Try: Speaking with a dying Care recipient (cr) can be a struggle for some caregivers being diagnosed with a terminal illness or told you will die soon is traumatic but sometimes what people say in an effort to offer comfort is equally distressing most people have no idea what to say to a cr who is dying experts who assist patients in their final days say the best thing to do for someone who has recently been diagnosed is to allow them to guide your conversations and actions there are some common things to say as well try to avoid saying common platitudes caregivers such give the cr as much emotional support as needed and tell them you love them and are available to help as best you can then work to make the cr cr’s last days as easy and comfortable as possible information references agingcare com

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Categories: Financial, Medical Physical, Spiritual

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Keywords: Death end of life

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: #any financial adviser who calls you cold-whom you don’t know and have never heard of-should be sent packing hang up a successful adviser doesn’t have to look for clients clients seek her or him out # if an adviser has time to come to your home something is probably radically wrong good advisors don’t have time to come to your home # you should make it a point to visit a potential adviser adviser’s office in any case you’ll want to pay careful attention to how he or she keeps his or her professional space is it neat are files in order is it busy # if you are married or have a life partner a potential adviser should have found this fact out by asking and should see you only if you agree to bring your partner along or else have a very good reason why you prefer not to # a good financial adviser will ask you all, not some but all, of the following questions how is your health this is no 1 in my opinion since if you’re not healthy you’ll need first and foremost to plan for your medical care and possibly your income if and when you cannot work are you in debt this is no 2 are you responsible for aging parents do you have a will or trust will you inherit money someday do you need to make a major purchase like a new car or a new roof for your home do you have a retirement plan are you funding it to the maximum allowed by law do you have adequate insurance are you saving for your children children’s education only after an adviser fully understands your financial situation should he or she ask you how much money you have to invest # an adviser should be a certified financial planner or cfp professional that means that he or she cares enough about his or her clients to have gone through a two-year certification process with continuing education requirements mandating that he or she stay up-to-date on the kinds of information that you need # you should be told up front how and how much a potential adviser will be paid you shouldn’t have to ask the correct method of payment is by fee only any adviser who wants to be paid through commissions charged on the investments he or she makes for you has an incentive to move you in and out of stocks and other investments perhaps in direct opposition to what what’s best for you # an adviser should never ask you to write a check to him or her you should write checks only to a brokerage an insurance company or another financial services firm # if you already have an adviser that adviser should be calling you in down markets as well as in up markets has your adviser called you in the past 12 months information references "client beware how to choose a financial advisor"by suze orman no date available at www suzeorman com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial

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Keywords: Finances financial advisor financial planner money investments investing

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many caregivers have to help feed the Care recipient (cr) as a part of caregiving healthy eating is critical to everyone especially an older or ill cr as a caregiver it is important to understand the impact of food on health heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the u s studies have shown that a healthy diet and exercise significantly reduces the risk of heart issues or a stroke learn which foods and methods of cooking are healthiest for the heart and plan the cr cr’s meals accordingly information references adalted from www helpguide org

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Categories: Financial, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Diet healthy foods nutrition

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many care recipient’s cr with dementia will have to eventually be moved to a care facility it is important to prepare and be knowledgeable about facility options in your area there are two main types of facilities that you will need to consider an assisted living facility or a nursing home assisted living is an option for those who need help with some activities of daily living some facilities provide minor help with medications as well assisted living staff is available twenty-four hours a day; however they only provide limited care also you need to evaluate at what stage the cr may need to move to a higher level of care the alternative will likely be a nursing home nursing homes provide assistance in both activities of daily living and a high level of medical care nursing homes have health professionals that provide the necessary amount of care further skilled nursing care providers and medical professionals such as occupational or physical therapists are also available consider a combined facility that would make the cr’s transition from limited help to full-time care easier information references helpguide org

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Categories: Financial, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Dementia facility nursing home assisted living

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: When families begin the legal planning process there are a number of strategies and legal documents they need to discuss depending on the family situation and the applicable state laws some or all of the following terms and documents may be introduced by the lawyer hired to assist in this process broadly speaking these documents can be divided into two groups documents that communicate the health care wishes of someone who may no longer be able to make health care decisions documents that communicate the financial management and estate plan wishes of someone who may no longer be able to make financial decisions advance directives for health care advance directives for health care are documents that communicate the health care wishes of a Care recipient (cr) these decisions are then carried out after the person no longer can make decisions in most cases these documents must be prepared while the person is legally able to execute them a living will records a person person’s wishes for medical treatment near the end of life it may do the following specify the extent of life-sustaining treatment and major health care the person wants help a terminal patient die with dignity protect the physician or hospital from liability for carrying out the patient patient’s instructions specify how much discretion the person gives to his or her proxy discussed below about end-of-life decisions a durable power of attorney for health care designates a person sometimes called an agent or proxy to make health care decisions when the cr no longer can do so depending on state laws and the person person’s preferences the proxy might be authorized to refuse or agree to treatments change health care providers remove the patient from an institution decide about making organ donations decide about starting or continuing life support if not specified in a living will decide whether the person with alzheimer’s will end life at home or in a facility have access to medical records a do not resuscitate dnr order instructs health care professionals not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation if a person’s heart stops or if he or she stops breathing a dnr order is signed by a doctor and put in a person’s medical chart information references "caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging" by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Legal planning financial planning final wishes health care directives wills estate planning attorney lawyer power of attorney living will

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Advance directives for financial and estate management must be created while the Care recipient (cr) still can make these decisions sometimes referred to as having legal capacity to make decisions these directives may include some or all of the following a will indicates how a person person’s assets and estate will be distributed upon death it also can specify arrangements for care of minors gifts trusts to manage the estate funeral and or burial arrangements medical and legal experts say that ta cr with a newly diagnosed long term illness and his or her family should move quickly to make or update a will and secure the estate a durable power of attorney for finances names someone to make financial decisions when the cr no longer can it can help crs and their families avoid court actions that may take away control of financial affairs a living trust provides instructions about the person person’s estate and appoints someone often referred to as the trustee to hold title to property and funds for the beneficiaries the trustee follows these instructions after the person no longer can manage his or her affairs the cr also can name the trustee as the health care proxy through the durable power of attorney for health care a living trust can include a wide range of property provide a detailed plan for property disposition avoid the expense and delay of probate in which the courts establish the validity of a will state how property should be distributed when the last beneficiary dies and whether the trust should continue to benefit others information references "caring for a person with alzheimer’s disease your easy-to-use guide from the national institute on aging" by national institute on aging 2011 available at www nia nih gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Financial planning estate planning legal documents finances money

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Knowing what medicare covers is important but knowing what medicare doesn’t cover is even more important information medicare does not cover nursing care in a skilled-nursing facility beyond 100 days medicare does not cover private nursing care medicare does not cover care in any center that is not approved by medicare medicare does not cover prescriptions that aren’t given during a hospital stay medicare does not cover foot eye or hearing care medicare does not cover routine physicals or immunizations medicare does not cover dentistry medicare does not cover doctor charges that are not listed on the annual published government fee schedule medicare does not cover care in foreign countries although there are some circumstances in mexico and canada that are allowed research this for details this list is not conclusive research your medicare policy for more details about what is not covered references adapted from information found in the book caring for an aging parent by sheryl garrett cfp

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Categories: Financial, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Medicare coverage health insurance

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Older care recipients cr have a wide array of housing options depending on the type of housing the cost can be expensive affordable senior housing can be a challenge to find here are some places to get you started the department of housing and urban development provides some options for low income persons this can include low rent apartments housing vouchers and public housing these units or vouchers often have a long waiting list so it may be difficult for the cr to obtain local senior centers or area agencies on aging can be a good starting point for investigating lower cost housing options in your area look for referrals and other community resources medicaid is the health insurance program that covers the bulk of nursing home care while medicaid is only for those with limited income and assets many crs may eventually need assistance due to the costs of care learn about medicaid eligibility and spousal protections from a local agency or attorney information references

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Categories: Financial, Legal

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References: n/a

Keywords: Housing living arrangement affordable housing

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Older care recipients cr have a wide array of housing options depending on the type of housing the cost can vary greaty when considering senior housing the following considerations can factor into cost location high cost of living or metropolitan areas will normally be more expensive for all levels of housing location within a city or area can also affect the cost level of care in general the higher the level of care the more you can expect to pay staff and medical providers are expensive to have on site nursing homes are the most expensive but assisted living facilities can also be expensive insurance coverage medicare health insurance coverage for seniors generally does not cover cr housing other than nursing homes medicare also only covers limited stays in nursing homes when skilled nursing care is required medicaid health insurance for limited incomes may cover some assisted living costs and does provide nursing home coverage however facilities are not required to take medicaid and the cr must qualify for the program long-term care insurance long-term care insurance can be a way offset some of the costs of long-term care coverage and provisions can vary but frequently some in-home help and assisted living facility costs are covered as well as nursing homes however this type of insurance can be expensive home modification cost and in-home help a home modification may initially seem expensive but it can result in savings over time if it allows you to the cr to stay at home longer the large up-front money is costly but can be economical compared to the cost of a nursing home information references

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Categories: Financial, Personal

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Keywords: Housing living arrangements costs

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Older care recipients cr have a wide array of housing options depending on the type of housing the cost can be expensive there are a range of choices for cr housing and there is no easy option here are some of the issues in evaluating your options level of care for the cr the cr needs to evaluate his current level of care that being said no one can predict their future health the cr should determine the housing best for his current needs and also consider future needs location and accessibility even if you are completely independent at this time circumstances can change it pays to think a little about your current location and accessibility of your current home maintenance issues and difficulty with changing locations must be considered social support for the cr care is best for the cr when he has social support how easy is it for the cr to visit friends neighbors or engage in hobbies that you enjoy it is best to avoid isolation for the cr caregiving support the cr must consider if the housing will meet his near term and long term needs traditionally family has provided the backbone of caregiving support for crs more recenlty family may not be as readily available due to distance work children or other commitments even if family members can commit to caregiving they might not be able to fill in all the gaps if physical and medical needs become progressively worse cost of the housing cr housing is expensive making a budget with anticipated expenses can help the cr evaluate the options alternate arrangements like assisted living can seem too expensive but extensive in-home help or 24 hour coverage can be even more costly consider a professional assessment depending on the crs current level of care he may already have had an assessment through a medical team if not the cr may want a referral from his doctor the cr may also want to consider an assessment by a geriatric care manager geriatric care managers can provide an initial assessment as well as assistance with managing the crs health needs information references

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Categories: Financial, Personal, Mobility, Independence

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Keywords: Housing living arrangement

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed