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| Elder Care Information |
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Prepare to Make Long-term Care Choices
Several months ago, I was coming out of a gas station when a woman stopped me and asked me what I did for a living. On the back of our van is our web address. On the side wing windows is "Free Senior Home Placement." I explained to her that I am a Long Term Care Consultant. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Great I need you!" She went on to explain that her mother had fallen and was in the hospital. Her hip had been broken, and she was going to be discharged from the hospital in two days. She was going to require 24-hour care. To complicate matters her mother had been caring for her father who was unable to walk, or feed himself. Suddenly they found themselves in the middle of a crisis. Families never expect to be in a situation like this. But situations like this happen all of the time. Here is a list of things families should do to be prepared for a crisis. While your parents are still mentally cognizant discuss with them the kind of long-term options they would prefer. Discuss, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family homes, boarding homes, or in-home care. Prepare a notebook that includes documentation, such as physicians phone numbers, attorney's phone numbers, bank account information, ministers phone number, power of attorney documents, and their living will. Educate yourself on the kinds of facilities that are available in your area, or where your parents live. Contact your local department of social and health services, find out what resources that they have available if you should need financial support. Fill out the paperwork ahead of time, leaving the date and other time sensitive information blank. Discuss some of these issues with your siblings before hand, so you do not have to deal with family dynamics in a crisis. Visit facilities and discuss prices so you know what your parents are able to afford. (Note that when the time comes circumstances may be that they cannot live in the kind of facility that they would prefer, especially if they require heavier care than they had anticipated.) Being unprepared when a crisis hits will leave you scrambling. If you have done a portion of the legwork before hand you can face the crisis before you with a measure of confidence. ~Dutchy Renee "Dutchy" Reeves is an Elder Care Consultant with over 10 years of working with the elderly and their families. Her online advice column, "Ask Dutchy" provides practical ideas and advice for assisting the elderly with Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Parkinson's, disability, and those needing long term care. See other articles by her at http://www.askdutchy.mycarelink.net
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Alternative Medicine New Hope for Alzheimers Treatment There is now widespread agreement among research scientists and medical professionals that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a problem quickly growing to vast proportions. As the life expectancy of Americans continues to rise, increasing the percentage of the population over 65 years of age, so does the number of Alzheimer's cases. Who Wants to End Up in a Nursing Home? NO ONE! As a long-term care consultant for seniors and their families I have visited many different types of facilities. But my favorite type of facility to visit is adult family homes. Helping Caregivers Get Comfortable Asking For Help Becoming a care giver might not have been a conscious decision on your part. It may have arrived quietly and unnoticed because you are the adult child of your elderly parents who now require care or you may have a special needs child that exacts your constant attention or a friend or spouse has become very ill and needs your support. In any of these situations the impact of providing constant care is tremendous. Senior Care for Alzheimer's As a person ages, a certain amount of memory loss and confusion is quite normal. Personally, I've been known to invoke the cliché, "The older I get, the better I was!" Unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease represents a more serious loss of mental sharpness and calls for special care for seniors. Introducing the Best Available Long Term Care Policy Guarantee If you are 60 to 70 years old ... or have a family member who is ... then what you are about to discover could help prevent the complete erosion of your estate. The Best Investment You Can Make Right Now: Long Term Care Insurance Don't think you need it? Consider this: a full 50% of Americans over the age of 50 will need long term care at some point in their lives. The average cost of nursing facility care (or home health care assistance) is $61,000 per year, and the average stay in a long term care facility is 2½ years. Can you think of a faster way to decimate your nest egg? When the Box is Empty The King had a modest kingdom. He was Danish. This meant he was proud, tall, athletic and he enjoyed a quick wit. He was married to a princess from Great Britain at a very young age. They were both really just children when they began their own family. Assisted Living Facilities What Are They? Assisted Living facilities are generally for person's 60 years of age and older. Typical candidates need assistance with "Activities of Daily Living" (ADLs), but wish to live as independently as possible. Assisted Living communities exist to bridge the gap between seniors that can live independently and skilled nursing homes. Senior Living: 5 Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Falling Every year we hear stories of seniors falling, ending up in hospitals and never fully recovering. Unfortunately, these falls often result in death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injury related deaths for seniors age 65 and older. Every year, approximately 35% to 40% of seniors over 65 years of age fall at least one time. The following are five ways to help reduce the risk of you or a loved one from falling: Hinged Rail Stair Lifts If a door at the top or the bottom of the stairs may be blocked by the rail of the stairlift, there are a number of models designed to overcome this problem. Some manufacturers are able to produce a rail with reduced overhang upstairs, so the lift will not protrude as far into the hallway. This may solve the problem at the top of your stairs and is a very cost effective solution. Whos Gonna Take Care of You When Youre Old? I finally went to the doctor this morning for my bad cold. My appointment was for 9:30 am and yet I did not get home until after 1:00 pm. Compare Nursing Homes Finding the best nursing home is easier than you might think. That is assuming there is more than one nursing home in your area so that you have something to compare. The sad part is that the best nursing home is just the one that meets your expectations better than its competitors. That doesn't mean it is a good nursing home, it might even mean that it just isn't the worst. Arizona Assisted Living Homes -- The Alternative to High Priced Senior Care The cost of skilled nursing care is slowly rising. Currently, the average cost of care in Arizona ranges from $3,500 to $4,500 per month. Skilled nursing facilities are great for seniors who require skilled nursing care by medical professionals such as registered nurses or physicians. However, is skilled nursing care appropriate for those who only require assistance with their activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing and going to the bathroom? Is it realistic for someone to pay $3,000 to $6,000 a month for skilled nursing care when their only requirement is assistance with their ADLs? Believe it or not, there are many seniors who do not require skilled nursing care and remain in nursing homes due to their lack of knowledge of the options available to them. There are affordable alternatives to nursing home care. When a senior requires long term care without 24 hour medical supervision, the preferred alternative is Assisted Living Homes. Assisted Living: Tips on How to Choose a Facility It is easy to be fooled by fancy drapery or expensive furniture that may decorate a care facility. Even though a facility looks high class doesn't always mean the care provided is first class. The following are just a few simple guidelines to follow when selecting either a nursing home or an assisted living facility: Arizona Assisted Living: Resident Rights According to the Arizona Administrative Code (R9-10-710), those who reside in assisted living facilities in Arizona have certain rights. In addition to having the right to live in an environment that promotes dignity, independence, self-determination, individuality, privacy and the right of choice, the following are a few of the rights given to residents who reside in assisted living facilities: As the Baby Boomers Age Many employees today are calling in sick - not to care for themselves or their children, but to care for their aging parents. Baby boomers are rapidly moving into the role of caregivers for their parents, but with a few extra challenges due to the changing face of our workforce. Nearly 25% of U.S. households are now involved in caring for a senior family member, spending an average of 20 hours a week in caregiving services. Nearly 65% of those individuals providing the caregiving are employed outside of the home. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, approximately 15 million days of work per year are lost due to these circumstances. These numbers are forecasted to increase since the longevity of life is being extended by modern medicine. Just Give Them a Lot of Love and You?ll be Fine It was right about this time, 19 years ago. My wife and I were sitting in the very last Lamaze birthing class, soon to be brand new parents. I felt a wave of anxiety come over me. I had to ask the question. I raised my hand. The Nurse, her name was Dorinda, pointed at me and said, "Yes, you have a question." Did I have a question? I just knew EVERY Dad was wondering the same thing? "You have given us some great information, almost too much. I am afraid I am going to forget all this stuff?then what?" I could feel the other Dad's nodding. She smiled; she was very wise and patient. She had taught thousands of new Dads. "That's a great question," pausing for effect, she continued, "That little baby doesn't know you don't know. Just give him a lot of love, you will be fine." It turned out to be the best parenting advice I ever received. Advocate For Senior Citizens Protecting Against Abuse and Fraud Ruth is 87 years old this year and has been living alone since 1997. She is in good health, however the daily chores around the home became increasingly difficult. Ruth turned to her church bulletin and found a 'Home Care Company' advertised. Scaling Down (almost) Painlessly Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for family members. However, by planning ahead you can reduce the discomfort involved and turn what might well become a nightmare into a pleasant event. Baby Boomers: Will They Be Able to Afford Their Parents? Do you worry about whether your aging parents have their "affairs in order?" You should. After all, you are the one who will have to pay unnecessary taxes and endure time-consuming court procedures if your parents don't have an effective estate plan. Without some forethought on their part and your part, you could be facing a lot of wasted time and money in addition to a lot of frustration. All of the waste and frustration can easily be avoided.
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