Dear Angel, There is so much technology available these days where you share health information. Things such as wearable fitness trackers, social media sites, and health apps did not exist when Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the 90’s. When it comes to HIPAA and privacy of personal health information, […]
Caution: The Hidden Dangers of Heartburn Medicine
Jim Palmer, former player for the Baltimore Orioles and TV commentator, has something in common with millions of other individuals, including myself. He has GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), which occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus. Similar to my personal situation, Palmer had suffered from frequent and persistent heartburn for many years that […]
Help! My Husband Was Recently Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder
Q. I was 25 years old when I met my now husband, Elliot. We became best friends and two years later, then we got married and had a baby. Fifteen years and three children later, I began to notice lots of changes in his personality and mood. He agreed to see a psychiatrist, got a […]
New Mental Health Bill Introduced in Congress
Dear Commander Bun Bun, I am a caregiver for my brother, who has schizophrenia. I heard something about a bill to help caregivers like myself and those with mental illnesses. Do you know anything about it, and if so, can you provide information? Thanks, Bill Forus —– Dear Bill, Nearly 10 million Americans have serious […]
Medicare Recipients Will Be Less Vulnerable to Sticker Shock in Hospitals
Over the course of a day or so, Karen’s right arm began feeling weak and her speech began to slur. She was convinced she was having a stroke, so she called 911 and was rushed to the nearest emergency room. She remained in the hospital for nearly 48 hours to undergo testing, since it was […]
Overcoming Emotions: Moving Mom to a Nursing Home
Q. My aging mother has lived in her home since I was a child. My family loved the neighborhood so much that we never moved, and when I got married and had my own family, we bought a house a few blocks away. Now, dad’s been gone for many years, and mom has had home […]
Nursing Home Preparation
Dear Baxter, My father will be moving to a nursing home next month. What do you suggest we do to prepare for this big move? Thanks! Bea Forehegos —— Dear Bea, The move to a nursing home is more like a journey than an event, for most residents, caregivers, and families. After you have chosen […]
Does Medicare Pay for Hearing Aids?
Sid watches the baseball game with the television turned really high. His wife has been noticing that it is getting louder and louder. In fact, she can hear it outside the house in her garden and the neighbor said he can even hear it. She also noticed that she has to repeat things she says […]
Why Every College Student Should Have an Incapacity Plan
Q. My 18-year old daughter, Madison, will be a freshman in college in the fall. At her high school graduation party, my friend Phil told me that he is already doing estate planning for his own daughter, and he told me that it is really important and I should do it for my daughter. Is this really something that a college student needs? My […]
Is Social Security or Medicare Running Out of Money? What the 2016 Trustees Report Has to Say
Social Security is vital to Americans, providing workers and their families with retirement, disability, and survivors insurance benefits. Medicare is also an essential program for American seniors. Since its creation in 1965, Medicare has provided universal health care to millions. Both these programs play integral roles in our lives, and it would truly be a […]
A Parent has Alzheimer’s and a Gun. What Do You Do?
Ever since Gregg Schnepp retired, his favorite activity has been gathering with his friends at the shooting range. According to his wife, Joanne, who is a strong believer in the right to bear arms, “shooting is about his only interest in life.” However, as a 70-year old with both mental and physical decline, it is becoming unsafe for Gregg to carry a gun. Joanne knows she has to talk to her […]
Discriminated Against for Having the “Wrong Type of Illness”
Long-term care services, whether provided in institutions or in the community, are essential to the well-being of many elderly and non-elderly people with limitations in performing daily activities. In the United States, in particular, long-term care is disastrously expensive. And, when it comes to benefits, some people are discriminated against simply because they have the […]
Special Report: Long-Term Care Around the World
Part I: The Cost of Long-Term Care and How it’s Paid For Long-term care services, whether provided in institutions or in the community, are essential to the well-being of many elderly and non-elderly people with limitations in performing daily activities. In the United States, long-term care is disastrously expensive. Medicare, the public health insurance system […]
Should I Get Long-Term Care Insurance?
Dear Baxter, My neighbor is an insurance agent who keeps bothering me about long-term care insurance. I try to avoid her, but lately it hasn’t been working. To help me make an educated decision, can you provide some reasons I can add to my pros and cons list? Thanks! Lee Vamealone —- Dear Lee, With […]
Home Health Aides Are Quitting Their Jobs
The in-home care industry has been anticipated to be the largest job creator between 2012 and 2022, with an estimated 1 million new caregivers required during that time. Now some are questioning whether there will be enough people willing to fill those positions and that need. Elizabeth drives 100 miles a day, to several different […]
Virtual Reality for Seniors: Traveling Through Time and Reducing Pain
Helen, 83, loved recounting “the good old days” with friends at her assisted living facility. She would talk about her old neighborhood in Roanoke, the neighbors across the street, riding her bicycle with her friends, and swinging high into the clouds on a swing her father attached to a tree. She also mentioned her desire […]
When is a Person Too Incapacitated to Sign Legal Documents?
Q. My father, Roy, has severe arthritis and is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. He is widowed and currently lives in a stand-alone cottage house that my husband and I built for him in our backyard. Sometimes he seems completely “with it,” and other times, he loses his bearings, forgets names and faces, gets […]
Can Caregivers Take Vacations?
Q. I am a full-time caregiver for my father, Frank, who has Alzheimer’s. I am able to work from home, but I often feel like I have two full-time jobs, since caregiving for dad is a full-time job in itself. At work, I am entitled to two weeks of vacation time a year, and in past years, I didn’t take it. My lifelong […]
$10,000 – $12,000? That’s for a Year, Right?
Q. I read in one of your recent newsletters that nursing homes in the metro DC area cost $10,000 – $12,000 a month. I think you made a typo, and I wanted to bring it to your attention. Those amounts are for a year, right? If nursing homes cost THAT MUCH per month, then nobody […]
Being Her Brother’s Caregiver
A year ago, Helen Ries’s mother died unexpectedly, and she became the primary caregiver of her brother, Paul Knoll. Knoll has Down syndrome and had lived with his parents most of his life. Ries admits that her first year as a caregiver wasn’t easy, as she attempted to maintain the same standards for her brother […]
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