In the U.S. there are approximately 62 million unpaid Family Caregivers. In a recent AARP report, if it wasn’t for these unpaid family caregivers, this country would be in even more dire straits. These family caregivers increasingly, middle-aged offspring taking care of their elderly parents – provided $450 billion worth of unpaid home care in 2009, states AARP. That’s more than the total Medicaid spending that year or more than Wal-Mart Inc.’s total sales in 2009. It’s also 20 percent higher than unpaid home care totals for two years earlier. “If the family caregiver were no longer available, we’d see…
Your aging parents live in a different city or state, who will be your eyes and ears? Who will educate you and them about the elder care maze of Medicaid, Medicare, Long Term Care Insurance, Home Care v. Assisted Living v. Nursing Home, etc? You may talk to health care professionals, doctors, social workers, and friends. However, everyone seems to have a differing view about what is best for your aging parents; maybe these opinions conflict or have a different agenda. The physician desires to see your parents at home. Consequently, he does not lose a patient and revenue. An…
Do you have the time, inclination, or the ability to manage the affairs of your aging parents? Are the issues that your aging parents are facing becoming bigger and more complicated than you can comfortably manage? Are the other demands and responsibilities of family, work and day to day life, so abundant that you are not able to provide the desired level of control, supervision, and attention to your aging parent’s issues and crises? If you are not sure, please call our office for a consultation, or visit our website, so we can help you decide if our office may…
This New York Times article discusses challenging the Assisted Living ballooning monthly bills. The article states the most frequent cost increase is when a resident moves to the next level of care i.e. increased supervision with medications or diabetic injections, bathing or dressing help, incontinence issues, etc. However, the costs can soar due to arbitrary decision-making from the Assisted Living Facility’s internal policies. These increases are subjective and weighted in favor of the Assisted Living Facility. By utilizing Senior Life Care Planning we can help advocate against these increases. Therefore, keep mom or dad in a safe environment at a…
No real breakthrough has been reached yet but, as The New York Times reports, science is ready to rewrite the books on Alzheimer’s disease in a way that may usher in earlier detection and with it the possibility of earlier, more effective treatment. The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association have come together to issue a new definition and medical guidelines for Alzheimer’s, the first serious reworking of the definition in 27 years. The full onset of dementia, what we classically define as the hallmark of the disease, is now thought of as the final of three progressive…
A past New York Times article on how care coordinators can help adult children face a challenge which often seems overwhelming, both emotionally and mentally, and is always stressful: the job of caring for an elderly parent. The Times article described the caring challenge as follows: There are diagnoses to decipher, housing issues to consider, health aides to vet and a raft of legal documents to complete. It can seem overwhelming, even when families are in complete agreement on how to care for an elderly relative. And often they are not. But a care coordinator can buy you time and…
Senior Life Care Planning’s Elder Care Coordinators are specialists who help family members find the right sources and services for their aging parents. Additionally, they provide care coordination and advocacy, be it home care, assisted living or nursing home facilities. We help family member’s cope with their burden. Let’s look at a hypothetical example to see how valuable Senior Life Care Planning’s care coordinators can be. Wife is providing extensive care for her housebound husband. Wife has difficulty getting her husband out of bed, bathed and dressed. Additionally, Wife relies on her son who lives nearby to help her manage…
This phase begins at age 70 and lasts as long as you are able-bodied and high-functioning. Despite your good health, it is helpful to begin looking at what steps you would like your family to take should your condition decline significantly. In most cases your ability to make all your own decisions, care for yourself, engage with the world on your terms, and manage your affairs does not vanish in a split second. The loss of abilities is the natural consequence of the aging process and often happens gradually. At the same time, it is our nature as human beings…
At Senior Life Care Planning we receive telephone calls from the children of aging parents stating that their parents need and must move to an assisted living facility; what is the best assisted living facility in the area and how much does it cost? However, before the parents are “shipped off” to the facility, what are your parent’s needs and requirements; is it time for your parents to move; can they stay at home, with or without care; and are they willing to move? What is really behind the call? Caregiver burnout, frustration, communication issues or not knowing where else…
Most assisted living residents pay from their own funds, some with long term care insurance, and some veteran’s benefits or with help from family. Annual cost increases typically come in two forms: increases to cover rising expenses, or an upgrade to the next tier of care i.e. additional help with bathing, eating, medication management or dressing. A MetLife Mature Market Institute study reported that assisted-living costs climbed 5.2 percent from 2009 to 2010, to a national monthly average of $3,293, outpacing both inflation and the interest earned on savings and bonds. Also, with Social Security not increasing in 2011, this…
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