A Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is an age-restricted community where, in most cases, incoming residents must be at least age 55 or older. The facilities offer independent-living units, assisted living units, and skilled nursing all in the same building or on the same campus. In addition to paying a sizable entrance fee, residents pay […]
Spreading the Love: Dementia Patients Find Comfort in Pets and Family Visits
Renee Eder, our public relations director, has a history of dementia in her family, including her paternal grandmother, uncles, and aunts, and she knows about the love and compassion those with the disease need. During the holidays this past year, Renee and her daughter, Emma, led Emma’s second grade class in making gingerbread houses, and […]
Cost of Long-Term Care Insurance is Increasing. . . Even More than Before!
Q. Our neighbors are both retired Federal employees. Recently, when we had dinner with them, the topic of long-term care insurance came up, and they told us about a huge rate increase last year. Now, they are paying MORE THAN DOUBLE the cost of their 2016 premium to keep their same benefits — a lot of […]
The Brain’s GPS: Why Alzheimer’s Patients Wander
Janet, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, lives at the Juniper House Memory Care unit in Oregon. She is among her unit’s 16 residents who have exhibited the symptoms of Sundown Syndrome, where individuals with Alzheimer’s get agitated, disoriented, and restless late in the day. Residents, including Janet, have attempted to get through the door of the […]
Could You Get Alzheimer’s at 40?
Q. My older brother, Chris, just turned 40. He is a successful businessman, and the father of three. My family sees him and his wife often, as we are very close and they live nearby. Five years ago, I began seeing memory slips from Chris. For instance, he couldn’t remember our families going skiing, when […]
CMS Issues Final Rules for Home Health Agencies and Patients’ Rights
Bill is considering bringing in a home health aide to help with his mother, Nancy, who has limited mobility from Parkinson’s disease. He was a little hesitant at first, because he was concerned about quality of care. He has been the one who has been solely caring for her for years, and was worried […]
Charitable Giving: The Risks of Generosity
Q. My granddaughter, Abigail, recently got married and my husband and I would like to give her a gift of $14,000 before the end of the year to put towards a down payment on their first home. To be fair, we also want to give the same amount to our grandson, Robert, for some remodeling […]
A Decline in Dementia Risk
Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, 47.5 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year. In the United States, more than 9 million Americans live with some form of dementia, according to the Dementia Society […]
A Must-Have Document for Family Caregivers
Kayla’s father, Bob, is in the early stages of dementia. She has hired paid caregivers who have come and gone because Bob has tendencies towards anger and violent outbursts. Kayla has decided that the time has come to quit her job to care for her father. Although she didn’t want to at first, she will […]
Intergenerational Living with a Purpose
Mary Steele, 82, spends her days giving rides to children who may have missed the school bus, or teens who need a ride to the mall. She plays trucks with a 5-year-old boy whose mother is at work, and talks to neighbors about their jobs and families. Each month, she enjoys a gathering where 50 […]
Medicaid and Prepaid Funerals
Dear Angel, We are considering whether to prepay for my husband’s funeral to lock in prices, to relieve the burden of family members during what will surely be a stressful time, and to ensure his personal wishes are carried out. He is in the early stages of dementia and will need nursing home care in […]
Our Top 10 Scariest Articles of 2016 (If You Dare)
With Halloween upon us, now is the time when we present you with this year’s scariest stories. From one typo costing you your computer to loved ones with Alzheimer’s owning guns, we uncovered some scary ground. To celebrate Halloween, we’ve ranked our scariest articles from least to most scary (but you be the judge) for […]
CMS Finalizes Commitment to Person-Centered Care for Nursing Home Residents
Q. My father has Alzheimer’s, and he is no longer able to live safely on his own. Since my mother died, I have been his caregiver, and although trusting his care to strangers isn’t going to be easy, I know a nursing home is the right place for him at this time. My husband and […]
Hospice Care for Healthier Patients. . . Something Isn’t Right!
Linda Rodgers was shocked to see her father in so much pain when she visited him at his hospice facility. In a letter she wrote to the editor of USA Today, she described how her father had his pain controlled by medication while in the hospital, before admission to hospice, but was in severe pain […]
Who Will Be There for Me if I’m Aging Alone?
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Meditation and Alzheimer’s
Dear Baxter, My sister meditates daily. She told me that, among other benefits, it helps prevent Alzheimer’s. Is this true? Do you know of any research about this? Thanks for your help! Maddy Tayshun — Dear Maddy, A new study has found that intense concentration and relaxation could lead to a growth of new brain […]
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, […]
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