Q. My 65th birthday is just around the corner. I retired from a job that I loved last summer and I think that I am ready for what lies ahead. The problem is, I am not sure if I can afford it — future long-term care costs in particular are making me very nervous, because […]

When Matt was a baby, his parents became concerned early that he never looked anyone in the eye, didn’t respond to sound, and missed several developmental milestones, such as pointing and waving. He was their first child and the possibility of autism was the farthest thing from their mind. To them, he was just a […]

The Older Americans Act (OAA), enacted in 1965, was designed to provide services and funding in every state to support the dignity and welfare of seniors age 60 or older. These services focus on improving the lives of older people in areas of income, housing, health, employment, retirement and community services. The OAA is required […]

Marlene, 81, and Charlotte, 77, have been together for 43 years.  If one or both of them needs long-term care in the future, their first choice would be getting private in-home care by Marlene’s sister, Vera, but they realize that a skilled nursing facility or assisted living center is always a possibility. Marlene and Charlotte […]

Q. Recently, my family had a reunion. Since I have six brothers and sisters, it was a huge event that included many relatives that I hadn’t seen in years. At dinner, my distant cousin Marty who is a few years older than me and whose wife Danielle recently had a stroke at the young age […]

Edith is bilingual and speaks English and Spanish fluently. This has been helpful throughout her life, in her career, and in her travels. She was recently diagnosed with early onset dementia.What she didn’t know until now is that speaking two or more languages is helping delay the damage of the dementia, a new study suggests. In a recent study in the journal Neurology, researchers found that […]

There are as many as 90 million family caregivers in the U.S. today, and their contribution is thought to be equivalent to $450 billion in caregiving services every year.  This number is steadily increasing, as more Americans are caring for a loved one with a chronic condition, disability, special need, or the frailties of old […]

Greta was very close with her in-laws, and often referred to them as “the parents she never really had.” When her father-in-law, Chuck, started to show signs of dementia, she stepped in immediately to help. For as long as Greta could remember, Chuck and the other members of the family were completely averse to having […]

According to a recent report by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), changes in the Long-Term Care (LTC) insurance market, including higher-than-expected benefits and lower than anticipated returns on investments, have caused many major carriers to exit the market. Why […]

Q. My son, Eric, recently got married to Jennifer, and my mother, Olivia, would like to give them a gift of $10,000 for their nest egg. She also has a history of giving small monthly gifts to the animal shelter. If my mother requires nursing home care next year (which we think is possible), would […]

November is Long-Term Care Awareness Month, a time for families to educate themselves and prepare for potential long-term care needs. Planning ahead for long-term care better prepares families to live well in their later years. Below are some facts about the senior population and the growing need for long-term care in the United States that […]

Ruth and Earl Linderkamp, parents of Dawn Herrmann and Elden, Louis, Carl, Gene, and Dennis Linderkamp, resided in Four Seasons Healthcare, a nursing home in Forman, ND from 2006 until they died in 2009 and 2010, respectively. In August 2006, two months before the parents entered the nursing home, they signed a contract selling the […]

Q. My mother, Rose, is a Medicaid recipient who has been in a nursing home for the past eight months due to Alzheimer’s. My father, William, has been living in the home where he and my mother lived for over 25 years in Fredericksburg, Virginia. They bought the house together when they moved from Stafford, […]

When it comes to retirement, many Americans expect that they will never be able to afford to retire fully. In fact, a new Wells Fargo study cited in USA today found that 37% of people expect to work until they are too sick or die, despite the world economy returning to health. The annual Wells […]

Mary, who is 65, listens to classical music every day and does Sudoku and crossword puzzles. She is familiar with these things and hopes they will help to keep her mind sharp as she gets older. While these activities are certainly enjoyable for Mary, a new study found that continuous and prolonged mental challenge rather […]