September of Our Years

Considered your options for assisted living after retirement? As boomers approach a certain age, knowing what’s out there is more important than ever.

THE OLD MAN’S VELVET VOICE fades like fog at first light. His blue eyes shimmer with reflection as he gazes into the deep channel of time past and sees a life well spent.

“There have been ups and downs over the years, but for the most part it’s been good. Very good.” With that, Austin Mandeville, 90, assesses his journey with an economy of words common among near-centenarians. (As time trickles away, it becomes more precious, not to be wasted on a torrent of words.) Luella Mandeville, 89, leans closer to her husband, places her hand over his and returns his smile.

“We’ve been married 67 years,” she says, beaming. “I think it’s going to last.”

Over the decades Austin and Luella have woven a rich tapestry together—one that includes three children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. (A 13th was due in September.) They survived a wrenching separation when Austin was shipped overseas during World War II. And they’ve savored a sweet wellspring of life for many years.

“We skied, downhill and cross-country, at Mammoth,” Luella says. “Fished at Bishop and down in Mexico a time or two. And we hiked all over. We always loved to hike together. Of course, we could never do any of those things today.” She glances at the walker she uses now for each steadied step.

“We were younger then,” Austin adds. “We had a lot of fun. But you have to move along in life.” And then an afterthought: “The memories are good. Always.”

Three years ago, Austin and Luella made a dramatic shift in their life together. After so many years of good health and independence, they decided to move into a handsome two-room suite at St. Paul’s Villa, an assisted-living facility just two blocks from Balboa Park.

“It was a difficult move, of course, but a necessary one,” Luella says. “We’re very content here. It honestly feels like home to me now.”

The services offered at St. Paul’s Villa are typical of assisted-living facilities across the country. Residents live in private apartments. St. Paul’s Villa provides three meals a day (in addition to snacks) and a 24-hour healthcare staff to assist with medication management, personal grooming, dressing and bathing as needed. There are social events and planned activities. A weekly schedule posted near the lobby lists shopping, chair-dancing exercise, medical appointments, bridge and bowling, among others.

Karen Kerhin, the administrator at St. Paul’s Villa for the past two years, says, “It’s a very difficult transition when people have to leave the home they’ve lived in for 30, 40 or 50 years. But once people have made that transition, they’re generally happy they made the move.”

St. Paul’s Villa is owned and operated by St. Paul’s Senior Homes & Services, a nonprofit corporation that also operates St. Paul’s Manor and the John A. McColl Family Health Center. Together, these three facilities make up a “continuum of care,” or what is referred to as “aging in place.” St. Paul’s Manor provides independent retirement living. When residents find they need help with personal grooming, dressing, bathing and tracking their medications, they can be moved to St. Paul’s Villa, where such assistance is provided. The John A. McColl Center is a skilled nursing facility that provides 24-hour healthcare and rehabilitation services. The center also offers hospice care.

LIKE MOST PROVIDERS of healthcare in the United States, assisted-living communities are businesses that charge for their services. According to the AARP Policy Institute, the current “base rate” for an assisted-living facility is well over $35,000 a year—and steadily rising. For many seniors on fixed incomes, and for those with failing health, financing their long-term care can be daunting.

“Some people have equity in their homes, or they’ve been able to build up substantial savings over the years,” says Richard Chace of Elderlink, a free senior referral service. “Whatever the source of their funds—veterans’ benefits, longterm health insurance and so on—covering healthcare costs over the long haul requires a great deal of planning.”

Planning and accurate information. In a national survey conducted by AARP in 2006, more than half the respondents (52 percent) incorrectly believed Medicare covers assisted-living costs. In California, 40 percent of those questioned assumed Medi-Cal would defray those costs. Wrong again.

Private insurance rarely covers the cost of assisted living, and long-term care insurance is prohibitively expensive for many seniors. The bottom line? Consider your options and plan far ahead.

“A lot of the people living here are retired military, or military widows, so they have veterans’ benefits,” Kerhin says of the residents at St. Paul’s Villa. “But if someone exhausts their funds, we’re certainly not going to tell them to leave. We have a scholarship program to help those people.”

WHATEVER THE SOURCE of financing for seniors’ long-term healthcare, the medical bill is about to spike dramatically. David Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office, recently warned that American employers are facing a “demographic tsunami.” He was referring to the approaching wave of baby boomers who will soon become eligible for early retirement.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2006 nearly 8,000 people celebrated their 60th birthday each day. Beginning in 2008 and continuing through 2025, more than 4 million members of this sizable group will face the option of retirement—that’s 4 million each year. Many of those who work in geriatrics and eldercare view those figures with a distinct sense of foreboding.

“We’re definitely seeing an increase in the number of referrals, and as the population ages, that number is bound to grow substantially,” says Elderlink’s Chace.

But even before the massive wave of aging baby boomers comes crashing down on America’s healthcare system, the crest that precedes them is already being felt—their aging parents.

“Millions of dollars are lost to businesses every year because aging baby boomers feel compelled to take time off work to provide care for their parents,” says Heather Hope, public relations manager at Work Options Group. The company works with employers to provide qualified, in-home caregivers for their employees on a copay basis. Despite the cost, businesses end up saving money, according to Hope.

A number of large, high-profile firms —Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, McGraw- Hill, Time Warner and Reuters, among others—offer backup care as a standard employee benefit. “We’re confident that backup eldercare coverage will one day be as common in the workplace as healthcare coverage is today,” Hope says.

AUSTIN AND LUELLA Mandeville are fixed in a tableau, he leaning slightly on his walker, she leaning gently at his side. Like many of the residents at St. Paul’s Villa, Austin and Luella are treasure troves of anecdotes.

Their conversation is peppered with tales about their offspring and times past. The walls of their living room are blanketed with family photographs (12 great-grandchildren, remember?) and photos of airplanes—Austin’s second love. (Luella is his first.)

And in the corner, a photograph of Austin and Luella taken many years ago. The youthful versions of their now time-worn faces are instantly recognizable. The photo is much like a pentimento—an underlying image in a painting that shows through when the top layer of paint has become transparent with age. They smile at the camera. Happy. Unfettered. Young.

Forever young.

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Senior Resources

Adult Protective Services
619-283-5731

Alzheimer’s Association
800-272-3900; alz.org

American Association of Retired Persons
888-687-2277; aarp.org

California Department of Aging
800-510-2020; aging.state.ca.us

Center for Healthy Aging
310-576-2550; centerforhealthyaging.org

Children of Aging Parents
800-227-7294

Elderlink
800-613-5772

Elder Abuse Hotlines
202-898-2586; elderabusecenter.org

Senior Citizen Services
619-236-6905

Social Security Administration
800-772-1213; ssa.gov

Work Options Group
303-604-6545; workoptionsgroup.com

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