Renovations that make Bathrooms Safer for Senior Citizens

Many senior citizens prefer to remain in their homes as they age. However, the homes may require renovations to improve accessibility and make them safer. Bathrooms pose a high risk since seniors become prone to falling. Therefore, the following are some renovation ideas with senior safety in mind.

Bathroom floors and surfaces can become slippery. Thus, reinstall floors using non-slip materials, such as cementitious boards, epoxy, ceramics, and rubberized floors, ideal for bathrooms. If individuals use rugs, ensure they consist of rubberized feet to increase friction with the floor to avoid slips. In addition, re-paint the room with contrasting colors, including the walls, floors, and sanitary ware, to prevent confusion, especially for seniors with reduced vision.

Next, install shower and bathtub grabs or shower seats to boost comfort and improve accessibility. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) recommends using compliant toilet seats with raised and fitted seats with grab bars to make sitting and standing off the toilet easier.

Install bathroom doors that quickly open to 30 inches wide using lever knobs as opposed to twist handles or install sliding doors. In some instances, the removal of door locks makes it easier to access bathrooms in the event of an emergency. Finally, lower the risk of accidental burns by adjusting water heater settings to a maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit in line with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

LifeSTEP Named Among the Recipients of the DHCS Award

LifeSTEPS believes that community development is achieved ‘One STEP at a time.’ An acronym for Skills Training and Educational Programs, individuals obtain skills, resources, and support.

In early 2023, LifeSTEPS received a grant award of $1,869,064 from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). The funds are part of CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal), a statewide initiative aimed at helping local organizations boost their infrastructure and capacity in Medi-Cal’s delivery system. The grant will assist in expanding and establishing Medi-Cal Enhanced Care Management and Community Support Services in Los Angeles County.

California aims to transform and strengthen Medi-Cal, which ensures Californians access coordinated, person-centered, and equitable low-cost medical services. DCHS awarded the grant to 98 local organizations, including LifeSTEPS, which shall utilize the funds to improve its Enhanced Care Management (ECM). The organization will also enhance the capacity and infrastructure of existing community support programs. LifeSTEPS will coordinate with contractors, such as L.A. Care, to ensure the provision of ECM and Community Support Services (CM) across Los Angeles County.

Operation Smile Recognizes Its Nurses during National Nurses Month

Gil Seton, a Los Angeles, California businessman, has a career in financial services spanning 19 years. In addition to his role as manager for SP Investment Fund, LLC, Gil Seton also contributes to a number of charities including Operation Smile, an outfit that performs surgeries on children with cleft palates.

In May 2022, Operation Smile’s devoted nurses received recognition for their hard work and dedication to helping children before, during, and after they have surgery to repair cleft palates. This condition occurs during pregnancy and results in the child having a gap in the mouth that sometimes also includes a hole in the roof of the mouth or sometimes the child just has a split lip.

If left untreated, the condition has serious health impacts on the child. In addition to having difficulty eating which can lead to malnutrition, children can end up with a hearing deficit that results from ear infections. Furthermore, the child can suffer from dental and jaw issues which impact speech and language development. Socially, children might also suffer from bullying and isolation.

For all of the above reasons, the work the nurses perform while the children are in the care of Operation Smile is very important. The nurses comprise 70 percent of the organization’s medical staff, and the charity relies on nurses who volunteer to care for these children from around the globe. Outside of caring for the children, these nurses prepare the operating rooms for surgery and post-anesthesia recovery, and they make sure that the patients, local staff, and volunteers are safe.

HepaTx Receives DotCom Magazine 2022 Impact Company of the Year Award

As manager of SP Investment Fund LLC, Gil Seton oversees investments in affordable housing across the United States. Through the company, Gil Seton also oversees investments in innovative technology companies that are seeking to have a positive impact on humanity. So far he has invested in more than 40 emerging technology companies, including such companies as C16 Biosciences and HepaTx.

In February 2022, HepaTx received the 2022 Impact Company of the Year award from DotCom Magazine. DotCom Magazine is a premier news platform covering the visionary founders, CEOs, and leaders behind American enterprises. It’s Impact Company of the Year award recognizes private American companies at the forefront of driving positive impact through business. HepaTx received the honor for its positive contributions in healthcare, specifically regarding the treatment of people with liver disease.

HepaTx develops regenerative medicine for liver disease, which affects more than 30 million Americans. Of these, 200,000 develop end-stage liver failure annually and require liver transplants to survive. Unfortunately, only one in 33 actually receives a life-saving transplant.

HepaTx uses proprietary systems and technology licensed from Stanford to develop stem cell therapies for patients with end-stage liver disease. Its treatment process relies on converting adipose stromal cells from lipoaspirate into hepatocytes and injecting them into the liver to restore organ function.

Proper Care Extends Life Expectancy for CHD Patients

As Manager of Los Angeles California based SP Investment Fund LLC, Gil Seton has an extensive and diverse background in socially positive investments in affordable housing and emerging technology companies and a history of working with non profit organizations who also have a socially positive impact. Outside of his work with SP, Gil has donated to a number of charitable organizations including the Hearts with Hope Foundation.

Hearts with Hope provides ongoing medical care to children with congenital heart disorders (CHD) in disadvantaged regions. Access to medical care is essential to increasing the lifespan of individuals with CHD. This is due to additional health issues and complications that can arise from the disorder.

For example, youth with CHD may have difficulty absorbing nutrients and gaining weight. CHD also increases the likelihood of developing a disability, arrhythmia, or a heart infection. According to the CDC, improvements in CHD diagnosis and treatments have increased one-year survival rates for infants by nearly 20 percent. The majority of people with CHD will require lifelong care. As people with CHD live longer, protocols are being developed to manage co-occurring chronic illnesses or carry healthy pregnancies.

How Tax Credits Increase Affordable Housing Stock

Hands of agent and client shaking hands after signed contract buy new apartment. Free Photo

Gil Seton possesses more than three decades of experience in property acquisition and investment. As the manager for the SP Investment Fund, LLC, Gil Seton has overseen investment and development of over 100 affordable housing projects subsidized through various government incentive programs, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).

Since 1986, the LIHTC has enabled construction and residential development firms to access tax credits to build and rehabilitate affordable housing. To qualify for this program, developers must set aside at least 20 percent of units for individuals below specific income thresholds. However, many developers choose to offer a higher percentage of units below the market rate. If the project is located in an area with exceptional need, developers may qualify for additional state-level credits.

After the project is completed, developers can claim the credits over the following 10 years. The program is credited with expanding affordable housing by encouraging the private construction industry to create mixed-income buildings. Between 1995 and 2018, more than 100,000 affordably-priced units were created or remodeled every year.

What Is Trauma-Informed Medical Care?

Over his 30-year career in real estate development, Gil Seton has been involved in building, renovating and investing in affordable housing communities, starting first in California and eventually expanding to about 20 states. Gil Seton is also committed to several notable causes and has supported multiple organizations serving underprivileged persons, including the Women’s HIV Program of the University of California, San Francisco. The program has long advocated for the widespread adoption of trauma-informed practices in the healthcare system.

Individuals who have experienced a singular traumatic event or ongoing traumas require specialized support in the healthcare setting. In order to ensure the best outcomes for all patients, including improving treatment adherence and screening patients appropriately, many healthcare providers have adopted a trauma-informed approach. In the medical field, trauma-informed care refers to considering how trauma affects individuals and incorporating that information into various aspects of patient treatment protocols.

This approach reduces the likelihood that patients will be re-traumatized during interactions with clinicians and medical staff. In practice, trauma-informed medical care can be accomplished by focusing on building trust between patients and clinicians, encouraging family involvement and engagement, and screening patients for trauma-induced illnesses or injuries. Providers should also ensure that mental health workers trained in trauma-informed approaches are available to support physicians and patients.

LifeSTEPs Provides Skills to Maintain Independent Living

As manager of SP Investment Fund in LLC based in Los Angeles, Gil Seton has been intimately involved with over 100 investments in affordable housing communities. Gil Seton also supports charitable organizations, such as LifeSTEPs, that provide case management and/or social services to residents of affordable housing communities.

Established in 1996, LifeSTEPs empowers people by providing them the skills necessary to successfully manage life. Its RN Coaching and Thriving in Place programs, for instance, focus on assisting older adults with living independently for as long as possible in their own homes and communities.

The eviction prevention program assists those on the precipice with financial assistance. However, the family or individual also receives education to help them live independently.

The organization also provides extra support for people dealing with more acute issues. Through its supportive services program, those who were once homeless, those with a disability, seniors, and veterans get specialized help.

LifeSTEPs also provides information to families dealing with deportation. It helps create a Family Preparedness Plan in case a member is deported.

SP Investment Fund Renovates Multifamily Housing

SP Investment Fund LLC pic

Gil Seton’s business interests include SP Investment Fund, LLC, where he has served as the Manager for more than 15 years. One major investment concentration for Gil Seton’s firm is affordable multifamily residential real estate. The firm acquires and renovates properties geared toward the needs of seniors and families.

SP Investment Fund’s recent noteworthy renovations include two properties in Upstate New York – the John Guy Prindle Apartments in Ilion, and the Raymond Watkin Apartments in Saratoga Springs. Both apartment communities receive subsidy funds through the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program. SP Investment Fund directed more than $6 million into upgrades and renovations of the two properties, leveraging the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) FHA 223(f) loan program to facilitate the debt and collaborating with experts in affordable housing.

Renovations of the complexes included full renovations of the units, common areas, adding fitness facilities, sheltered parking lots, and solar energy panels. A full-time social worker is also available to work with residents on addressing a wide range of needs..

Introduction to HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program

Real estate investment professional Gil Seton serves as a manager of SP Investment, LLC and president of Showplace Development, Inc. Under Gil Seton’s leadership, these entities have invested in several government-subsidized affordable housing projects using all manner of government subsidy and/or loans, including the US Department of Urban and Housing Development’s (HUD) Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program.

In 1974, the US Congress enacted HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program to provide the loan guarantee for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Through the Section 108 program, communities and states can expand their CDBG programs by transforming a small portion of their CDBG funds into federally-guaranteed loans. The large amounts of funds derived from these loans allow communities and states to implement economic and physical projects that will revitalize their domains.

In the Section 108 loan mechanism, the HUD provides the guarantee between the local community or state borrower and the private lender. The private lender relies on the fully-backed credit of the federal government. Under the Section 108 program the local community or state borrower has a maximum of 20 years with which to repay the loan. The HUD is responsible for structuring the amortization based on the capacity of the borrower to pay and the needs of the lender.