In McKnight’s Senior Living, Dr. Bill Thomas, Lifespark Independence Officer, shared how we are training those who live within our senior living communities to look out for each other – by teaching classes with a high-level curriculum similar to his medical school at Harvard.
As a career geriatrician, Dr. Bill has long known that some of society’s finest minds are being underappreciated while living in senior communities. “So I helped to develop a new health program to help put older adults on the watch as health monitors,” said Bill.
In the article, Dr. Bill shares the story of a 95-year-old who was walking with purpose down the hallway. That was usually a good sign. Then an 82-year-old neighbor greeted her and asked where she was going.
“To see my daughter,” she replied.
“Hmm,” the neighbor said, “doesn’t your daughter live in Oklahoma — 800 miles away?”
In fact, she did.
The alert neighbor gave a heads-up to medical staff at their assisted living community, where they found the 95-year-old with blood sugar levels that had spiked to 600 — six times normal levels — and were causing delirium. Because of the fast response, the 95-year-old woman was treated and stabilized without a trip to the hospital.
This is common within Lifespark Senior Living communities where Lifespark’s COMPLETE Senior Living model is implemented and Lifeguards are trained. With nearly 500 seniors certified, that number is expected to grow. Read on for the full story…
