Growing numbers of aging parents are compensating their caregiving family members. However, it is important to disclose such caregiving agreements to the entire family, to avoid potential disgruntled and unhappy siblings, and the threat of a lawsuit. According to a report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 43.5 million Americans looked after a friend or relative age 50 or older in 2009, 28% more than in 2004. "Obviously with the economy, we have seen many seniors retain their adult children rather than pay a home care agency or another person for their care,” states David Wingate of Senior…
Home health agencies, hospitals and consumer groups are complaining that a new rule intended to curb unnecessary Medicare spending will make it harder for senior citizens to get home care services. Under the requirement, which is to take effect Friday, Medicare beneficiaries will have to see doctors 90 days before or 30 days after starting home health services in order for the home health agencies to be reimbursed. Those face-to-face visits may be a burden for some home-bound frail seniors, as well as those who live in rural areas, the industry says. Under current law, doctors must prescribe home health…
Caregiving can make you sick In an article by SmartMoney.com states that caregivers of all ages have a heightened risk for chronic health problems. Among working women 50 and older, 20% of caregivers report just fair or poor health — more than double the number of non-caregivers, the MetLife/NAC study found. And nearly 26% of adult men under the age of 39 say the same, more than three times the rate of non-caregivers in that group. Among the most common chronic health conditions reported at higher rates: diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Those — and other related illnesses — can…
The demand for informal caregivers–family members, friends or neighbors–is expected to increase by more than 20% in the next 15 years–and by 85% in the next 40 years–as baby boomers age, from the Dept. Health and Human Services, states SmartMoney.com. Nearly 62 million Americans already care for another adult at least part-time, an expensive and time-consuming undertaking. Caregivers who hire paid help spend an average of 24 hours each week on actual care, according to a 2007 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare. And the 56% of caretakers who live in spend more than $4,500 per year…
Purchase a whole life insurance, with a rider to the policy which pays for long-term care ( home care or care in an assisted living or nursing home). If you do not utilize the long term care benefit, your beneficiary will receive the policy’s face amount. Example. You apply for a $500,000 whole-life insurance policy, with a rider for long-term care that will pay you 2% of the face amount each month if you need long-term care services. Therefore, you will receive up to $10,000 monthly ($500,000 x 2%) to pay for home-care, assisted living, or nursing home services. Consequently, if…
In a study in the journal Health Affairs, that expansion of home-based care can save states money over the long run. The paper looked at Medicaid data from 1995 to 2005. States incurred extra cost when they spent to create new social service programs to care for people at home, but that expense, over time, paid for itself because it was cheaper to care for people at home. Policymakers often cite the "woodwork effect" as a reason to worry about expanding home-based care. This is the argument that if states provided people what they want — home-based care — then…
In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. said that the unnecessary institutionalization of people with disabilities is a form of discrimination. State Medicaid programs are required to provide alternatives so that the elderly and disabled can choose to get their care at home, instead of in state institutions or nursing homes. But the Supreme Court said there were limits. A doctor, representing the state, has to determine that the person is capable of living at home. The person has to want to get that care at home. And a state when considering its responsibility to move…
Whether you are caring for your loved one in the home, scrambling to make arrangements for nursing home care or trying to make sure nothing goes wrong in the nursing home, you know how difficult, time-consuming and isolating caregiving can be. Imagine what life would be like if you had a team of advisors helping you get the right care, preserve family resources and make difficult decisions. That’s what life is like when you have a Life Care Plan. A Life Care Plan helps you respond to every challenge created by the long-term illness or disability of your elderly loved…
The RAND Corporation study finds expanding home-based health tools could give patients a greater ability to self-manage their conditions in partnership with their medical providers, and help improve their health and overall well-being. However, moving care to patients' homes would be a major shift in the structure of health care and can be accomplished only if consensus is reached between patients, health care providers, insurance companies and policymakers, according to the report. "The aging of the world's population and fact that more diseases are treatable will create serious financial and manpower challenges for the world's health care systems," said Dr….
Every year, one in three Americans aged 65+ falls — and that risk rises with age. Falls can lead to injury, hospitalization, loss of independence, and even death. Falls are costly — to quality of life and to our health care system. Each year, we spend $19 billion on medical care related to falls. And that's not counting family caregiving, home care, loss of productivity, and remodeling to make a senior's home safer. This Fall Prevention Course was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Education and Training Administration. Download: Introduction Cover, Table of Contents, Introduction (pdf 180 KB) Session…
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