CareAvailability site expands into South Carolina to help families navigate an additional 1,675 care and senior housing options

CareAvailability has continued its expansion into South Carolina, providing a new industry standard of real-time availability of senior housing options in the South. The site offers a new and improved method of searching for senior care as the first and only website that delivers real-time reporting of availability to the minute. The site first launched in Oregon during the COVID pandemic and is quickly expanding across the country, now providing new resources for South Carolina seniors and caregivers looking to connect with providers.

CareAvailability is the only online resource that lists every provider for free and allows them to update availability at no cost as often as possible. Seniors are able to search the site seamlessly without having to provide any personal details, significantly increasing Family and Patient Freedom of Choice.

Senior advocates and health professionals utilize CareAvailability to construct comprehensive lists of care options, while allowing seniors and loved ones to easily navigate all necessary levels of care. Providers can easily monitor this single resource, allowing them to post real-time availability in one place to avoid the costs of multiple pay to play sites. CareAvailability is an easy one-stop resource, as it does not charge hospitals, physicians, health clinics, social workers or any health team for their services. Medicare Ratings are also included to support Patient Freedom of Choice.

CareAvailability serves to relieve the trying time of finding care for a loved one. With all locations and levels of care listed, users can easily self-navigate without making multiple phone calls. The site also provides educational articles to determine the necessary service for the user, as distinguishing between types of care can be overwhelming.

CareAvailability’s expansion to South Carolina means an additional additional 1,675 providers are now listed in our database of resources. This includes more than: 475 assisted living communities, 190 skilled nursing facilities, and over 1,030 home care, home health, and hospice agencies.

Fun Facts about South Carolina

South Carolina is nicknamed The Palmetto State, after the state tree, the Sabal Palmetto tree. During the Revolutionary War, Palmetto trees were utilized by the South Carolina militia to absorb and negate the force of the British cannonballs. A Palmetto tree can be found on the state flag for South Carolina as well.

The state motto of South Carolina is “Dum Spiro Spero” meaning “While I breathe, I hope.”

About CareAvailability

CareAvailability is a website dedicated to helping seniors, their families, and healthcare professional find care in real time. Specific questions can be directed to the CareAvailability Team’s contact page or connect with them on Facebook.

July is Social Wellness month, and after over two years of living through a worldwide pandemic, let’s take advantage of opportunities for socializing! Now that vaccines are more widely available and businesses are opening back up again, it’s time to recognize the need for Social Wellness, especially for Older Americans who experienced so much isolation during the Covide pandemic. Studies have found that people who stay social tend to live longer, have healthier cardiovascular systems, and respond better to stress, along with so many other benefits that we seemed to have taken for granted during the pandemic. Ways to practice social wellness can include planting in your neighborhood garden, joining a gym or exercise group, or going out for coffee with a friend.

Other notable celebrations in the month of July include…

• Minority Mental Health Awareness Month – Observed each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. Learn more here.
• Independence Day
• Park and Recreation Month
• Culinary Arts Month

“July is named in honor of Julius Caesar.”

Learn more about the history of previous months here.

CareAvailability site expands, adding an additional 230 care and senior housing options for the state of Rhode Island

CareAvailability is proud to announce its expansion into Rhode Island, officially providing its real-time
availability of care and senior housing options on the east coast. CareAvailability remains a NEW industry standard as the first and only website that delivers real-time reporting of availability for senior care to the minute. The site first launched in Oregon during the COVID pandemic as an effort to help hospitals find care for patients needing to transition out of beds. Expansion followed into Washington, California, Florida, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and now Rhode Island.

Unlike other sites, this online resource lists every provider for free, and each can update their current availability at no cost; this significantly increases Family and Patient Freedom of Choice like never before. Until now, there has not been a site that delivers a comprehensive list for families to search without having to give any personal details.

Senior advocates and health professionals rely on CareAvailability to put together comprehensive lists of care options, as well as allowing people to self-navigate searching for care providers. Instead of care providers needing to update multiple paid sites, CareAvailability is an easy one-stop resource, as they do not charge hospitals, physicians, health clinics, social workers or any health team for their services. Medicare Ratings are also included to support Patient Freedom of Choice.

CareAvailability continues to alleviate the search for senior care in an already trying time. Options can be overwhelming, especially when families don’t know where to start. The team at CareAvailability has taken extra steps to provide educational articles to help families better navigate the maze of Long Term Care and aging, by providing links to state agencies, as well as explaining local terminology and regulations.

CareAvailability’s expansion to North Carolina means an additional additional 230 providers are now listed in our database of resources. This includes more than: 90 assisted living communities, 70 skilled nursing facilities, and over 60 home care, home health, and hospice agencies.

Fun Facts about Rhode Island

Rhode Island is nicknamed The Ocean State, because even though it is the smallest state in the union (just 1,045 square miles), it has direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen colonies to become a state.

The name Rhode Island comes from the Dutch phrase “Roodt Eylandt”, meaning “Red Island”.

About CareAvailability

Care Availability is a website dedicated to helping seniors, their families, and healthcare professional find care in real time. Specific questions can be directed to the Care Availability Team’s contact page or connect with them on Facebook.

CareAvailability site expands into North Carolina to help families navigate additional care and senior housing options.

CareAvailability is proud to announce its expansion into North Carolina, officially providing its real-time availability of senior housing options on the east coast. CareAvailability remains a NEW industry standard as the first and only website that delivers real-time reporting of availability for senior care to the minute. The site first launched in Oregon during the COVID pandemic as an effort to help hospitals find care for patients needing to transition out of beds. Expansion followed into Washington, California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and now North Carolina. Our research has highlighted a significant amount of older Americans in North Carolina looking for senior care.

Unlike other sites, this online resource lists every provider for free, and each can update their current availability at no cost; this significantly increases Family and Patient Freedom of Choice like never before. Until now, there has not been a site that delivers a comprehensive list for families to search without having to give any personal details.

Senior advocates and health professionals rely on CareAvailability to put together comprehensive lists of care options, as well as allowing people to self-navigate searching for care providers. Instead of care providers needing to update multiple paid sites, CareAvailability is an easy one-stop resource, as they do not charge hospitals, physicians, health clinics, social workers or any health team for their services. Medicare Ratings are also included to support Patient Freedom of Choice.

CareAvailability continues to alleviate the search for senior care in an already trying time. Options can be overwhelming, especially when families don’t know where to start. The team at CareAvailability has taken extra steps to provide educational articles to help families better navigate the maze of Long Term Care and aging, by providing links to state agencies, as well as explaining local terminology and regulations.

CareAvailability’s expansion to North Carolina means an additional additional 3,696 providers are now listed in our database of resources. This includes more than: 580 assisted living communities, 400 skilled nursing facilities, and over 2,000 home care, home health, and hospice agencies.

Fun Facts about North Carolina

North Carolina is nicknamed The Tar Heel State, due to the state’s long history as a producer of naval stores – tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine – all of which were derived from North Carolina’s expansive pine forests. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S., and the state itself boasts 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in size.

The state motto of North Carolina is “Esse Quam Videri” meaning “To be rather than to seem.”

About CareAvailability

CareAvailability is a website dedicated to helping seniors, their families, and healthcare professional find care in real time. Specific questions can be directed to the CareAvailability Team’s contact page or connect with them on Facebook.

Memories in the Making Art Auction & Gala 2022

The Annual Memories in the Making Art Auction and Gala was back in person for 2022 and it was amazing! Together attendees raised over $228,000 and enjoyed a phenomenal evening at The Hilton Downtown Portland. The fantastic success of this beloved event reflects the ever-increasing dedication and enthusiasm of donors, volunteers, and families.  Thank you for supporting the Oregon and Southwest Washington Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association by donating to this great cause.

Memories in the Making is a unique fine-arts program for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.  The program’s creative process provides a safe and validating environment for artistic expression, resulting in a creative and nonverbal way to communicate and capture precious moments through art.

COVID definitely changed so much of what we do and we know that during this time we had to completely halt this program.  We are now focused on regrowth of this great program and we invite interested facilitators to an upcoming training to get the program up and running in your community:

Thursday, June 16, 2022, 11 am to 12:30 pm (Register Here)

Thursday, July 21, 2022, 1 pm to 2:30 pm (Register Here)

Mark your calendars for the 2023 Memories in the Making Art Auction for March 10, 2023 again at The Hilton.

Happy Pride Month!

The month of June is celebrated as LGBTQ Pride Month to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, an event that became essential to the Gay Liberation Movement in the U.S. Initially, the last Sunday in June was celebrated as “Gay Pride Day”, but the one day quickly grew into a month-long series of celebrations including parades, festivals, concerts, workshops, and other events that attract millions from around the world. The purpose of these events are to honor the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals have had on history.

Other notable celebrations in the month of June include…

• Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month – June 21st is known as The Longest Day, as the day with the most light people from across the world will come together to fight the darkness known as Alzheimer’s disease through various fundraising activities.
• Juneteenth – Celebrated on June 19th, Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. Juneteenth celebrates African-American freedom, education, and achievement.
• National Student Safety Month
• Professional Wellness Month

“June is named after the Greek goddess Juno, a goddess of marriage, childbirth, and fertility.”

Learn more about the history of previous months here.

CareAvailability expands into Arizona to help families navigate senior care options

CareAvailability is proud to announce its expansion into Arizona. CareAvailability remains a NEW industry standard as the first and only website that delivers real-time reporting of availability for senior care to the minute. The site first launched in Oregon during the COVID pandemic as an effort to help hospitals find care for patients needing to transition out of beds. Washington was added soon after the site went live, followed by California, Florida, and now Arizona. Unlike other sites, this online resource lists every provider for free, and each can update their current availability at no cost; this significantly increases Family and Patient Freedom of Choice like never before. Until now, there has not been a site that delivers a comprehensive list for families to search without having to give any personal details.

Senior advocates and health professionals rely on CareAvailability to put together comprehensive lists of care options, as well as allowing people to self-navigate searching for care providers. Instead of care providers needing to update multiple paid sites, CareAvailability is an easy one-stop resource, as they do not charge hospitals, physicians, health clinics, social workers or any health team for their services. Medicare Ratings are also included to support Patient Freedom of Choice.

CareAvailability continues to alleviate the search for senior care in an already trying time. Options can be overwhelming, especially when families don’t know where to start. The team at CareAvailability has taken extra steps to provide educational articles to help families better navigate the maze of Long Term Care and aging, by providing links to state agencies, as well as explaining local terminology and regulations.

“There are tons of website that offer senior care and housing listings, but CareAvailability.com is the only one that lists every agency at no cost to the providers to be included, and does not require families to share their personal information to view the search results,” CareAvailability’s CEO, Amy Schmidt, says. Ms. Schmidt further explains, “It is truly the first comprehensive resource site.”

Care Availability’s expansion to Arizona means an additional 2,758 providers are now listed in Care Availability’s database of resources, which includes more than 2,050 assisted living communities, 200 home health agencies, 170 skilled nursing facilities, and 237 hospice agencies.

Fun Facts about Arizona

Arizona, nicknamed The Grand Canyon State, is a popular destination for hikers and nature lovers, boasting more than 30 state parks and natural areas. Arizona is of course home to The Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven wonders of the world and the only one located inside the U.S.

In 1912, Arizona became the 48th state admitted to the Union. Arizona is derived from the Aztec Indian word “arizuma” meaning “silver bearing”.

About Care Availability

Care Availability is a website dedicated to helping seniors, their families, and healthcare professional
find care in real time. Specific questions can be directed to the Care Availability Team’s contact page or
connect with them on Facebook.

Alzheimer’s Impact Movement: The Fight to End Alzheimer’s

This past week, from May 16th-18th, the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum was held in Washington D.C. CareAvailability’s very own Amy Schmidt was able to be there to represent and show support for the nations premier Alzheimer’s advocacy event. Advocates and Volunteers are hard at work meeting with members of Congress to build on the progress made in Alzheimer’s and other dementia research.

This year, volunteers from Oregon had 6 “asks” for our Government representatives to support.

1. NAPA Reauthorization Act: Congress passed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) in 2011. NAPA created a national plan to address Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The goals of the plan are to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimers and other dementias by 2025, enhance quality of care, expand support for impacted individuals and families, and promote health aging and reduce risk factors. The NAPA Reauthorization Act would extend the authorization of NAPA to 2035 and adds requirements to address health disparities among underrepresented populations.
2. Alzheimer’s Accountability Act of 2022: Congress passed the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act (AAA) in 2014. The Act requires the NIH to submit an annual Alzheimer’s budget directly to Congress and the President that specifies what resources the NIH needs to reach the goal of effectively treating and preventing Alzheimer’s and other dementias by 2025. The Alzheimer’s Accountability Act of 2022 would make permanent the requirement that NIH scientists tell Congress what resources they need each year.
3. Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act: The Comprehensive Care for Alzheimers Act would directly effect those caring for an individual with Alzheimers/dementia by asking the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a better payment structure for dementia care management. The model is designed to reach as many Medicare beneficiaries as possible, especially rural, medically underserved and diverse communities.
4. Equity in Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Act: Research has found that Alzheimer’s and other dementia disproportionately affect older Black and Hispanic Americans, yet many of the clinical trials have not included sufficient numbers of Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native Americans to accurately represent the U.S. population. This restricts our knowledge of how an approved therapy or diagnostic may affect the populations most likely to need the treatment. The ENACT Act would expand access and outreach to underrepresented populations, increase the diversity of clinical trial staff, and reduce the burden associated with participating in clinical trials.
5. NIH Funding: Alzheimer’s is one of the most expensive diseases in America, costing more than heart disease and cancer. This year, caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the U.S. an estimated $321 billion, and two-thirds of this cost will be covered by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In order to avoid these costs, more funding is needed for the researchers and scientists who work hard every day to identify new treatments and a cure for this disease.
6. BOLD Act Funding: The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act establishes a public health infrastructure to address dementia. The law provides grants to local, state, and tribal public health departments to carry out various activities addressing Alzheimer’s and other dementia on the state level. The Northwest Portland area Indian Health Board received a BOLD grant and is establishing the first ever public health guide focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementia care for the Native American community.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that effects more than 6 million Americans. Read more about Alzheimer’s Disease and the Early Warning Signs, and join us in the fight to #ENDALZ

May 2022: Age My Way

For the month of May, we are celebrating Older Americans Month. Designated by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), this year’s theme is “Age My Way”. This is an opportunity for all of us to delve into the different options older adults have to remain in and be a part of their communities. When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few programs to meet their needs. Interest in older Americans and their concerns was growing. A meeting in April 1963 between President John F. Kennedy and members of the National Council of Senior Citizens led to designating May as ‘Senior Citizens Month,’ the prelude to ‘Older Americans Month.’ There are many options for those wanting to age in place and remain independent as long as possible. Search CareAvailability.com for home care options near you!

Other notable observances recognized in May are…

• Mental Health Awareness Month
• Jewish American Heritage Month
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Military Appreciation Month

Hello Florida! CareAvailability expands provider database.

CareAvailability remains a NEW industry standard as the first and only website that delivers real-time reporting of availability for senior care to the minute. The site first launched in Oregon during the COVID pandemic as an effort to help hospitals find care for patients needing to transition out of beds. Washington was added soon after the site went live, followed by California, Texas, and now Florida.

Unlike other sites, this online resource lists every provider for free, and each can update their current availability at no cost; this significantly increases Family and Patient Freedom of Choice like never before. Until now, there has not been a site that delivers a comprehensive list for families to search without having to give any personal details. Senior advocates and health professionals rely on Care Availability to put together comprehensive lists of care options, as well as allowing people to self-navigate searching for care providers. Instead of care providers needing to update multiple paid sites, Care Availability is an easy one-stop resource, as they do not charge hospitals, physicians, health clinics, social workers or any health team for their services. Medicare Ratings are also included to support Patient Freedom of Choice.

CareAvailability continues to alleviate the search for senior care in an already trying time. Options can
be overwhelming, especially when families don’t know where to start. In Florida, there are 4,500 new providers now listed in our database of resources. This includes more than: 2,417 assisted living communities, 1,477 home care providers, and 641 skilled nursing facilities. To assist in the terminology for specific states’ levels of care, the team at CareAvailability has taken extra steps to provide educational articles to help families better navigate the maze of Long Term Care and aging, by providing links to state agencies, as well as explaining local terminology and regulations.

“There are tons of website that offer senior care and housing listings, but CareAvailability.com is the only one that lists every agency at no cost to the providers to be included, and does not require families to share their personal information to view the search results. CareAvailability’s CEO, Amy Schmidt, says. Ms. Schmidt further explains, “It is truly the first comprehensive resource site.”

CareAvailability’s expansion to Florida means an additional 4,500 providers are now listed in CareAvailability’s database of resources, which includes more than 2,417 assisted living communities, 1,477 home care providers, and 641 skilled nursing facilities.

Fun Facts about Florida

Florida is nicknamed The Sunshine State, as its beaches draw thousands of tourists every year due to the humid subtropical climate. Florida has the longest coastline, over 1,197 miles! It is the southernmost state in the continental U.S.

The state motto of Florida is “In God We Trust.”

About Care Availability

Care Availability is a website dedicated to helping seniors, their families, and healthcare professional find care in real time. Specific questions can be directed to the Care Availability Team’s contact page or connect with them on Facebook.