After analyzing millions of Internet visits and interviewing scores of consumers, Brookdale Senior Living has built a new website based on fresh insights into what’s most important to families searching for senior care. The first phase, which is a $4 million investment, went live on brookdale.com mid-August.
“With Brookdale’s website attracting more than 500,000 visits every month, it’s imperative to make it as useful to consumers as possible,” said David Cygan, Brookdale’s senior vice president of marketing. “As the nation’s largest senior living provider, we know our website is a primary source of information, with many people coming to us first as they embark on this journey,” Cygan said. “It’s important that we offer substantive resources that make it easier to find help in evaluating senior care options.” More than 80 percent of adult children turn to the Internet when they look for care for an aging parent, according to the company’s research.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7722159-new-brookdale-senior-living-website/
For the past six years Brookdale, the nation’s largest senior living provider, has fulfilled its residents’ life-long dreams and Wishes by partnering with Wish of a Lifetime™, an organization dedicated to shifting the way society views and values our oldest generation. During this time, some of the most exciting Wishes have taken place in the skies above. Since the partnership began, more than 70 aerial themed Wishes have been granted to Brookdale residents who had dreams of skydiving, taking helicopter tours, flying fighter jets and more.
“Seeing our residents fulfill their Wish of a Lifetime through these incredible aviation adventures shows how older adults continue to act on their dreams and passions,” says Sara Terry, vice president of resident and family engagement. “We are always thrilled to find opportunities for our residents to enrich their lives and honor their spirit.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/77221510-brookdale-senior-wish-of-a-lifetime/
Over 80% of Americans want to spend their last days at home, with friends and family. Yet, despite these desires, 75% of Americans will spend their last days in a hospital room. Many people will spend hours each day getting painful and often useless treatments and tests, and be asked to take dozens of debilitating drugs. For many, the cure is worse than the disease. This often has negative and lasting effects on family and friends who are often left with feelings of guilt and regret for years to come.
Hospice Support Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting end of life care at home rather than in a hospital so patients can spend their last days in dignity and peace, pain-free in familiar, comfortable surroundings with friends and family.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7785451-hospice-support-fund-end-of-life-care-psa/
One of the most difficult realizations for those with loved ones fighting a serious illness is understanding that treatment is no longer working. No one wants to admit that it has become a losing battle against a serious illness. Many people are hesitant to call hospice for a loved one because they see it as “giving up.” In reality, contacting hospice is a choice that can lead to fewer worries and more meaningful moments during a serious illness or near the end of life.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
Long before it's time for hospice care, many people with serious illness can benefit from palliative care but don’t realize it. Sometimes referred to as “comfort care,” palliative care is a specialized approach to the treatment of patients with a serious or life-threatening illness. Palliative care has helped Deadra Gladden get her life back through symptom management and support from Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, Marlton, N.J.
In May of 2014 Deadra, age 28, was in the hospital, feeling hopeless and in excruciating pain due to lupus, a disease she has been battling for over half her young life. Deadra's doctors told her family it was time to call hospice. But after consulting with a nurse from Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice, a palliative care team was brought in instead.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
When a serious illness enters a family's life, there are many questions to ask and decisions to make. It is important to answer these questions quickly. The process can seem overwhelming. However, hospice care can be a wonderful resource for information about symptom management and comfort care. Hospice care professionals are available to help assess goals, pain management and care options during the decision-making process.
Are your symptoms minimal or moderate? Are these symptoms just starting to affect your life? If you want to continue treatment but also need comfort and symptom management, palliative care (often called comfort care) maybe an option. Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and treating suffering. Palliative care specialists address the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients and families, making sure they have access to all the information about the disease progression and the choices ahead. A patient can receive palliative care in conjunction with other treatments or therapies.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
Many people think being on hospice means lying in a bed, barely conscious. However, this perception is not an accurate one. Many hospice patients' final moments are spent enjoying quality time with family and friends and creating special moments and memories. This would not be possible without the help of hospice.
The mission of hospice is to provide specialized care for patients in the final weeks and months of life and their families. More simply, hospice care supports living one’s life to the fullest with dignity regardless of how much time remains.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
While the loss of a loved one is difficult for everyone, a child's limited ability to understand death can make grieving more difficult than it is for an adult. According to a recent national poll, 75 percent of children and teenagers under the age of 18 who have recently experienced a loss feel sad, anger, alone, overwhelmed and worried without really understanding why (ChildrenGrieve.org).
To better assist children through this difficult process, hospices offer grief and bereavement services specifically tailored for them. These services can help children realize grief is normal. Resources include individual or family counseling and referral information if another form of attention is needed. Even if the child's loved one was not in hospice care, he or she can take advantage of these services.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain-free as possible. The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient's death experience reflects their wishes by supporting one's life to the fullest dignity, regardless how much time remains. In fact, in many cases patients' quality of life can actually improve when they are admitted to hospice at the appropriate time.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
What makes a good death? Many people prefer not to think about death in their day-to-day lives. For most people, a good death means being physically comfortable, at peace in your own home, enjoying as many moments as possible with loved ones doing the things you love to do up until the very end. A good death is possible with hospice care.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7429131-moments-of-life-by-hospice/
As the number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease soars, so does the number of family caregivers. Over 15 million people are taking care of loved ones with dementia in the home, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Sixty percent say the emotional stress is high and more than a third report depression symptoms. To help, Brookdale is offering a free webinar for family caregivers during November, National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. The company, America’s largest provider of dementia care, is also offering a web-based Alzheimer’s Resource Center and other expert information.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7087731-brookdale-senior-living/
Many people equate a conversation about hospice as being told they must give up. However, more than 1 million people across the nation have learned just the opposite. They’ve been touched by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s “Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice” campaign since its launch on May 15, 2014. The campaign’s intent is to debunk this myth, and show that hospice focuses on compassionate, person-centered care, which enables special moments and memories at the end of life for patients and loved ones.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7154752-national-hospice-and-palliative-care-organization-nhpco-moments-of-life-psa/
