Visiting a Loved One in a Nursing Home
Visiting a loved one in a nursing home is like gardening. We plant our seeds and then watch them grow with anticipation and then days and weeks pass and weeds have filled the garden. Our loved ones are planted in the nursing home and at first we visit frequently and then visiting becomes more of [...]
National Patient Advocate Meeting in Washington D.C.
Patient advocates from all over the U.S. are joining in Washington D.C. to attend educational sessions and prepare for discussions with state senators and representatives. The National Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization supporting a variety of issues including the elimination of pre-existing conditions and access to health care for All Americans. I [...]
Frustration of Dealing With Banks When You Are The Power of Attorney
Many banks lack the legal staffing to understand powers of attorney, guardianship or conservatorship accounts and do not have time to educate employees at branch locations. Trust banks generally specialize in this type of account, so before the need arises and assuming you are the power of attorney, close an old bank account and open [...]
Dealing with Social Security
Dealing with Medicare, social security and other government agencies can be problematic especially when we are older, have less patience and lack the ability to navigate phone trees and computer systems. The U.S. mail system has instituted a change of address system online but unless you have an email address it won’t work for you. [...]
Moving a Parent to Assisted Living
Having an advocate involved often smoothes the way in conversations with parents who resist the idea of help or resist the idea of relocating to an assisted living. Moving is not easy especially at an advanced age and many are fearful and anxious of the unknown. At our age it’s an adventure, at the age [...]
10 Tips to Understand and Prepare for Alzheimer’s Care
Preparing for the long term needs of a family member diagnosed with dementia can be stressful; however those who plan ahead have a better outlook on the situation and are able to cope better throughout the process. Sharing responsibility with other family members if possible balances the duty of the situation so it does not [...]
Cognitive Evaluations
Many individuals with dementia have difficulty accepting the diagnosis especially when their memory loss has advanced. Sometimes an evaluation by a psychiatrist or a mental health specialist can provide insight into the degree of cognitive impairment that exists and give a foundation for discussion with the individual diagnosed with dementia. Often family members dread the [...]
Parenting Your Parents Radio Website
Many caregivers are unable to attend formal support groups. The internet offers the flexibility of time, place and some anonymity allowing caregivers to express their feelings without the threat of baring their souls to individuals in similar situations. Visit www. Parentingyourparentsradio.com and sign up to join others in a similar caregiving situation — we’re building [...]
Long Term Care Planning
The older adult population living alone has the greatest likelihood of “falling through the cracks” without access to assistance when health fails. Many are placed in nursing homes for short term rehab and never leave because they do not know how to arrange for care, especially if they have no family to assist. The same [...]
Participating in healthcare reform by advocating for removal of pre-existing conditions
I became interested in healthcare reform because of the work I do on a daily basis. I think this subject passes by many of us because we either feel that we are political illiterates or participating won’t make a difference anyway. If you’ve ever been caught up in an insurance issue due to a pre-existing [...]
keep looking »
Posts
