated, any have any type of life alert button so they can get help immediately if they fall. Dr. Shawn says, "My grandmother was 85. I will never forget, she lived down in the hollers of Virginia and she was one of those strong Southern women, which is what kept her going as long as she did into her 90s. She's up on her ladder at 85, taking down the Christmas lights in the spring, like it didn't matter. She was going to do it. Nobody is going to tell her not to do it. That's a little extreme, but you have to use really good safety judgment. If they live alone and haven't been active during the winter, have somebody take a survey [of the yard]. Do you have loose gravel, is the driveway gravel or is it paved? Are there wet leaves? Some people still have Christmas stuff up or they might have cords outside... Those little things are really risky, especially if they're covered up." In May, Dr. Shawn will be hosting "Stand Up, Keep Up," a two-session Zoom course covering not only steps for fall prevention, extrinsic and intrinsic factors, but also digging deeper to find the root causes of why they might be at a high fall risk. Answers for Elders viewers and listeners can get special pricing. Click here for more information or to register. Visit Rockstar Seniors.net to learn more or to set up a free discovery call with Dr. Shawn Weiss to get answers to any questions or concerns. Hear more podcasts by Dr. Shawn here. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about preventing senior falls, now that spring has come and everyone's heading outdoors. Suzanne shares a story of a senior whose walker go stuck in some overgrown vines in her yard, and when she tried to force it free, she fell and was stuck lying on the ground for more than two hours until a meter reader happened by who helped her. They discuss making sure your shoes have good soles, and to watch out for ground that might have changed over the winter. Dr. Shawn says, "The right shoes aren't just about wanting to look good and [match your] outfit. If you have the right shoes, they can keep you out of the emergency room. [When you want] to go out onto the sidewalk, things can still be slippery. You still have overgrowth, leaves, rain. You need to really take inventory of proper footwear. Make sure they have good traction, shoes that have Velcro or the laces that are already set, so that you don't run that risk of tripping. You want your foot held securely in the shoe. Adaptive footwear is also a great option if you experience swelling, or bunions, or have balance issues, they make some great products." In May, Dr. Shawn will be hosting "Stand Up, Keep Up," a two-session Zoom course covering not only steps for fall prevention, extrinsic and intrinsic factors, but also digging deeper to find the root causes of why they might be at a high fall risk. Answers for Elders viewers and listeners can get special pricing. Click here for more information or to register. Visit Rockstar Seniors.net to learn more or to set up a free discovery call with Dr. Shawn Weiss to get answers to any questions or concerns. Hear more podcasts by Dr. Shawn here. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks. Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning

The Vivo Institute has developed a non-invasive treatment for sleep apnea, as well as a non-invasive assessment program Dr. Bahar Esmaili, VP of Clinical Integration at the Vivo Institute in Denver, joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about their solutions. Dr. Bahar Esmaili says, "Up until now, diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was just depending on going to the lab, sleeping in a bed that's not yours. But now we have a sleep test as a simple as a ring that we put on your finger, with an app at home. We can even test the patient up to five nights. We test children at age two for this disease. And believe me, there are children that are suffering obstructive sleep apnea under-diagnosed, and we can screen them at their own home with non-invasively and fully FDA cleared methods. "And this is a very exciting time for Vivos because now we are full on medical practices where patients come and seek this treatment in sleep clinics. We're in the process of integrating our appliance therapies and our methodologies into sleep clinics all over the country. Our appliances are accepted by Medicare and Medicaid." The Vivo Institute's websiteabout Bahar EsmailiAirway ArchitectInstagram @thesirwayqueenIf Your Mouth Could Talkher YouTube channelAlzheimer’s Speaks Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning

CPAP machines aren't a cure for obstructive sleep apnea, as they don't fix the underlying health issues, and being dependent on them can eventually worsen symptoms. Dr. Bahar Esmaili, VP of Clinical Integration at the Vivo Institute in Denver, joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about sleep apnea's common treatment, CPAP, and which it's not the best solution. Dr. Bahar Esmaili says, "To properly treat obstructive sleep apnea, the focus should be to restore posture, early cranial neurologically, physiologically the proper nasal breathing mechanics. And a lot of adults they'll, they'll use a CPAP machine. Basically it pushes the air, positive pressure, air to keep that space open. Well, it's not a permanent fix. It’s something you have to wear every night for the rest in your life. Adherence to this treatment has been very low. "The American Academy of Sleep Medicine [has] said, we really have no conclusive study to show the quality of life or any of the metabolic conditions have been improved with use of CPAP. And I concur." The Vivo Institute's websiteabout Bahar EsmailiAirway ArchitectInstagram @thesirwayqueenIf Your Mouth Could Talkher YouTube channelAlzheimer’s Speaks Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning

Sleep apnea is highly under-diagnosed. Dr. Bahar Esmaili, VP of Clinical Integration at the Vivo Institute in Denver, joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about the risks involved in not being diagnosed with sleep apnea. Dr. Bahar Esmaili says, "A part of sleep that's the most important for emotional stability, the dreaming stage, if you're familiar. It's called REM stage, Rapid Eye Movement. Now, those folks that have a collapsible, narrow airway, they have more events happening in the REM stage where the brainwaves are closer to awake. It's more like unstable sleep, closer to awake, to prevent seizures, that in accumulation of beta amyloid have been linked to the accelerated rate of dementia. "I'm talking with folks in their 40s that have forgetfulness, they have fatigue, because the brain is not taking the advantage of the delta IV production and the spinal fluid movement around the brain, both of which are just under-diagnosed and not even not even looked at." The Vivo Institute's websiteabout Bahar EsmailiAirway ArchitectInstagram @thesirwayqueenIf Your Mouth Could Talkher YouTube channelAlzheimer’s Speaks Mentioned in this episode: Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement

Dr. Bahar Esmaili, VP of Clinical Integration at the Vivo Institute in Denver, joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about sleep apnea. Dr. Bahar Esmaili says, "The one third of life we spent in bed is determining the quality and longevity, longevity of the life we live outside the bed. Obstructive sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that basically manifests itself at night when we're sleeping. When the airway is unable to stay open and collapses, or the flow gets limited, oxygen drops, [triggering] a condition called arousal or fight-or-flight. "Imagine you're being choked every night in bed multiple times per hour. Now imagine what that's going to happen to your nervous system. Cardiovascular conditions, stroke, diabetes, whole host of metabolic conditions over the years and decades, to be exact, have been linked to obstructive sleep apnea and breathing disorders at night. "Disruption in sleep is detrimental to our health. The reason why we have sleep cycles, and the reason why we our bodies need rest, is because during the time that we are in bed, our brain and body go into a state of recharge, regeneration, removing metabolic toxins from our our system... A lot of amazing things happen for the body and brain, one of which is removing some of the toxins. "Alzheimer's and dementia have been linked to sleep breathing disorders. You see the impact it has long term, on not just health but quality of life." The Vivo Institute's websiteabout Bahar EsmailiAirway ArchitectInstagram @thesirwayqueenIf Your Mouth Could Talkher YouTube channelAlzheimer’s Speaks Mentioned in this episode: Chateau Retirement Chateau Retirement Legacy Estate Planning Legacy Estate Planning

This segment delves into the day in the life of a senior living resident, having a sense of purpose every day so they can feel like they're a vibrant member of a community that is supporting them. It looks at how Chateau Retirement Communities integrates and sustains care to make sure that residents' quality of life is as great as possible. Nicole Bosancu and Amanda Krueger join Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders podcast, recorded onsite at Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Washington. Nicole is Heath Services Director at the Chateau at Valley Center community in Renton, Washington. Amanda is Vice President of Health Services. Nicole explains, "We really rely on our housekeeping and culinary staff, because it really takes a team. We might have a resident who's a little more independent, so housekeeping will come and say, 'Hey, Nicole, this person didn't come down, we haven't seen them in a couple of days either in the dining room, or I went in their apartment and it seems like they need a little bit more help.' So that we can go in and then either have a care conference or talk with them and [ask] what do you need from us to make sure you're taking care of." Nicole says, "If they fall, they can push their call button and the staff can come. But we also have a new AUGi system that is like a motion detector. So somebody falls, it sends us an alert that we can go in and right away. Amanda adds, "One of our mottos is happier, healthier, longer. And so with this new AUGi technology, it's very proactive and that it can hopefully give motion alerts to the team before that resident even has a fall. So that way we're hoping to prevent a fall that could potentially be detrimental if it turns into an injury fall. So it's an amazing technology and we're excited to have it in our communities." Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit them online at https://www.chateauretirement.com or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

This segment discussed senior care options, and the different ways that loved ones join a senior living community like Chateau Retirement Communities. Laura Smith and Amanda Krueger join Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders podcast talk about the Chateau Retirement care model. Laura is Health Services Director at Chateau Pacific. Amanda is Vice President of Health Services. This show was recorded onsite at Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Washington. Laura says, "We are very fortunate to have the number of nurses that we have in our buildings... The benefit that I see from having so many nurses is that we get to know our residents on a more individualized basis, and then we get to know little details about their lives that guide the way we care for them. Amanda adds, "Really getting to know our residents is very important. In fact, one of the stories that we have recently is that we learned from a family member, or [possibly] a staff member, that a resident was having a hard time showering, getting into the shower and agreeing to that. And they found that offering her a banana before the shower allowed her to forget about the process. And [then] she was able to take the shower without any any behaviors, and never refused to shower after that point. And, making sure that gets to the service plan, so all the staff then learn of that." Laura says, "We have families that don't see necessarily what we see, because their loved one may act differently when they're around, or they've maybe had some walls up that they let down and they have a little bit of dementia or whatnot. So we do see things that the families don't see, so we do have to sit down and and have those conversations, this is what Mom's doing lately. Her mom's not wanting to necessarily go out to activities. Let's figure this out. So we do like to have families come in and talk about these things. We want people to be able to live their best lives that they possibly can here, and have that quality." Suzanne noticed a vibrancy about the culture at Chateau Pacific that has a lot to do with the overall view of how they treat people. Laura says, "Our philosophy here is that we are privileged to work in their home. This is their home, and we get the privilege to work here. So we're serving them. They're not here for us, we're here for them." Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit them online at https://www.chateauretirement.com or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

Amanda Krueger joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders podcast to talk about senior living, recorded on site at Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Washington. Amanda is Vice President of Health Services, and oversees the health and care provided at Chateau Retirement Communities. Amanda says, "We are a family owned small business. And it's very much our philosophy that's carried on then within our our communities. We believe in letting residents live life on their terms. We treat them with dignity, respect, compassion – when we do need to come into their home and assist them in their daily living. And then we also believe in treating the staff the best we can because it's going to trickle down that if we take care of our staff, they'll take care of our residents. And so those two platforms are something we really strongly believe in, and it's just carried forward for over 25 years now." "Maybe dad has Alzheimer's and mom doesn't. Well, they can both live here. We have that quite often, where one spouse is living independently or even with assisted living, and then their spouse is safely in memory care. And [there's] peace of mind knowing they're okay and they're not going to wander off, or anything like that, and being with them during the day to connect with them in that way." "Our assessment is based on an individual service plan. So we meet the needs, we assess the resident, each individually at various times in the year, if there's a change of condition or annually at minimum, and then whatever that resident needs, we are able to provide. And so from there we have levels, but each person's level and what they do could be different because of what that need is for the resident. It makes the care plan sometimes different for the staff to learn. But we're making sure that that is exactly what the resident needs, and that's what's really important." Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit them online at https://www.chateauretirement.com or call 800.960.1944. Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.