A personal emergency response system should be considered for all seniors aging in place, especially if they will be home alone. It is not uncommon for seniors to fall and be unable to summon help. This system allows a senior to contact help by pushing a button whether at home or away. The systems can [...]
Keeping seniors safe in their own homes includes making sure both interior and exterior spaces are senior friendly, accessible for those that are disabled and up to code. Modifications can be made to most homes to allow for wheelchairs and walkers. Throw rugs within the home are not recommended as they are tripping hazards, and [...]
Flexible Spending Accounts, or FSAs, can be a useful tool for caregivers of ailing relatives. FSAs are structured to allow employees to place a portion of their pre-tax salary into a separate account which is designated for use in covering health care expenses. In many cases, these expenses do not have to be restricted to [...]
When you are a caregiver, the laws surrounding what can be deducted, and the conditions that must be met for the deduction to happen, can be complicated and detailed. This is especially true in cases when the support has complications such as: Multiple siblings caring for a parent Taxable income that could be moved into [...]
Claiming a loved one as a dependent can be a good way to offset the loss of income when you become a full-time caregiver. If you are planning to take this path, there are certain qualifying expenses that you can include as additional deductions which can increase the financial cushion you have available. However, while [...]
Caring for a loved one is not only difficult and sometimes emotionally draining, it can be expensive. The loss of income often suffered by the requirements of full-time caregiving can be crippling if you don’t have a way to offset that difficulty. Fortunately, there is an option to take a tax deduction for your caregiving [...]
When you have to provide care for a loved one, it can turn into a full-time job, which in turn can be financially crippling. Sometimes the loved one can help out by offering some payment, but that may not cover the financial loss suffered, and may make it difficult for the patient, whose income will [...]
When your loved one has less than six months to live, you have a difficult step to take. You need to obtain end-of-life care for the patient. This can be a devastating admission, but is very necessary to ensure the comfort of your loved one as the days wind down. End of life care is [...]
There are many options to allow the caregiver of an aging adult to take a much-needed and much-deserved break. Among these options are: The Alzheimer’s Association, which can be a source of information and resources. Family and friends, who can donate time and effort to take some of the burden off of your shoulders One [...]
When you are a caregiver for any loved one, this can be more than a full-time job and can seem a daunting and very lonely task. It can be frustrating and scary. Suddenly you are faced with severely limited time—hours that previously were spent doing day-to-day tasks are now gone. However, you shouldn’t have to [...]