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Cedar Community: Life the way it should be. The way you want it.

Tradition suggests it is an ancient Chinese curse that says, “May you live in interesting times!” It would be hard to deny that we may be cursed in these ‘interesting days’ marked with rampant negativity!

With a little ‘active’ listening at a local coffee shop or diner, I am sure you’ll agree to overhearing a barrage of negative conversations that seem to be gaining momentum all the time.

It is growing both tiresome and even alarming, by the degree of verbal barbs being bandied about! Proliferating is the common use of expletives as adjectives, as they precede almost any references to Democrats or Republicans or Tea Party members or Independents. Or for that matter to Christians or Muslims or Jews or Hindus or Believers or Non-Believers or Union Members or Non-Union Members or Conservatives or Liberals or those who listen to NPR or those that listen to Rush or those that watch Fox or those who watch MSNBC. Conceivably this list is unending and you can surely add to it! Kind of sad, wouldn’t you say?

Psychologists and social anthropologists might suggest it is a natural human coping function that we point criticism and blame at others in times of uncertainty and personal insecurity. Theologians use the word ‘dualism’ to describe when we reduce our understanding of the world to simple ‘Right or Wrong; In or Out; Good or Bad; Saved or Unsaved declarations with no room for a greater understanding and acceptance of others who have differing views.

When this thinking permeates society we run into dead ends! There becomes no possibility for collaboration, as any deviation from the extremes is assumed as weakness. And so it goes, we become entrenched in a negative mindset with no way to breakout. As a society we become lost in a quagmire of blame, hurt, insecurity, and unrest. Theologian Richard Rohr says we are living in an ‘Egoic Operating System.’ That is to say, we are lead by our ego! Personal ego is driving the way we see the world. Ego results in a ‘me first’ society. This leaves no room for personal and spiritual growth. This leaves no room for compromise. This leaves no room for tolerance.

Truly, now is the time to ‘negate the negativity!’ What are the tools we need? We need to set our egos aside. We need to think with our brains and our hearts! We need to be driven by an overwhelming sense of tolerance and forgiveness of others. We need to ‘grow up’ and seek out the positives in the world around us. We need to be a witness to others of the benefits of seeing the good in others. We need to ‘channel’ our innate positive side that hasn’t seen the light of day in a long time! We need to physically reach out and help those in need without making judgments. We need to see the world differently!

As important as the battle about the budget is to our country, there are approaches being considered to expense reductions to Medicare and Medicaid that are counter-productive. Yet there are economies to be found in both, if we can get beyond partisanship.

The 5,600 members of LeadingAge, members of Congress, and the Obama administration should advocate for the same things to meet the needs of vulnerable people:

Seniors.
Children.
People with disabilities.
Caregivers.
At some time in our lives, most of us Americans—regardless of profession, status, and background—will face these personal and costly circumstances.

Whether the journey begins with a broken hip, stroke or spinal cord injury, a child born with impairments, or the knowledge that a parent can’t live alone anymore, Medicare most likely will provide a means to help pay acute and some long-term costs, as it should, and Medicaid is used as a safety net for all of us with limited means to receive long term services and supports. We all pay taxes throughout our working lives to provide this assurance.

A special word about Medicaid
Most of us think we will never need it. But, ask a family member or a friend who has needed nursing home care for years if he or she has relied on Medicaid. Ask someone in a lower-paying job or someone who is out of work if their family could get by without Medicaid.

Ask any administrator of a children’s hospital about the importance of Medicaid to families they serve. A visit to your local nursing home, as you well know, to meet residents, families and employees, will likely illustrate how Medicaid is essential as well as the impact of the proposed cuts.

Congress would benefit from putting a name and a face with the issue of Medicaid costs.

Few of us have the financial wherewithal to withstand long-term needs for care or services without help. A year’s worth of nursing home care quickly drains the savings of a senior. Many Americans are only a few paychecks away from Medicaid eligibility.

Can Medicare and Medicaid be more economical?
Of course. There are opportunities to simultaneously improve quality and reduce costs through proven care transitions, management and coordination programs. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides opportunity for innovation in these areas.

In the long run, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act provision of the ACA holds great promise because it allows us to plan for ourselves. If CLASS is judged feasible, the more people who sign up, the greater the Medicaid savings.

Let’s give CLASS a chance to work.

Ask other not-for-profit providers in your community what arbitrary, across-the-board cuts or caps mean to real people who need care and to employees whose jobs are at risk. You can check out what some of your fellow LeadingAge members have said about the impact of the current proposals.

Let us also remember that in America, compassion has its cost, which we all must share because we all are likely to benefit from it. It is hard to see balancing the budget without new revenue. Cuts alone are irresponsible. Just ask people who have needed these essential programs.

In time of need, most of us won’t begrudge a penny of the tax dollars we paid to help others—and ourselves.

Larry Minnix
LeadingAge President and CEO

(This letter is reprinted with permission from guest blogger Larry Minnix)

Cedar Community, a large non-profit, senior health care and retirement community complex has just published this new website! What does Sandwich Generation mean? The Sandwich Generation is a generation of people who care for their aging parents while supporting their own children.
In the United States, Sandwich Generation Month is a month of awareness to commemorate and celebrate the dedication, patience and caring of adults who are part of the Sandwich Generation – those caring for their children as well as their own aging parents. Sandwich Generation is officially registered within the National Special Events Registry as an annual national observation, occurring each July 1-31.
So you can see, July is the perfect time for Cedar Community to announce its’ new Sandwich Generation website!
Why does Cedar Community care about the sandwich generation? Cedar Community has always believed it has 5 constituent groups in which to serve. Those are our: Residents, Resident FAMILIES, Staff, Volunteers and the wider Community.
When it comes to serving our families, we are constantly reminded of the struggles they face. This ‘sandwich generation’ is concerned about how their parents are cared for at Cedar Community, and they are concerned about how their children are cared for whether in the areas of education, recreation, nutrution, spirituality, or safety. The sandwich generation has stresses of caring for the young and old, while dealing with their own careers, other interestests, and obligations.
Many times, members of the sandwich generation come to us for advice and insight, not only about issues regarding senior health care and retirement living, but they ask questions about how to ‘balance’ their lives, feeling a little trapped in the middle of the needs of their ‘young’ and ‘old’ family members. We could see a need to provide information benefiting, not only Cedar Community Sandwich Generation family members, but information useful to all Sandwich Generation members.
What kind of information will there be on the new www.SandwichGeneration.org website? Lets begin with our website mission statement. It is: To provide guidance and support for those challenged by concerns for their aging parents as well as their own children and careers. Content will be consistant with the website’s mission, thus will be varied, current and speak to sandwich generation members on several levels.
We hope that you’ll view www.SandwichGeneration.org on a regular basis, along with our main website www.CedarCommunity.org . The Cedar Community continues in its mission to enhance the well-being of all we serve.