Be Prepared, Part II

Part I of the Be Prepared blog posts talked about readiness for emergencies, particularly in light of the heightened flood awareness for the Green River Valley this winter. In fact, I attended a Senior Adult Resource and Preparedness Fair in the Meadowbrook region of north Seattle, at which a variety of good information was presented.

This blog, however, addresses both prospective residents and adult children of prospective residents when it comes to planning for your future place to live.

Personal experience over the past six or eight weeks has shown me how situations can change suddenly. When one of my parents went in for heart surgery, we expected that a full and speedy recovery would be made since the health going into surgery was very good for an 85-year old. The operation was textbook; the recovery has not been. In fact, instead of being able to be discharged to home, a long-term stay in a nursing home was the next step, going on five weeks. It has become apparent that they will not be able to live in the family home after discharge since care will be needed post-discharge.

As much as my siblings and I thought we had planned for many of our parents' eventualities, this was one that caught us by surprise. In hindsight we should have opened the discussion five years ago about where our parents would land when they could no longer manage their house. After several visits, a lot of conversations, soul-searching and heart-searching, and shopping for assisted living, we have been able to locate a place where they can will be able to get the care that they will need, at least for the near future. And we have been able to buy a little time to.......Be Prepared for whatever may be their next move.

This is background information to the following remarks.

It is never too early to shop for a place to live, whether for yourself or for a loved one. While you have the physical, mental, and emotional health (and time) to do the legwork, that is the best time for you to.....Be Prepared. Because certainly, if you are not prepared while you are still able to choose, at some point the choice of a place to move may have to be made by someone other than yourself.

SHAG has a ton of housing options for seniors who are able to live independently. Our Discovery Center in the Rainier Valley, just north of Columbia City, is set up and prepared for you to come for a visit to learn about our communities. We have vacancies in several communities in the area, and now is the time to take a look at all that we have to offer. Peruse our website for all the details of each and every one of our communities. Call ahead and come for a visit to the Discovery Center. We can even arrange for transportation to a number of our nearby communities for a personal tour. We will love to show you around, and we will be honored to be part of your plans for your future!

Be Prepared - Part I

The longtime motto of the Boy Scouts is certainly part of the SHAG vocabulary these days, and for very good reason, which will be the topic of this blog entry.

The news has certainly been full of information about the potential for flooding in the Green River valley this winter. As you may have heard, the Army Corps of Engineers identified weak points in the Howard Hanson dam's interface with the adjacent hillside, causing the potential of greater-than-normal releases of water from the reservoir to relieve pressure on the weak spots. And the Corps has been working on shoring up the weak spots for several months, so remedial action is certainly being taken. The message that we have heard is that there is little likelihood of the dam actually bursting (as you may have seen in disaster movies) but in fact, any flooding may be slowly rising waters as the excess water is released.

However, with some 900 apartment units in Kent and Auburn, this news has caused a certain degree of concern in our resident population. We are very aware of the news and the possibilities, and we are working with our residents and our resident managers in getting information to our communities. Our communities have flood insurance that will cover any reconstruction that may be necessary should the water levels rise this winter. Our insurance company has gone to several communities to inform residents as to where and how to purchase flood insurance for their personal belongings. We continue to study the flood plain maps and monitor information that is released by the Corps so that we can keep up-to-date in our information. And we have a line on a supply of sandbags and sand so that we can.....Be Prepared.

Here is another facet of the motto: we are encouraging our residents to...Be Prepared....themselves by making emergency kits, making a plan as to where they may go should an evacuation become necessary, and staying informed. This is good advice at all times, not just in the eventuality of a predicted flood situation.

More on being prepared in a different facet in Part II, coming soon.

Bill Fenner
Executive Director

Arrowhead Gardens Grand Opening

Friday, September 18th was a spectacular day in the Seattle area, and what a wonderful event we had at Arrowhead Gardens for the official grand opening of this community! Over 80 people enjoyed a beautiful buffet lunch, entertainment from the George Griffin Trio, and excellent service from the staff of Arrowhead Gardens.

One of the highlights of the day was the special appearance of Stuart Anderson, SHAG's longtime spokesman on television and in print ads. He was a crowd pleaser, sharing stories about how he came to be involved with SHAG (no, he didn't go to high school with the company's founder, Earl Price!), and giving a heartfelt tribute to Mr. Price and his legacy, which we see every day in our SHAG communities throughout the Puget Sound region.

Thank you to all of you who were able to attend the open houses on the grand opening weekend. Apartments are leasing fast and interest is still running at a high level for Arrowhead Gardens. Hopefully you can come and visit soon and choose your apartment!

Along with the general public, we're keeping an eye on the upcoming flu season and urging our readers, residents, staff, and their families to be aware of some of the simple ways to help avoid getting or spreading the virus. Easy enough to wash your hands frequently and to cover coughs with your sleeve (or your hand, but wash up afterwards!), and those are the simplest ways to help contain the flu.

There is a lot of press given these days to the flu, so read and heed what the professionals have to say!

Arrowhead Gardens Grand Opening

We've talked a lot in teh past several months with hundreds of people about the forthcoming opening of our newest community, Arrowhead Gardens, in West Seattle. Now it's the time to tell you that the first residents have moved in, two weeks earlier than we expected, too! They are enjoying the good life in this great new place to live.

If you've seen the Arrowhead Gardens page on the website, you'll know that the features and amenities are top of the line. The theater room is outfitted with a big-screen HDTV and comfortable easy chairs. The computer room has eight work stations, some of them with touch-screen monitors, the exercise room with its Precor fitness equipment will no doubt be in full swing as more people move in. Not to mention the craft room, the great room, and the community kitchen.

We are having our grand opening weekend on September 19 and 20. Please come by and see Arrowhead Gardens, take a tour, and reserve an apartment!

Accolades for SHAG

This week's edition of the Puget Sound Business Journal ranked the Senior Housing Assistance Group as the largest provider of senior housing units in the Puget Sound region. Congratulations!

Hot Summer Days

July 28th dawned as another rare hot day in the Puget Sound region. We are encouraging our residents to take as many precautions as possible to stay as cool as they can. Especially important is staying hydrated by drinking lots of water. A standard feature of our communities is a community room on the ground floor where residents can gather socially, and we are encouraging residents to come down to play cards, read a book, and generally enjoy each others company. We're pretty sure that the hot weather won't last forever!

Work on Arrowhead Gardens is continuing to go quickly, with the gorgeous community center open and operating. The leasing function is now being handled strictly from the Village Center (with air conditioned comfort as I write this!), the electronics are set up (including 8 computer work stations), and the exercise room is awaiting its first visitor. Keep an eye on this space for news about move-in dates for the first residential building, too.

Our Grand Opening weekend will be September 19 and 20, with food, entertainment, and tours during the event hours. We are finalizing plans over the next several days, so that's another reason to keep an eye on this blog.

Regards,

Bill Fenner

SHAG Blog launches today

July 17, 2009 marks the launch of the new SHAG blog as we try different ways to get information to you on SHAG, senior housing, our progress on various affordable housing projects, and other items of interest that we come across.

The most significant event in the near future is the upcoming opening of Arrowhead Gardens in West Seattle. We'll get more in-depth info to you in the coming days!

Respectfully,

Bill Fenner
Executive Director