Baywoods of AnnapolisBaywoods of AnnapolisWaterfront Retirement Living Choosing the right retirement community for yourself or a loved one can be a challenging undertaking. With so many options available, we often feel overwhelmed. Waterfront retirement living has its advantages – could it be the perfect option for you? Check out these benefits of choosing to live retired life next to the water. Location, Location, Location, the waterfront atmosphere Water is known for its ability to
Senior Citizen Exercises With as little as 30 minutes per day, you can stay fit and feel younger too! A variety of low-impact physical activity can be incorporated into anyone’s daily routine. In this article, Baywoods of Annapolis takes a look at some of the most common and innovative ways seniors can stay fit! According to the National Institute on Aging, “exercise and physical activity… can help prevent diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions affecting older adults.” Below we’ve listed the four main types of exercise and physical activity that are recommended for seniors. Many of these can be done from the comfort of your own living room! As always, check with your physician before starting any exercise program. Ok, here we go! Endurance exercise is aimed at increasing your endurance through low impact activities that make you breathe faster, speed up your heart rate, and burn off calories. These kinds of activities may include brisk walking or jogging, dancing, tennis, and more! Strength training is vital to preserving muscle mass, controlling weight, reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and decreases injury risk. You can begin strength training right at home with light weights, resistance bands, or by using your
Continuing Care Retirement Community We all want what’s best for our loved ones. At some point, we realize that our parents or loved ones cannot live as well or as safely independently like they used to. When everyday activities become difficult, a move to a continuing care retirement community will help a retiree thrive. Here are some helpful suggestions to consider before you tour a senior community. Is this a Financially Feasible Option? The first thing to consider is whether moving to a senior living community makes financial sense for your loved one. Is their current living situation safe for them, then consider is the house upkeep draining their finances. Many seniors have to get help or contract with services outside of the home to keep their property up. Sit down with your parents and determine what they are spending on a monthly basis to keep their home going. Real Estate taxes, school taxes etc. Ask them to calculate the amount they receive from all retirement accounts and Social Security payments. Once you have an idea about what they currently spend on a monthly basis, then look at what they can afford. At this point the process becomes easier. A
On-Site Care When you enter a retirement community, you may be fit and healthy, but as you age, there may come a time when you require additional health services. On-site health care is an important benefit providing convenience and peace of mind to you and your family. Here are the top 3 reasons why it’s important to choose a retirement community that provides on site care. Providing a continuum of care is the foundation of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) like Baywoods of Annapolis. CCRC means that the community provides services for Independent Living and Assisted Living. Why is this important? Limits your need to travel. For you, the retiree, it means that you will likely have most of your health care needs handled in the community in which you live. This eliminates most the need for most residents to travel for: Doctor’s Appointments Wellness Visits Pharmacies Coordination of Services Comfort, Convenience, Friends. Imagine being transported to another facility where your spouse and friends cannot readily visit you during your treatment. When you enter our assisted living facility, you’ll be within the same community, with the same friends, getting the care and support that you need. Your spouse or
Retirement Community Types At BayWoods of Annapolis, we want seniors to make informed decisions about their retirements, so we’ve created a quick comparison of the different types of retirement communities that you’re likely to encounter. If you have any questions about the costs of living at BayWoods of Annapolis, feel free to get in touch with our staff. Insurance Model or Life Care Community The design of a Life care model or Insurance model community usually has monthly fees associated in Independent Living that would follow them throughout their life. No matter what level of care they received. Most Life care communities require larger up-front fees, then monthly payments that are contingent on your health status for the duration of care and service. The larger entry fee covers the cost of future care requirements. Fee-for-Service This is the most straightforward model, a fee-for-service plan, requires you to pay for only those services that you use or need. This works best for most people because they are not paying high costs for services that they may never need or utilize. Their monthly payments are usually required a little higher but entrance fees are lower. These communities are very popular and practical
Dementia Caregivers With over 5 million people in the US with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia, more and more families are tasked with caring for a loved one who suffers from these tragic diseases. A long-term continuing care retirement community (CCRC) can be of great assistance, but it’s also important to educate and empower the family and loved ones. This article will provide insight on how to care for and communicate with a loved one with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia. ADAPTING THE HOME When an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient still lives at home, there are many concerns that must be addressed regarding safety. While we always want to treat these patients with love and dignity, we must remember that they often have poor memory, difficulty following instructions, and periods of agitation or irritability. So, like young children, we must adapt their living environment to accommodate for these shortcomings. Cooking appliances must be adapted with safety mechanisms to avoid something being left on and the risk of fire. Door and window alarms may need to be installed. Hazardous materials may need to be stored in a locked cabinet. HELP IS EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK Caregivers are often overwhelmed, uncertain, or scared. However, there are a
Early in 2022 the residents of BayWoods of Annapolis, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), decided we wanted to better utilize our fabulous bay front location on the Back Creek peninsula. The solution was determined to be forming a Yacht Club and providing a variety of water related activities. The BayWoods Yacht Club (BWYC) came into being in May of last year and became an instant hit with a sold-out CRAB sailing event, a big-boat three-day charter, a radio-controlled demonstration in the inside pool with a social afterwards, and well attended monthly meetings. Our waterfront location and facilities on Bay Front Drive (fronting on Bembe Beach Road) and directly across the street from Port Annapolis Marina make us a community that was just begging for a Yacht Club organization. Our facilities include an inside pool, large hall and outside patio on the Bay front for meetings and socials. A long pier and Bay Front Deck are perfect for socials and water borne activities including radio-controlled sailboat races. The residents chose five areas of activities and elected a Commodore, Fleet Captains for each of the areas, and specialists in Communications and Video/Presentations. They are: 2023 activities are in full swing with
Retirement Downsizing Making a move to an assisted living community is the first step in your retiree enjoying a more fulfilling, healthy lifestyle. However, it can be hard to for anyone to part with their possessions and downsize their belongings before moving into a smaller living space. Here’s how to help. Take Stock of What You Have, and Prioritize The first step of downsizing is taking an inventory of what your retiree already has. Spend a few days organizing and decluttering each room. Clear out all old mail, papers, and other unnecessary items before beginning the process. Empty each closet to determine the volume of possessions and get a sense of how much you need to get rid of. For an idea of space requirements at BayWoods of Annapolis, talk to us. Once you have a clear idea of what you have, prioritize. Does your retiree have to take that tea set from a garage sale 10 years ago? Probably not. At the same time, don’t discount items of sentimental value, even if they seem silly to you. If someone is particularly attached to a memento of the past, keep it, even if it seems impractical. If your retiree is
BayWoods Of Annapolis Earns 2022 Great Place to Work Certification™ Annapolis, MD — BayWoods of Annapolis is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place to Work®. The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Baywoods of Annapolis. This year, 68% of employees said it’s a great place to work – 9 points higher than the average U.S. company. Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. “Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily – it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that BayWoods of Annapolis is one of the best companies to work for in the country.” “We are thrilled to become Great Place to Work-Certified™ as we consider employee experience a top priority every day,” said Director of Business Development, Jim Harrington. “We owe our continued success to our team of dedicated employees at BayWoods. We celebrate and
Cooperative Senior Living When you are touring communities for a place to retire, there are a variety of lifestyles and options available. In this article, we provide you with five reasons you should consider a cooperative community (co-op) like Baywoods of Annapolis for your retirement! Cooperative communities, also referred to as ‘co-ops,’ are a great consideration when looking at Retirement communities. Include them as part of your search. First, you should understand that a typical co-op is often structured so that all of the residents own the cooperative together, which allows them to share in the tax and financial benefits of ownership. So, residents reap many of the same benefits as owning a home. Most co-ops have monthly dues that cover the costs of routine maintenance, landscaping, cleaning, and in some cases, on-site dining and various supportive services. By pooling together the needs of the entire community, and eliminating the middle-man, you have the ability to control costs, without the burden of sole ownership. Co-ops have the potential to build equity, just like real estate. For example, the Baywoods of Annapolis co-op offers a unique lifestyle, with a prime waterfront location. A waterfront community is a sought-after feature not available
Senior Medicare Knowledge Medicare is for people age 65 and older and those who have special conditions or disabilities. Applying for Medicare can be an intimidating, complicated, and confusing process. So, in this article, Baywoods of Annapolis provides 4 things you should know about Medicare! Tip #1: Signing Up There are only certain periods when you can enroll in Medicare, and these are subject to change. At the time of this writing, you must enroll in the time period 3 months before your 65th birthday to 3 months after your 65th birthday. Failure to do so may subject you to certain penalties and even a gap in coverage, so be sure to check the official Medicare.gov website well before your 65th birthday and plan accordingly. Each member of your family must enroll in Medicare. Tip #2: After 65, Medicare is Your Primary Insurer Regardless of whether you have another insurance provider, (such as retiree health insurance, individual insurance, or COBRA insurance,) after you turn 65, Medicare is considered your primary insurer…even if you haven’t applied! So, be sure to follow guidelines in Tip 1 and sign up as soon as you are eligible. Tip #3: Understanding the
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