Q. I am currently 82 years old, and I live by myself in the home I purchased 40 years ago in Northern Virginia. Most of the people I know have grandchildren and evengreat-grandchildren. Throughout my life, I put my career first, and I never got married or had any children. I don’t have much family, […]
Helpful Advice for Seniors Living Alone
Dear Angel, My father lives in our family home in Southwest Virginia, all by himself. My mother is deceased and I am an only child. He doesn’t have any family around and not too many friends. I visit him whenever I can, but it’s not often enough due to my work schedule. At this time, […]
Even Experts Need an Elder Law Attorney
Laura Katz Olson, 71, is an academic, who is quite knowledgeable about Medicare and Social Security. In fact, she taught health-care policy for decades at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. She considers herself an elder-care expert. But things got challenging even for her when her own mother’s health began to fail and she needed to plan […]
Caregiving: Where Clinton and Trump Stand
According to a recent AARP study, approximately 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older in the prior 12 months. Nearly half of these caregivers provide care to someone 75 years old or older (47%), and in most cases, the main reason their recipient needs care includes “old age” […]
Making Health Care Decisions for Someone Else
A lifelong family friend asked Jane if she would be her health care agent under an Advance Medical Directive (AMD) she was planning to sign. Jane didn’t know what to say or think, so she said, “Sure. I would be happy to.” But she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into. When someone […]
Massive Amount of Romance Scams Target Older Victims
Q. My brother is a disabled older adult living in a group home. He has no assets that he can access himself but does have significant assets in a special needs trust with me as the trustee. Recently, he has been asking me for money to send to his new “girlfriend” who he met online. […]
How Can Caregivers Help Protect Loved Ones Against Scams?
Dear Angel, I am a caregiver for my father, but not always around. I have a feeling he is being targeted by scammers. How can I know for sure? Also, do you have any tips for me on how I can help protect him against fraud and scams? Perry Tectingham —- Dear Perry, The growing […]
When Dementia Training Is Mandatory
Hiroyuki Yamamoto, 69, spends his mornings at a busy intersection in the city of Matsudo, near Tokyo, Japan, where he volunteers as a school crossing guard. One morning, he saw a disoriented woman crossing the street. He spoke to the woman, who was trying to get somewhere by foot that was four hours away by […]
Veteran Caregivers and Spouses: Benefit Clarification
Q. My 76-year old father, Larry, served during the Vietnam War, and suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). My mother, Anne, is his caregiver. They live on Social Security checks and his pension, and I help them out whenever I can. In my opinion, there have to be more benefits that […]
What Veterans Aid and Attendance Will and Won’t Cover
Dear Commander Bun Bun, My grandfather is a veteran who may be eligible for Veterans Aid and Attendance. What does it cover and what is not covered by it? Thanks for your help! Aidan Atendans —- Dear Aidan, The Aid and Attendance benefit helps veterans to offset the high cost of medical care and access […]
The Little-Known Pitfalls of Medicare Advantage Plans
Author Wendell Potter’s mother had a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, with premiums that increased significantly over the years. Despite the increasing premiums, she didn’t feel she had any real motivation to disenroll. This was until she broke her hip and required skilled care in a nursing facility. After a few days, the nursing home administrator […]
How Can I Reduce My Risk of Alzheimer’s?
Q. Several of my relatives on my mother’s side of the family have had Alzheimer’s, including my aunt, my uncle, and both my grandparents. My father’s sister currently has it too. I am concerned for myself and my own children, and I want to do whatever I can to reduce our risk of the disease, […]
One Typo Could Cost You Your Computer
Q. My sister-in-law Janet is always on Facebook. She loves seeing what her children and grandchildren are up to, catching up with old friends, and playing Scrabble. She is a quick typist, and one day, in her haste, she recalls accidently typing “www.Facebookc.om.” Before she could correct it, she was redirected to a series of […]
Scams to Watch Out For
Dear Angel, As my father is getting older and his dementia is getting worse, I am concerned that he is more susceptible to getting taken advantage of by scammers and con artists. Can you tell me about some of the more recent scams, so I can keep my eyes open for them on his behalf? […]
The Lapsing of Long-Term Care Insurance Policies and Dementia
Dear Commander Bun Bun, My grandmother had a long-term care insurance policy, which I know she was paying a lot for. However, she has dementia, and let it lapse. I’m sure this happens all the time, and it’s scary because now is the time when someone like her would need the coverage most. Luckily, we […]
Getting Remarried: Avoiding Estate Planning Mistakes
After Lori’s first marriage ended in divorce, she told her three adult children that she would never remarry. That was until she met Chris. After dating him for five years, and realizing that they were meant to be, Chris proposed to Lori and she said “yes.” Not only will this hopefully mean a happily ever […]
What Medicare Won’t Cover
Q. When my mom turns 65, she will enroll in Medicare, as most seniors do. My understanding about Medicare is that Part A is hospital insurance and Medicare Part B helps pay for doctors’ services and other medical services and supplies that are not covered by Part A. My mother seems to think that Medicare […]
Do I Have to File for Medicare?
Dear Baxter, I will turn 65 soon, but am still working full time. I was planning on retiring, but my husband died suddenly two years ago at the age of 70, so I will still need to work for several more years. I have good health insurance with my work. Do I have to file […]
Exciting New Innovations for Seniors from the M-Enabling Summit
Plant Nanny App The 5th annual M-Enabling Summit was recently held in Arlington, VA, attracting tech innovators from around the world and leaders of the accessibility community. With its theme of “Accessible Technologies and Environments for All,” the 2016 Summit provided a platform for empowering mobile technologies and focused on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for […]
Do New Electronic Medical Record Systems Make It Difficult to Access Advance Directives?
Q. I have heard several horror stories about Advance Directives being unavailable when needed, as more hospitals are implementing new systems to store and access electronic medical records. Or, in other cases, patients’ documents are being rendered unreadable by incompatible software. What if a patient’s doctor uses one record system and the emergency room another? […]
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