Mark Beilein, a community marketing liaison with Glacier Hills, joined us on the show this past weekend. Glacier Hills is a nonprofit senior living community in northeast Ann Arbor. Mark's focus is the Care and Rehabilitation Center, which provides short-term rehabilitation, as well as long-term care and memory care services.

We talked about the brand new rehab center that is currently under construction and set to open in September or October 2012. This should be a terrific addition to the campus, with 88 rooms and a therapy pool.

Mark is very involved with patients in the rehab center, including their family and friends. He initially meets many of them at the local hospitals, helping to educate on the services at Glacier Hills. He interacts with hospital social workers, since everyone wants the patient to have a smooth transition — first a successful rehab at a qualified center, and then a safe and comfortable return home.

We discussed a typical stay at the rehab center. The first couple days may be quite busy with evaluations, and the start of therapy treatments. As things settle down, the physical and occupational therapy is usually a total of two to two and a half hours per day.

Mark encourages families to learn about rehab centers they may be considering. Find out how many therapists are on staff, what's their experience level, and take a tour and visit the therapy gym.

To listen to our 13-minute discussion, click the audio link:

To get in touch with Mark or Glacier Hills, call 734-929-6904, or visit their website glacierhills.org.

We switched gears and got a bit political in the second half of our show. Terry Cochran, an attorney with Cochran, Foley and Associates joined us to talk about the proposed changes to Michigan's auto no-fault insurance.

Terry did a great job explaining where we are today with no-fault and the benefits of the current structure. Since 1973, Michigan has had one of the most progressive no-fault laws. We have guarantees for accident victims that medical bills and full care will be covered for life.

The proposed changes will limit access to medical care providers and limit the amount of money available for auto accident victims. The lowest coverage is $500,000. In the case of a catastrophic injury, that amount will be spent within the first six weeks.

Once the insurance proceeds run out, then the family has to pay, or potentially Medicare and Medicaid. The reality is that ultimately, the public will pay in some way. As Terry says, we as a society will not just let the individual wither away out on the street.

The elderly are particularly vulnerable. Seniors do not want to be a burden to their families, and it's pretty clear that Medicare just won't have funds to cover these expenses.

The insurance companies say the changes will allow for lower insurance premiums, but they make no commitments. Proponents of the proposed changes have a legitimate claim that medical and care expenses need more controls. Terry is supportive of increased oversight of medical services. Better reviews by the medical community of services and goods is appropriate and needed.

To listen to this 13-minute talk, click the audio link:

To contact Terry or Cochran, Foley and Associates, call 866-868-3779, or visit their website cochranfoley.com.

Alan Caldwell and Sheila Doeden co-host Everything Elderly every Saturday morning at 8:30 on 1290 WLBY. In their day jobs, Alan and Sheila co-own and co-manage Senior Helpers, providing in-home care services, primarily to the elderly. Both can be contacted at homecareexcellence@seniorhelpers.com, or at 734-927-3111.