The Long Term Care (LTC) Blog
Constant drumbeat of costs often overwhelms caregivers
An article in the Wall Street Journal details how an AARP caregiving expert ends up broke and $120,000 in debt trying to care for her parents in need of long-term care. (“Caring for Older Relatives is So Expensive That Even AARP’s Expert Filed For Bankruptcy”, Wall Street Journal, 2-22-22). The article reads, “On average, caregivers…
Read MoreFinancial Planning for Alzheimer’s Disease
This article is posted with the permission of the author, Lydia Chan. After her Mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Ms. Chan struggled to balance the responsibilities of caregiving and her own life. She founded AlzheimersCaregiver.net as an online resource for fellow caregivers and seniors. In her spare time, Lydia writes articles about a range of caregiving topics.…
Read More156 Wisconsin assisted living facilities closed through September 1 of this year
381 assisted living facilities closed from 2019 through this September! WHY? They accepted Medicaid (welfare) whose reimbursement is less than the cost to care for their residents. If you lose money on every customer, can you make it up with volume? Of course not, it just gets worse! If you need Medicaid to pay for…
Read MoreFamily-Provided Care Can Work–Sometimes
The September, 2021 issue of the journal Health Affairs features a study that family-provided care (spouse or adult children) for dementia greatly diminishes the chances that the individual will need to enter a nursing home. However, full time caregiving will burn out the support team. Family simply cannot be expected to provide 24-7 care without…
Read MoreCare from Family Greatly Reduces the need for a Nursing Home
The September, 2021 issue of the journal Health Affairs features a study that family-provided care (spouse or adult children) for dementia greatly diminishes the chances that the individual will need to enter a nursing home. However, full time caregiving will burn out the support team. Family simply cannot be expected to provide 24-7 care without…
Read MoreFree Post Covid Visit
If anyone has any questions or confusion on dealing with long term care, or the insurance which pays for it, I am here as a reference and to help. I am 71, have been helping folks for 30 years with this, and now this is my giving back. There is no cost to visit and…
Read MoreIf You are on Medicaid, A Deadline is Rapidly Approaching.
Did you receive a $600 stimulus check a year ago? It was not considered income when it was received. But now that it’s a year later, if that stimulus check caused you have more than $2000 in your savings, you will become ineligible for Medicaid and lose all benefits. There is a simple “fix” for…
Read MoreHow was your Easter?
It may have been as long as a year or more since family members were with the seniors in their lives. Now that some families are cautiously getting together again, Easter might have been one of first times they have been together in person. How were the seniors in your family doing? Have things changed…
Read MoreAlzheimer’s May Strike Women and Men in Different Ways
At the end of February, the website HealthDay published an article entitled “Alzheimer’s May Strike Women and Men in Different Ways”. (https://consumer.healthday.com/2-25-alzheimers-may-strike-women-men-in-different-ways-2650728831.html ) Here is a quote from that article: “The ravages of Alzheimer’s may strike later in women than men, but once it takes hold women tend to deteriorate far faster than men, according…
Read More