Bickford of Crown Point

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the Mothers I've served, will serve, and will meet in the months ahead. I'll be driving to Battle Creek, Michigan this weekend to take my mother to lunch, and I hope to stop by Bickford of Battle Creek and maybe get a few photos to post here so we can all see how things are decorated. My mother will want to go to the new Battle Creek Casino and play her beloved Ladybug game, so if we win any millions maybe I'll post a photo of that too!!! -Tony

Happy Birthday to Tanya Planer! Our hard-working Community Relations Director is having a birthday today, and nothing would make her happier than if you stopped by the trailer to learn more about Bickford of Crown Point. She and I will be here until evening to answer your questions and help with your decision making. if you'd like to send Tanya Happy Birthday wishes, her email address is tanya.planer@enrichinghappiness.com. She is my only current employee, so she gets all her boss' attention today!! -Tony

Its another beautiful weather day in Crown Point. Tanya and I are standing by to meet with you today! Tanya is spending some time at the Crown Point Senior Center calling Bingo while I'm onsite looking forward to Mayor Uran's visit later today. I'm confident he'll be happy with what he sees...our construction is moving fast! -Tony, Director

We've had a great week at our Branch! We set a new personal record for the amount of tours we conducted, helped along by the warm weather and the fact that our construction continues to move along. This week the bircklayers started on the outside and the ductwork and plumbing are almost finished on the inside. We have lots of visitors scheduled for next week including Mayor Uran who will tour our Branch on Tuesday. As always, all we need is a small $500 deposit to secure your individual apartment. Spaces are filling up fast, so stop by and see Tanya and I anytime during the week, or on weekends by appointment. -Tony

When Frances Wulf, 92, made the decision to stop driving and sell her car, she began to look for her next step. Wulf, who moved to Valparaiso from Wisconsin to be near her kids about three years ago, had lived independently until the age of 91. One day Wulf surprised her daughter by saying she wanted to look at the rooms at Rittenhouse Senior Living in Valparaiso. Wulf moved in late September after picking the facility, because she said it felt like she was checking into a hotel and not a hospital. “When I decided to sell my car, I thought it was time to quit driving. I was having difficulties — I had a thing with the eyes — and I thought before I got in trouble, I better stop,” Wulf said. Statewide, one in five Hoosiers will be older than 65 by 2030, and the number of seniors is expected to grow locally in the next 20 years as well. In 2010, seniors comprised 13 percent of Lake County’s population and 12 percent of Porter County’s population. Those numbers jump to 20 percent for Lake County and 21 percent for Porter County by 2030, according to state estimates. Aimed at responding to the growing demand, Northwest Indiana, specifically Lake County, has seen the construction of a number of senior housing developments. Residences of Deer Creek on U.S. 30 in Schererville opened in January and offers independent living, assisted living and memory support apartments. “It's nice,” said Katharina Makara, 85, of Schererville, who moved into Deer Creek in March. “The atmosphere — you can joke. You can talk.” Bickford Senior Living in Crown Point is set to open in late summer. The 58-unit complex, which will offer memory care and assisted living, is near 15 percent capacity, Director Anthony Ughetti said. In Lowell, Trilogy Health Services is proposing to build a nursing home and assisted living facility near East Commercial Avenue and Burr Street. Bickford chose Crown Point because of its strong demographics and the need for a noninstitutional type of facility that could offer assisted living and memory care, said Alan Fairbanks, an executive vice president with the company. “In regards to the industry, there is still a tremendous demand that is needed and supply is not there,” Fairbanks said. “I think what's happened, there is a tremendous influx of supply on your primary, large markets and your big cities have a lot of supply. There is still a lot of pockets in and around the country where the demand far outpaces the supply.” Growth in 'senior' industry Before the recession, a large share of senior housing construction was in independent living, but now activity has shifted to assisted living facilities, according to Chris McGraw, a research analyst for the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry. The nonprofit tracks construction of assisted living and independent living facilities across the nation. Construction of assisted living facilities has returned to pre-recession levels, notching up activity for the overall industry, McGraw said. In the first three months of this year, construction of new units represented 2.5 percent of the existing inventory for senior housing. While the percentage is down from the pre-recession peak of 4.8 percent in 2008, it’s up from the 2 percent recorded in early 2011. Following the recession, the center is seeing fewer freestanding independent living properties break ground but instead more developments that bundle together independent living, assisted living and memory care. In Lowell’s case, Trilogy approached the town to propose the development. Clerk-Treasurer Judy Walters said Lowell has a need for such housing, given that an existing nursing home in town recently expanded its building. “It’s just wonderful because it will be in town and you’ll be able to have a loved one right here in town,” Walters said of the Trilogy project. Affordable housing a challenge A growing concern for serving the state’s aging population is the decline in public funding available to support affordable housing for low- to moderate-income seniors. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding for public housing has decreased, and tax credit financing for projects, a major originator for affordable housing for seniors, is now more competitive, Center on Aging and Community Director Philip Stafford said. “It’s an actual serious problem, given the changing demographics and in some ways declining wealth of the current generation of older adults, who took a real hit from the market and don’t have the equity that they did in the past that might make it easier for them to relocate to some other housing or some other environment,” Stafford said. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, which oversees the distribution of tax credits for new construction and remodeling of affordable rental housing, saw a high demand among senior projects in its latest round of funding, authority spokeswoman Emily Duncan said. Of the 20 projects that got such tax credits this year, 14 competed in the elderly category of housing developments serving residents 55 and older, Duncan said. A local project not to receive tax credit funding from the agency was a proposed senior housing facility in Robertsdale. In Gary, a 38-unit senior housing project — Gardens on Carolina — by Volunteers of America is in the final stages of construction. The organization is the leading nonprofit to provide affordable housing for seniors in the country, said Tim Campbell, president and CEO of Volunteers of America of Indiana. “With the aging of the baby boomer generation, we see this as a real area of focus,” Campbell said. “There are going to be so many individuals go into retirement not financially prepared, and having the availability of low-cost, decent housing is something we think many folks will need.” In trying to address that need, some communities have developed policies that privately developed housing must set aside a percentage of units that meet affordability standards, Stafford said. Aging in place A February report by the Bipartisan Policy Center found the United States is unprepared to handle the needs of seniors, who want to “age in place” by staying in their own homes and communities. Among the commission’s recommendations was better coordination of federal programs, which deliver housing and health care services to seniors, according to an executive summary of the report. Municipalities are increasingly dedicating HUD funds to help seniors who want to “age in place.” In Hammond, the city uses some of its HUD funding to help residents install ramps and widen stairs to make them more accessible for walkers. Seniors Helping Seniors, based in Porter and LaPorte counties, matches seniors to caregivers to help with cooking, cleaning, transportation and yard work. The business aims to bridge the gap between a senior choosing to remain at home and eventually moving to a care facility, owner Vickey Kelver said. “Most people want to stay in their home,” Kelver said. “That’s the goal of most people.”

Here is a nice article from nwitimes.com that mentions Bickford of Crown Point!

NWTimes Senior Housing Article

Howdy Crown Point! I'm now able to blog, so I think I'll start by sharing my contact information. To call me, dial 219-309-4815. To email, its tony.ughetti@enrichinghappiness.com. Mail may be sent to 140 East 107th Avenue, Crown Point, Indiana 46307. Tanya and I will be in the sales trailer Monday through Friday from 8-5 or so and always are available by appointment. I previously worked in The Region from 1991-1999 before moving out West, and I've already run into a few former co-workers and friends from my past. Please give me a shout via phone, email, or pop-in so we can catch up and I can share the Bickford story with you!

Our new Branch Director arrived from Texas this week. His name is Anthony Ughetti and he spent three days this week at Branch Support in Kansas learning about the Bickford Story. Anthony and I are available at any time to visit with you, schedule a personalized tour, and share with you the unique features of our new Branch in Crown Point. Stop by our trailer to meet us! We'll be open in late summer and are standing by to serve you.

Very exciting news!!! We are moving along quickly, we have windows and shingles up. Our information trailer is OPEN and we are ready to answer your questions! Please stop by today to register to win our great Spring Gift Basket and learn more about our services and Founder Club incentives.

Below is an article talking about the new developments in Crown Point and a nice mention of Bickford Senior Living from NWITimes.com Crown Point Article

Here is a nice article about Bickford of Crown Point's opening that I came accross in the NWI Times Crown Point Article

Are you a Veteran or the living spouse of a Veteran? If so, please join Bickford Senior Living and John Walters for a presentation on the Veteran's Aid & Attendance benefit. Learn about the FREE money you may be eligible for... Date: Thursday, Jan 31st at 2:00pm at the Crown Point Community Library Limited Seating- please RSVP to Carrie 219-663-0972

Crockpot French Toast Casserole Author: Amanda@AFewShortCuts.com Recipe type: Breakfast Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4 hours Total time: 4 hours 10 mins Serves: 8 This French Toast Casserole will become a holiday breakfast favorite….any anytime favorite! Ingredients 1 loaf of bread sliced or diced Recipe for Homemade French Bread 6 eggs 2 cups milk (Dairy Free Alternative can be used) ½ tsp cinnamon Topping ¼ cup butter (or Dairy Free Margarine) Softened ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon ½ cup chopped pecans Dash of nutmeg Instructions Whisk together eggs, milk and cinnamon and pour over diced bread in a large bowl. Cover an let it soak overnight in the fridge or atleast 4 hours. When ready to bake spray the inside of the crockpot (4-6 quart sized works best) to avoid sticking. Pour in Bread Mix. In a small bowl mix together butter, brown sugar cinnamon, pecans and nutmeg. Crumble of the top of the bread mix. Cover and Cook on low for 4 hours…or if you are in a hurry High for 2 hours. Let sit for 15-20 minutes and serve! Notes GLUTEN FREE- You can use a gluten free bread DAIRY FREE- Use Almond Milk or other milk alternative and a Dairy Free Margarine for the topping.

I saw this information on Northwestern Mutual's Facebook page discussing the benefits of long-term care insurance: One year in a nursing home: $90,000. One year at Harvard: $53,000. Does the cost surprise you? Good thing assisted living is a more affordable and homelike alternative to a nursing home.