Since July is the month when we celebrate the independence we achieved as a county, I thought that would be a good topic for those of us who are caring from older family members – and those of us who will eventually be the older family members.
Continue readingTag Archives: caregivers
The Four Warning Signs of Financial Exploitation
As we continue to emerge from the two plus year cocoon of the pandemic, it is apparent that, while we have been fastidious in avoiding exposure to our elderly friends and family, predators have seen this as the perfect opportunity. During the many years I have been working in the field of Elder Law and Guardianship, I have had a handful of cases of financial exploitation. During 2022 I have already had more such cases […]
Continue readingDrumbeat of Cost
Amy Goyer is AARP’s family and caregiving expert. She has written two books on the subject and has her own consulting business. “I am a caregiving expert. How did I end up in bankruptcy?” she says. Ms. Goyer depleted her savings and ended up relying on credit cards after being financially drained by costs related to caring for her parents. After more than a decade of caring for her mom, who had a stroke, and […]
Continue readingTHE BENEFITS AND PITFALLS OF SPRINGING POWERS OF ATTORNEY
Often when you see an estate or Medicaid planning attorney, the attorney will include a “springing” power of attorney as part of your Will or Trust package. This is a power of attorney that takes effect at the time of your incapacity or “springs” into effectiveness when needed. Another name for such a power of attorney is a power of attorney to take effect at a future time. The purpose of this document is to […]
Continue readingTV Poisoning
I lost a friend recently. Until his 75th birthday he had been a happy, social person who loved to sing, play guitar, visit friends, and tell funny stories. Over the past two years, I watched him become depressed, uninterested in his old friends and activities, cynical and bitter. At the same time, he lost weight, he didn’t eat, he complained of fatigue and pain, and he didn’t have the energy to walk. What happened? He […]
Continue readingSeniors Serving as Caregivers
The U.S. population is aging, and so are caregivers. Bob Tiller, an 80-year-old retired lobbyist for nonprofits, manages care for his 101-year-old mother. Both live in continuing care communities, he in Silver Spring, Md., and she in western Pennsylvania. If there is an emergency, Mr. Tiller gets the phone call and makes the five-hour drive. “I’m the one who is officially responsible, the one who has to make sure her income taxes are filed, and needs […]
Continue readingMedical Marijuana and the Elderly Patient
Medical Marijuana is of interest to readers of the Reverse Parenting Blog because it can be used to treat a number of conditions that plague the elderly, and can be used to reduce the total number of medications they are dependent upon. Marijuana (also pot, grass, weed, ganja) are the common names for the Cannabis plant, which has been used as a medicine for thousands of years. In fact, it was commonly used in […]
Continue readingWhat is Hospice?
There are many misconceptions about hospice, and these misconceptions deprive people from the compassionate services that Hospice provides to dying patients and their family members. Few things in life are guaranteed, but everyone is absolutely guaranteed to die at some point. Modern medicine has not eliminated death, it has only changed the length and quality of our lives. Hospice improves the quality and dignity of our deaths and helps us to retain our dignity in […]
Continue readingLong Term Care Insurance
Written by Norine Wong Home care and nursing home care are dizzyingly expensive. But how on earth can you put away enough money to pay for them? One answer is Long Term Care Insurance. This is a product that most people have never heard of, which is not surprising considering it is a product that addresses something we never think about in advance. Long Term Care insurance is designed to cover expenses incurred by […]
Continue readingWhat is “Polypharmacy”
It’s no secret that Americans use a lot of medications. Chances are that your parent’s nightstand, TV table, bathroom cabinet, and kitchen are all occupied by bottles of pills. You’re probably thinking, “All these pills can’t be good…” and you would be correct, it isn’t good. Too many medications, which physicians call “Polypharmacy” (poly=many, pharmacy=medications) creates a whole bunch of potential medical problems that add too, rather than cure, patient’s medical issues. First, the more […]
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