Senior Living Blog by UMH | Elizabeth Bemis (15)

Elizabeth Bemis

In 1998, I drove past an assisted living community construction site, learned that it was part of United Methodist Homes and realized the next stop on my professional journey was to work for a mission driven organization. Soon after, I joined the team as Executive Director of our Middlewoods of Farmington community and later served as Regional Manager for the Middlewoods properties before accepting my current role as Vice President of Marketing, Promotions, and Assisted Living Operations. I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking, reading, walking, and love working alongside our staff, residents, and families to build strong communities that reflect the mission, vision, and values of United Methodist Homes.

Independent Living | Healthy Living Event Recipes

By: Elizabeth Bemis February 2nd, 2013

Cooking is often an activity seniors love to do with their friends and loved ones. There is something about being in the kitchen that brings people together. As part of our healthy senior living initiative, we recently hosted an event, “Healthy Eating in the New Year” where we prepared and shared several recipes with one another. Below are the recipes which were enjoyed by all.

Choosing the Right Short-Term Rehab Facility for Seniors

By: Elizabeth Bemis February 1st, 2013

When researching short-term rehabilitation and senior care facilities, whether for yourself or an elderly loved one, it is important to know what to look for to minimize your concerns about the healing and rehabilitative process. Understanding the difference between short-term rehab and long term care is an important first step. Short-term rehab facilities are typically the place aging adults go to recover from health issues in a professional, caring environment. They can receive a variety of therapy and nursing services during their stay as they heal and make progress with the peace-of-mind of having nursing staff available to meet their needs 24-hours a day.

Not sure what senior living and care solution is best for your loved one? Start making sense of your options.

Get the award-winning guide and subscribe to our blog.

Aging & Caregiving | Health Tips for Senior Citizen's | assisted living | independent living in ct

The Importance of Fiber in a Senior Citizen's Diet

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 30th, 2013

Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, beans and peas, grains, nuts, and seeds. High fiber foods are usually low in calories and fat, but packed with vitamins and minerals. It is recommended for men 50+ years old to get 30 grams of fiber per day and for women 50+ to get 21 grams of fiber per day.

Diabetes Tips for Seniors

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 28th, 2013

Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death and the number one cause of blindness in America. Often caused by obesity or being overweight, diabetes affects the body’s ability to use the sugar produced from breaking down carbohydrates. An estimated 18 million people in the United States have diabetes and the numbers keep increasing. Risk factors include being obese and overweight, age, immediate family member with diabetes, ethnic background, history of gestational diabetes, and physical inactivity.

Senior Living Communities 60 Day Trial Stay

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 25th, 2013

So often we hear from the caregivers of prospective residents that their loved one just isn’t ready to commit to moving into an assisted or independent living community. They don’t want to be the “bad guy” and push to make a decision. Their loved one is not convinced it is the right time and other family members may feel guilty even suggesting it. This always begs the question “What other decisions have you or your loved one had to make that you weren’t ready for?” That really gets them to think. Change can be hard – but it doesn’t have to be.

Calcium Content Tips for Seniors

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 21st, 2013

“Got Milk?” What a great way to start getting people thinking about calcium! Calcium is important for every age and stage of life. Getting enough calcium helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth. Calcium also helps your blood clot and keeps your muscles and nerves working properly. Calcium may even play a role in preventing high blood pressure and some forms of cancer.

Nutrition Benefits at Senior Living Communities

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 18th, 2013

At UMH communities, meal time is not just a time to eat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are major highlights in the day! These are times when residents gather together to eat and visit with other residents and staff. Our dining areas are designed to be conducive for conversation and easy to navigate around. Our menus are planned using input from our residents and staff. We encourage residents to complete food comment cards and speak with any of our food service staff to share any compliments or concerns they have.

8 Tips for Seniors Medication Management

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 16th, 2013

Managing medications can be one of the most challenging tasks for aging adults and their caregivers. It is a complex process and oftentimes medications and quantities change. It is critical that older adults take only the medications prescribed, exactly as prescribed and to have confirmation from their physician and pharmacist that there will not be potentially dangerous drug interactions and complications. Senior care communities have resources to help residents manage these medication needs.

10 Things to Know About Senior Physical Activity

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 14th, 2013

Physical activity consists of keeping your body healthy and active to prevent possible illnesses and diseases that may result from a lack of daily exercise. As one ages it may seem more difficult to engage in physical activity, but there are many ways to modify movements to accommodate limitations, and simple tasks such as walking more can drastically improve one’s physical health and well-being.

Veteran Benefits and Senior Care Communities

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 10th, 2013

Many Veterans and their spouses are at or are getting to the age where independent and assisted living options may need to be explored. While many Veterans already live in such communities, some may be in the process of making the decision to move into a senior care community and it is important to know what resources and veteran benefits may be available to them.

The Importance of Therapy Dogs at Senior Care Communities

By: Elizabeth Bemis January 8th, 2013

Therapy dogs provide affection and comfort to those around them. May it be a hospital, retirement home, assisted living community or other senior care community these dogs create an overwhelmingly positive feeling for those around them. In senior care communities therapy dogs can increase the feeling of bonding and happiness while lowering stress levels. These dogs may greet those in the community, accompany residents during their daily routines (such as reading the paper) or may just want to engage in play with residents around with their own dog toys in a nice game of tug-of-war or catch.