Planning for Retirement Care

NFL Begins to Help Former Players with Dementia

Julie Northcutt — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:22:28 GMT

Frank DeFord reported on NPR this past week that former Baltimore Colts football star, John Mackey, suffers from dementia. And, due to efforts by John Mackey's wife and other players and their wives, the NFL and the player's union have started the "88 Plan" (named after Mackey's old football number). The 88 Plan assists players with dementia.

The NFL does not admit that perhaps head injuries in football and the helmuts that were worn back in the early days of the game, which were not as protective as today's helmuts, contributed to player's experiencing dementia, but at least they are willing to help now.

The NFL has also developed a comprehensive study of brain damage and dementia in players and the results will be revealed in 2010.

John Mackey's wife, Sylvia, also went back to work as a flight attendante when she was 56 to help make ends meet while caring for John, and to get the benefit of health insurance. Finally, she had to place John in a nursing home to provide for his care. Caregivers have even more challenges when caring for a physically large person, and former football players fit into this category. And, when dementia starts when someone is younger, the challenge of financially providing for care is also presented as often they continue to be healthy physically.

The "88 Plan" has now been written into the NFL's labor agreement and provides up to $88,000 a year for nursing care or day care for ex-players with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or $50,000 for home care. This will help both former football players who suffer dementia as part of aging and those who are not yet elderly.

Let's hope the NFL's move to provide for their employees who develop dementia will also spread to other industries to prevent financial devastation to families when memory loss develops - and remember that long-term care insurance, which can be purchased privately, also helps pay for these care costs.

And, cheers to Sylvia Mackey for successfully advocating for change in NFL benefits.

seniorcare, NFL, dementia senior, longtermcare,

Longevity Secrets (or, How to Age Well)

Julie Northcutt — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:51:44 GMT

Explorer and writer Dan Buettner has written a book called The Blue Zones which profiles the areas of the world where the most people have lived the longest - and lived those years with happiness and vitality.
More seniors have reached 100 years of age in these “blue zones”, which include towns in Italy, California and Costa Rica. The book brings to light their lifestyles that seem to suggest why they are living longer.

The website also offers a Vitality Compass so you can find out how well you are doing with healthy aging right now. This provides a great tool for both seniors and their caregivers.

Included in The Blue Zones top-10 list for healthy aging are growing a garden, eating nuts, drinking Sardinian wine (has the world’s highest levels of antioxidants), meditating and having a personal mission.

seniorcare, aging, caregiver

President-Elect Obama's Positions on Health Care Reform

Julie Northcutt — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:35:04 GMT

As seniors analyze their Medicare options before the end of the year, it may also be a good time to learn more about

President-Elect Obama's positions on health care reform. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, President-Elect Barack Obama announced a comprehensive health care reform proposal and laid out his positions on a number of other key health care issues.

Budget cuts will be necessary with the government's need to budget for the necessary economic booster programs and financial bailouts. At the same time, President-Elect Obama's team has said they will be eliminating some of the government fat and favors implemented for special interest groups. Many critics of the Medicare drug program have indicated that the prescription plans were somewhat out of whack because of the drug company's involvement through lobbying efforts (and when you try to understand why anyone would create a program with a "donut hole" as a term needed to explain coverage when a senior is left out of the prescription plan for a window of time, a red flag seems to go up that perhaps seniors best interests were not the only driver of this Medicare program).

Right now, Medicaid pays for long-term care in a nursing home, but not in the home (except in a few small population states which have recently developed home care programs). Medicare only pays for caregiving in a nursing home and not in the home, yet statistics show most seniors prefer to stay in their homes for long-term care. And, with the cost of nursing home care being from $150 - $350 per day, and home care costing from $18 - $25 an hour and providing one-on-one care from a caregiver, it may be time to look at how the government is allocating the funds for senior care.

The Kaiser Family Foundation prepared two reports to summarize President-Elect Obama's campaign health care policies and positions. They are based on information compiled from Obama's campaign Web site, speeches, campaign debates and news reports. Check it out and let your voice be heard.

senior, caregiving, Medicare

Medicare Coverage Plans

Julie Northcutt — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:49:56 GMT

Until December 31st, Medicare-eligible beneficiaries have the opportunity to manage costs by signing up or switching their current coverage in Medicare prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans. During this time, Medicare beneficiaries may either enroll in or switch plans.

Remind your senior relatives to review thier "Annual Notice of Change" advising them about upcoming company-mandated changes to existing plans.

Educate yourself, too. There are 4 parts of Medicare.

Part A: Includes hospital coverage

Part B: Provides coverage for doctor's visits

Part C: Medicare Advantage plan which means Medicare pays a private insurance company to provide and administer your Medicare and your plans' benefit

Part D: Prescription drug coverage

And, remember, Medicare does NOT pay for long-term care, just short stays in a nursing home for rehabilitation. Long-term care insurance is one solution for care needs, along with private pay.

senior, Medicare, longtermcare

Considering Caregiving Needs at Holidays

Julie Northcutt — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:32:09 GMT

As you gather with your family for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, remember to take time to really talk with the seniors in your family and notice if there are any changes they are experiencing as they age, and think about what you can assist them with to age well. Remember, some age-related illnesses, if caught and treated early, can be given the proper medical attention in order to slow progression. Take the time to think about any care needs your senior relative may need as their health conditions change.

It is sometimes easier for those who do not see their parents and grandparents often to notice changes than for those who have daily interactions with them. Take the time to notice hearing, vision and overall appearance. Are your elder relatives keeping up with their home maintenance as well as their own appearance? Are they taking their medications at a regular time each day? Are they incorporating physical exercise into their daily routine? Are they maintaining social activities?

Healthy aging requires maintaining physcial and mental exercise and socialization, along with eating a nutritious diet. Many seniors will find it necessary to change their lifestyle some to make sure they are keeping up with both health needs and social needs as they age. And, sometimes, it is necessary to involve a family member or caregiving service to assist with care needs, at least part-time, as abilities change.

If you live far away from senior family members, take the time to investigate senior care options in their town when you are visiting. Find out what quality Senior Home Care Agencies are in their area and learn about senior service programs. Obtain names and numbers so you will be able to contact someone to assist if the need should arise.

seniorcare, care, caregiving

Planning for a 30-Year + Retirement

Julie Northcutt — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:38:47 GMT

As the financial markets fall, many retirees are very concerned as they watch the value of their investments fall by 25% or more. In addtion to investments in the stock market, many maintain the bulk of their assets in home ownership and have watched real estate values decline as well. While Social Security benefits provide some support, they do not allow a senior to enjoy the same income they did prior to retirement.

According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, life expectancy in the United States is at a record high of 77.8 years and will continue to increase. As a country of wealth and knowledge, we know how to stay alive longer, although we may not always remain in optimal health for all of these years.

Remember as you plan for retirement to keep in mind you most likely will need resources for at least another 30 years after you retire. Outline your investments, and your plan for healthy living accordingly. And remember, if you were to run out of money completely and need support for long-term care, the U.S. does offer Medicaid as a benefit for very low-income seniors. Medicaid does provide for long-term care in a nursing home and in the home, too, in a handful of states.

senior, caregiving, retirement

Longevity: Study Shows it Runs in Familes

Julie Northcutt — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:47:24 GMT

A new study indicates that if your parents lived to be 100, chances are, you will too. The November issue of the Journal of American Geriatrics Society reports the study results showing senior centenarian offspring retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged group.

The findings show that the children of centenarian seniors have a 78 percent lower risk for heart attacks, 83 percent lower likelihood of stroke and an 86 percent lower risk of developing diabetes mellitus.

Additionally, the study found that children of centenarians who were followed in the study were 81 percent less likely to die than the reference group of similarly-aged patients during the follow-up period.

The survival rate is evidence that longevity runs in families, and the results reinforce the notion that there may be physiological and genetic reasons that longevity runs in families. The authors claim the study is the first to assess the health of centenarian offspring over time and could be important for future research, as the subjects may be used as a model of healthy aging.

Aging well should be the goal for all who will live a long life. Reserach shows that proper diet, exercise and socializaton are the keys to healthy aging, and ,according to this study, good genes are a plus! Off to the gym.....(My Grandmothers lived to be 100 and 101 and Mom and Dad are still going strong).

The Slowing Economy Impacts Assisted Living

Julie Northcutt — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:57:33 GMT

Many seniors who were planning on selling their homes or condos to move to an Assisted Living Community are now finding they must stay at home a little longer. As home sales have slowed dramatically, these seniors are unalbe to sell their homes. Yesterday's New York Times story interviews a few different seniors who have received a refund of their down payment back from a retirement community as their homes simply are not selling.

The slowing economy is impacting all of us but for seniors who may need more care, selling their home to move is much more a need than a want.

Alternatives to moving include hiring a Senior Home Care Agency to assist with care part-time. And, if a senior is a veteran, they may qualify for the Veteran's Aid and Attendance benefit which will pay for a caregiver to assist the senior in the home part-time. We provide information on qualifying for this benefit along with the Veteran's Aid and Attendance application on Caregiverlist.

The good news is, with occupancy down at many Assisted Living Communities, they are more willing to negotiate pricing - just remember to ask. You may also want to track the stock of some of the Assisted Living Communities to learn more about the corporations and their financial health.

Some of the Assisted Living Corporations and their stock symbols are:

Sunrise Assisted Living SRZ

Assisted Living Concepts ALC

Brookdale Senior Living BKD

Emeritus Corporation ESC

Senior Care Planning: Geriatric Care Manager?

Julie Northcutt — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:18:58 GMT

Planning ahead for senior care allows both the senior and the family to be able to focus on care issues instead of major family decisions when the time arrives for senior care.

As you visit your family during the upcoming holidays, remember one solution to senior care planning is a Geriatric Care Manager. Geriatric Care Managers provide professional guidance to family members and the senior. They can be a valuable liason between siblings and professional senior care services. And, if you are living in a different city than your parents or grandparents, the geriatric care manager will be able to keep the senior care on track and make sure the proper resources are used. In addition, a geriatric care manager usually will be very familiar with geriatric medical doctors, senior home care agencies and nursing homes in the area. This can save a famil much time in making a quality choice.

Separately, a geriatric care manager will ask the right questions to make sure advance directives have been established and all end-of-life planning has been made.

Mini-Mental Exam Can Detect Memory Loss

Julie Northcutt — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:28:01 GMT

In only ten minutes time, a mini-mental exam screens seniors for signs of dementia. Referred to in the medical community simply as a "mini-mental", the official name is the Mini-mental State Exam and it is copyrighted by Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR). Geriatric care doctors will give this exam to their senior clients to keep ahead of any signs of memory loss.

The mini-mental test asks questions about the time and place of the test, and incorporates math and language skills to test cognitive and memory abilities. It asks questions like how many nickels are in $1.25 and if you can spell a certain word backwards.

Many times memory loss in seniors can be connected with an illness or with medications. If properly addressed, senior memory loss can be slowed or reversed. Because of age-related diseases, seniors are more at risk for memory loss and should be sure their medical doctor is conducting a mini-mental at their annual check-ups.

If you are a caregiver for a senior, you can also find a variety of memory exercises at the Alzheimer's Store.

One of my Aunts suffered a stroke a few years ago and after being air-lifted to a metropolitan hospital, she received excellent care and made nearly a full recovery. Now she enjoys telling how in the days following the stroke, the doctor would check on her each day and ask her if she knew who the president of the United States was. Each day, she would answer "George Bush". Finally, she told him he needed to ask her something new. He then asked her if she knew what the Gettysburg Address was, and............she began reciting it. She had memorized it in grade school. He told her she indeed knew it better than he did!

seniorcare, benefit senior, care, memoryloss