It really grinds Brian’s gears. I’m not kidding. Being labeled an Alzheimer’s “sufferer,” or “disabled,” or even somebody’s “patient” makes my life partner/care partner so angry. It’s easy to understand why. We prefer person-centered care and language because anything else automatically places the individual at a disadvantage. A disadvantage? How? Let’s say your mother lives […]
I’m a professional life-care planner. I’ve been helping people and their loved ones plan for advancing age and terminal illnesses for decades. It’s critical to be prepared. Just a few short weeks ago, our own plan fell apart. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying or expertise. By all accounts, the life-care plan Brian […]
As your loved one ages or progresses through a terminal illness, the number of professionals and agencies involved in their care will only increase. Patient advocacy is your one-stop shop for EVERYTHING your loved one and their care partners will need. You’ll have doctor appointments — sometimes many of them spanning a range of health […]
Mom and Dad still live in their home. They’re advancing in age, to put it lightly, but luckily they’ve been otherwise healthy … until recently. Your mother’s health has taken a turn for the worse in the last year, and it’s clear the care required will soon be beyond the family’s capacity. Medicaid eligibility will […]
We’ve been talking a lot recently about Medicaid-eligibility rules. They can be confusing, we know. One of the most critical pieces to understand, for anyone approaching Long-Term Care Medicaid, is its 5-year lookback period examining financial eligibility. They look at everything, and it certainly can seem overwhelming. But there are exceptions. Medicaid is a government […]
It’s close to the end. You know it. Your family knows it. The doctor and medical staff know it. (“Close to the end” is a strange combination of perspective and reality. And “knowing it” is an exercise in faith and reality.) When is the time right for hospice care? Most hospice agencies say families and […]
You and/or your loved one wish to grow old without financial worry. OK, right off the bat, let’s rephrase that. You and/or your loved one wish to cover any necessary medical needs without surrendering your hard-earned money and assets for yourselves and future generations. This is where Medicaid and VA Planning must be an essential […]
You’re chatting with your husband and sister on the back patio on a beautiful summer evening. The wine tastes divine — even better with some stimulating conversation. Except, for some reason that escapes you right now, your husband is repeating himself and having difficulty finding the right words. That’s new, you think to yourself as […]
You’re trying so hard. We know. Being a great care partner for a loved one living with dementia is most certainly a labor of love. You may feel very alone. You likely feel as if you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, keeping up with the steady march of dementia and its […]
Hospice and palliative care deliver many of the same services. They both ease pain and suffering from serious conditions. But there’s a significant difference between hospice and palliative care: the expected outcome. Palliative care is delivered when a medical condition, no matter how serious, is not at the moment considered to be life threatening. For example, […]
