Senior Living • July 2014

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Ann Zimmerman performs during the most recent Thursday Nature Play at the Ruby Rupner Auditorium of the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center Thursday.

Jenae Peterson/jenae.peterson@austindailyherald.com

‘Something for everybody’ Nature center hosts summer events for seniors the idea for Thursday Nature Play about four to five years ago, and the idea for heryl Dunlap was excited to see special senior programs came around the Ann Zimmerman perform, but this same time, according to Executive Direcwasn’t the first time. tor Larry Dolphin.

“I’ve heard Ann Zimmerman before “[It’s] been going strong since,” Doland I really enjoy her music and whole phin said. “It’s adapted and we’ve got demeanor; [she’s] fun and talented,” more programming than we ever have.”

Dunlap said.

The nature center looks for performers Dunlap attended the folk-singer’s con- from across the Midwest, and organizers cert Thursday morning in Ruby Rupner have provided many programs over the Auditorium; it was the most recent senior last four to five years. Past events featured performance at the Jay C. Hormel Nature a handler with a bald eagle, another Center this summer. featured a storyteller. After Zimmerman, As part of the weekly Thursday Nature Kurt Mead is set to come next week to Play, the nature center holds programs focus on dragonflies. in the morning for senior citizens. Many “We have a lot of talent, [we] mix it up times, a performer holds one to three per- with music and natural history and stoformances a day: one in the morning for rytelling, and all of that for those days,” seniors, one in the afternoon for children, Dolphin said. and one later in the evening for adults.

Dolphin said his favorite programs are Dunlap has attended many of these usually music-based, and he enjoys the events at the nature center. environmental focus performers usually “I’ve enjoyed every one of them,” Dun- put to their music. lap said. “There’s always something hap“They’re enthusiastic about what they pening here and programs for all ages.” do and what they share,” Dolphin said.

Dunlap finds the shows relaxing, enYet the animal shows tend to draw the tertaining and many times educational. largest audience. Dolphin said the bald Along with the nature play, she hoped to eagle drew many people, and when the attend more of the Water Festival events zoo visits they get many families. going on this weekend.

See CENTER, Page 3-SL A nature center intern came up with

By Jenae Peterson

jenae.peterson@austindailyherald.com

C

Sacred Heart Care Center celebrates 50 years niece, Helen Mears, attended part of the celebration and was recognized as a A local senior living community just special guest.

“My uncle would be very proud of it got done celebrating a half-century.

Leaders at Sacred Heart Care Center, if he saw it today,” Mears said.

The festivities recognized a different 1200 12th St. SW, Austin, decided to section of Sacred Heart every day. stray from a typical party for the “[The celebration] was nice from center’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Instead of having a two-hour open beginning to end,” Mears said. “They house, Sacred Heart chose to celebrate did a very lovely job.” with five days The residents worth of events and their families “It was a wonderful from June 22 to 26. the first to be celebration honoring all were The celebration recognized with a recognized and the individuals who have picnic that more thanked the groups 150 attended. helped in so many ways than that have been Day two featured and continue to to make Sacred Heart a brunch in honor be critical to the of Sacred Heart’s what it is today.” success of Sacred volunteers and their Heart. hard work.

-Administrator Rebecca Halverson “It was a On the third wonderful day, Bishop John celebration honoring Harrington from the all the individuals who have helped Diocese of Winona celebrated mass for in so many ways to make Sacred residents and guests, along with Sacred Heart what it is today,” Administrator Heart’s Chaplain, the Rev. Donald Zenk.

Rebecca Halverson said in a press There was also a special reception release. with wine and hors d’ouevers, which Sacred Heart opened in June of all current and former board members 1964 and was made possible through were invited to attend. substantial funding from Fred Dugan.

Day four included a taco lunch for He reportedly saw a need for a all Sacred Heart employees and their retirement home in Austin that would families. offer beauty, purpose and dignity to The celebration concluded with the lives of its residents, as well as ice cream and cake for all residents, quality health care services. Dugan’s clients, employee and visitors.

By Alex Smith

alex.smith@austindailyherald.com

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FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

Senior Living

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Millennials want money, but not hard work

By Brett Graff

The Economist, via the Associated Press

Amy McGraw doesn’t want us to get the wrong impression of her daughter, Rebecca Leahy. The recent graduate of Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla., works hard — really hard, in school, on her dance team and beyond. But after Leahy found a summer retail job at the mall, she told her new boss she wasn’t available to work on Wednesdays.

“It’s a different mentality from when I was her age,” McGraw said. “She has nothing scheduled on Wednesdays.

She wanted time to go to the beach and shopping with her friends. I was wondering if that comes from a whole idea of entitlement.”

Yes, researchers would likely tell McGraw her daughter’s generation is, in fact, entitled. (But they’d also probably point out that at least her kid has a job.) They’re called millennials, and the oldest of them were born in the late 1980s. The age band, which includes the class of 2014, is marked by two opposing economic characteristics that have caused an eye-opening gap: They’re highly materialistic and not necessarily willing to work for the money they need to buy the items they so greatly value, said Jean Twenge, author of “Generation Me” and a professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

“This is a cultural change,” Twenge said. “People hear me and think I’m complaining about young people. I’m not.

This is what the young people are saying about themselves.”

She’s talking about their answers in a national survey of some 50,000 12th graders, called “Monitoring the Future,” that’s been conducted each spring since 1978. Millennials were more likely to report that making money was very important and that they expected to own more stuff than their parents had. They highly prioritized specific material goods and would of course own vacation homes and recreational vehicles, such as boats.

But — and here’s where the discrepancy arises — they also didn’t anticipate work to be a central part of their lives. They’re not particularly willing to work overtime and found that one of their obstacles to getting a job was that they didn’t want to work hard enough.

They’re not bad people, Twenge said.

Every generation has its strengths, and millennials value equality and are highly tolerant. But their sense of entitlement is a facet of narcissism, and their expectations are simply out of pace with reality, she said.

“It was a generation that was told they were all special and then enters the workforce to find they’re not,” she said.

“They’re not getting jobs, and when they are, they’re disappointed that the job isn’t as fulfilling or high- paying as they would like.”

As parents, it’s our fault, said Sylvia Rimm, a psychologist and director of The Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland. For starters, we over-empower kids early on by giving them too many choices, asking whether they’d like to take a nap or where they’d like to do their homework. We’re also very interested in helping them find their passions.

“By 8 years old, these kids are wondering why their parents are trying to control them,” she said. “And later, they’re looking for something that’s magical and easy and shouldn’t have hard work attached.”

Instead, young kids should have little freedom, little power, few choices and few responsibilities. As they mature, we should match their freedom with responsibility. And they should work the whole time. By age 2, they should be able to clear their plates, and the chores can progress from there until they can work out of the house and earn money.

That’s where they’ll develop critical success skills, said Carl Nielson, creator of Career Coaching for Students in Dallas, such as personal accountability, decision-making, self-starting capacity, goal achievement and interpersonal skills.

But when it comes to summer jobs, teens too often start looking late in the season. At high-quality companies that could provide career direction, budget decisions are made in advance and positions are awarded in January and February. Even retail and food service establishments hire for summer in early spring. In fact, Nielson estimates that 50 percent of all summer jobs are taken by April 15.

If you’re late to the game, consider volunteering, he suggested. “You never know what a summer experience will turn into,” he said. “It’s short-sighted to turn down a job because it doesn’t fit your goals. Many times, the experience brings value.”

And if you have a business, it’s advantageous — tax-wise — to hire your own teen, said Howard E. Hammer, a CPA and a principal in the accounting and tax department at Fiske & Co. in Plantation, Fla. For starters, parents who are sole proprietors or who partner with a kid’s other parent don’t have to pay Social Security or Medicaretaxes when hiring their kids. What’s more, the child won’t have to pay taxes on less than $6,200 in earned income, assuming she has no interest, dividends or capital gains.

Just remember, no one can take advantage of the parent being boss.

“There’s a definition of an employee,” said Hammer. “They have to be providing a service.”

Brett Graff is a former U.S. government economist and the editor of www.thehomeeconomist.com . Reach her at brett@thehomeeconomist.com .

Work within the law: Experts agree that a paying job can teach your teen valuable work ethics. But Angelo Filippi, an employment law attorney and partner with Kelley Kronenberg PA in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reminds us of some important labor laws.

— Teens age 14 and 15 can’t work after 7 p.m. on a school night.

— They can work no more than three hours per day during a school week and no more than eight hours per day on a weekend.

— During school breaks, teens age 14 and 15 can work 40 hours a week but are restricted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

— Teens 16 and 17 years old can’t work after 11 p.m. on a school night.

— No one under age 18 can operate heavy machinery or be exposed to harmful chemicals. Even certain restaurant equipment is off limits.

— Minors in many states have required break times.

— If interns are providing services offered by paid employees, they too must be compensated.

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A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Senior Living

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

3-SL

The crowd looks on as Ann Zimmerman performs during the most recent Thursday Nature Play at the Ruby Rupner Auditorium of the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center Thursday.

Center: Events continue throughout summer From Page 1-SL The nature center tends to bring performers back when they receive good reviews, but organizers also try to mix up shows to draw more people.

“We’ve got a whole gamut of different programs and they’re pretty diverse, so there should be something there for everybody that might be interested,” Dolphin said.

Dolphin said the presenters and performers cater to and appeal to different age groups.

The nature center will feature a program every week for the summer, excluding the week of the Mower County Fair, when there will be a booth at the fairgrounds.

The nature center is supported by various organizations, including Friends of the Jay C. Hormel

Nature Center, the Austin Autobon Society and the Izaak Walton League. With the funding, the nature center is able to put money toward staffing, programming and scholarships.

help seniors and people with limited mobility experience the outdoors.

The nature center owns two electronic access vehicles, which are similar to a go-cart, to help people with limited mobility Nature center see the grounds. offering carts for The center received its people with first cart in 2011. It holds five people, plus a driver. limited mobility The second, received in Along with Thursday Nature Play, nature center 2013, holds 12 people.

The carts are used to leaders are continuing to

Home safety checks help area seniors Austin Daily Herald

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Southeast Minnesota is offering a free home safety checklist and other tools for area seniors and their families.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 20 million seniors ages 65 and older visit the emergency room each year with almost a third of the visits related to injuries, many of which are sustained in the home. However, almost half of all home accidents by seniors (48 percent) can be avoided, according to a recent survey of emergen-

cy room doctors conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care network.

“The home should be the safest and most comfortable place for aging seniors,” said Sarah Pacchetti, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving southeast Minnesota, in a press release. “It is critical for families and seniors to invest the time in identifying the necessary home safety modifications to ensure it stays that way.”

Senior home safety experts recommend that adult children of seniors take at least one day each year to perform a thorough safety

check of their parents’ home.

To request a free home safety checklist, please call the local Home Instead Senior Care office at 507-2851700. For other resources in-

cluding online safety assessment and recommendations for inexpensive modifications, please visitwww.makinghomesaferforseniors. com.

bring people on tours that may not have good mobility on their own.

Dolphin doesn’t expect the center to receive any more soon due to space issues and finding drivers, but they are nice to have for senior programs.

Dolphin sees people come back to the programs time and time

again, and he has gotten good feedback from participants.

“They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t enjoy what was offered,” Dolphin said. “We have really a good repertoire with the seniors that come out, and we’d like to expand that, we’d like to see more.”

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Senior Living

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

State Medicaid changes save $10.5M Associated Press

A program to lower health costs through new payment contracts with doctors and hospitals generated about $10.5 million in savings during its first year, according to state officials.

The new contracts let health care providers share in the savings when quality care is provided

more efficiently. So, some of the money is going to three providers that are part of the new program.

The remainder of the savings will be split between the state and federal government.

The program works within the state-federal Medicaid public health insurance program, and when Minnesota officials first announced it in Feb-

ruary 2013, they called it a “Medicaid ACO.” ACO stands for “accountable care organization,” a new type of payment relationship between the government and health care groups that was established by the federal health care law of 2010 within the Medicare program.

In Minnesota, commercial insurers also have been developing ACO-style

contracts with health care providers, offering financial rewards for doctors and hospitals that better coordinate care for patients.

The idea is that better coordination can bring better care for patients, at a lower overall cost. Put another way, the new system is meant to pay doctors and hospitals for the quality of care provided, rather than

the quantity of services that patients receive.

Last year, state officials said they expected Minnesota could see $90 million in savings over three years.

“I think we’re very much on track for that goal,” said Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson.

About 100,000 people in public health insurance programs were involved in the new program during

its first year. The savings should expand going forward, Jesson said, because more beneficiaries and health care providers are expected to participate.

“We’re ramping up our enrollment in this program,” she said in an interview.

Final financial results from the first year of the program will be calculated in early 2015.

Survey: Obamacare help was in high demand grants to fund navigator programs in the 34 states with federallySigning up for facilitated or partnership Affordable Care Act exchanges. insurance was nothing The entire state of like that. It involved Ohio, for example, had questions about income, gotten just $3 million in taxes, family size and grants to do consumer immigration status. outreach by October 2013.

And in most places in That’s compared to $24 the country, there were million in Maryland, myriad choices of plans which had half as many with subtle differences uninsured residents. between them.

“It’s not just the Guess what? People money,” says Karen looked for help on the Pollitz, lead author of the decision.

KFF survey. “The culture During the Affordable of coverage might also Care Act’s first open have been different. enrollment period, [States with their own about 10.6 million exchanges] might not people received personal have been working uphill help from navigators against the barrage of and other enrollment bad noise against the assisters, according ACA.” to an online survey of In addition, the mostly the programs released Republican states Tuesday by the Kaiser that defaulted to the Family Foundation. federal exchange tend (KHN is an editorially to have higher rates independent program of of individuals without the foundation.) insurance. Some 33 And the assistance percent of the nation’s was time consuming: 64 uninsured population percent of the programs lives in states running reported that they spent their own exchanges, an hour to two hours while 68 percent live in with each consumer on states that defaulted to average. The assisters the federal exchange or and navigators included set up a partnership.

28,000 full-timeAlmost 90 percent equivalent workers of assister programs across the country, surveyed reported that funded by federal and state governments as well most or nearly all of the people they helped were as outside sources, the uninsured. More than 40 survey found. percent said that most But those assisters and or nearly all of the were not distributed equally across states.

The 16 states that elected to run their own state-based exchanges had about twice as many assisters per 10,000 uninsured compared to the 29 states that defaulted to a federallyfacilitated exchange.

(The other five states set up a partnership with the federal exchange.)

People in states running their own exchange were twice as likely to receive help with enrollment.

The discrepancy is not terribly surprising: the states running their own exchanges had significantly more funding available for outreach and enrollment.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded a much smaller $67 million in federal

By Jenny Gold Kaiser Health News

people they helped did not have Internet access.

In the end, it wasn’t the broken website that was the top reason people sought help from an assister – it was a lack of understanding of the law. About 65 percent of the program said that most or nearly all consumers had online difficulties. But more than 85 percent said that most or nearly all had a limited understanding of the ACA and needed help understanding their plan choices. And threequarters said that most or nearly all needed help understanding basic health insurance terms.

“How can you explain coverage options to someone who doesn’t know what a deductible is?” asks Pollitz. “It’s just a much longer conversation,” which might help explain why most of the programs reported that assistance required one to two hours per client. “And those same people, at least some of them, are starting to come back with post-enrollment problems,” Pollitz adds.

The need for help selecting the right plan is not likely to disappear in the coming years. “It’s a fundamental need people are probably going to have for the foreseeable future,” says Pollitz,

especially as consumers experience a change in their family size or employment.

In the end, about 8 million Americans signed up for a plan on the health insurance marketplaces in the first year. Others enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP plans, and some of those who received help from assisters did not enroll in coverage at all.

The survey also found that federally qualified health centers and nongovernmental funds played a surprisingly important role in enrollment. Of the 4,400 different assister programs, 70 percent were supported either

by the federal safety net clinic program or were privately funded.

The survey was conducted online from April 24 through May 12 among assister programs nationwide; 843 out of the 4,445 programs responded.

The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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