Assisted living abuse can go undetected for a long time before it is discovered. Victims are often too ashamed, afraid or unable to report it for some reason, such as disability, frailty or no phone access. Family members who only occasionally visit may have no idea the abuse is occurring. Signs of assisted living abuse [...]
Once you have narrowed down your list of potential adult day care centers, arrange a visit to each facility. Make sure you come prepared with a list of questions for the staff. The National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) recommends some good questions that the staff should be readily able to answer, such as: How [...]
The decision to place your elderly loved one in a nursing home is not one that comes easy, and finding the right nursing home can be a bit daunting. There are some steps you can take to the make your search go as smoothly as possible and help you choose a nursing care facility that [...]
Using the right approach to convince your elderly parents to acknowledge and accept that they need help will make that conversation go a lot smoother. Here are some helpful tips: Consult with a geriatric care manager in your area for guidance on how to approach your parents. If you decide to enlist his or her [...]
Your parents were your caregiver, protector, mentor and source of emotional and financial support as you went through childhood and eventually became an adult who could take care of yourself. When the roles reverse and it is you whom your parents must now depend on, the transition is one that may be met with more [...]
When caring for your elderly loved one becomes too overwhelming, it may be time to consider hiring someone to take over some of your caregiving duties. Before hiring a caregiver for your elderly loved one, however, take a moment to jot down what you need in a home care provider. This will help you narrow [...]
As a caretaker, it's easy to become so focused on your patient's care that you neglect to give yourself some much needed TLC. If you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to take good care of those who depend on you. Below are some things you can do to reduce stress and [...]
Medicaid planning, at its base, is working within the Medicaid laws and rules to protect assets and ensure a suitable quality of life for the patient, the patient’s spouse and the sanity of the patient’s loved ones. It’s comparable to tax planning. The goal is not to evade the system, but to minimize the amount [...]
When to file the Medicaid application for a loved one with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease can be a difficult question to answer, thanks to the complicated Medicaid laws and regulations. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, or DRA, is a federal bill that changed many of the rules for applying and qualifying for Medicaid, and [...]
When a loved one needs Medicaid to cover the costs of nursing home care for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, the application process may seem daunting. Because each state manages its own Medicaid program, the complexity and length of the application will vary from one state to the next. Many opportunities for pitfalls can be found [...]