What is a Case Manager?
Many case managers describe themselves as being a stand-in adult child to their clients. For those seniors who have children who live far away or don’t have any available family members, a case manager is an ideal helper in the aging process. Case managers are professionals who act as a guide and advocate for their […]
A Common Scenario: Medicare Home Health Care or Private Duty Home Care?
A Common Scenario: Medicare Home Health Care or Private Duty Home Care? No one said the “Golden Years” would be easy but thank goodness Brevard County has a wealth of senior resources to get us through! One valuable resource to seniors in our area is the availability of home health care and we have quite […]
Medicaid in Florida: Simplifying the State Long-Term Care Program
Medicaid in Florida: Simplifying the State Long-Term Care Program Aging is an expensive adventure. If you envision your “golden years” spent indulging in grandchildren and travel, the time to make a financial plan is now. Probably before now, but better late than never! Conservative estimates from the investment group of Bank of America suggest that […]
Who Pays for a Nursing Home?
Affordable housing for all people continues to be an issue, and seniors, in particular, are hit hard in their years of decline. When it comes to the affordability of healthcare and living options for seniors, one thing we know for sure is that it pays to plan ahead. Failing to plan can be costly – […]
Skilled Nursing Facilities: Who Needs Them?
Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) are establishments that have historically been referred to as “nursing homes.” They have provided healthcare and housing for the critically and chronically ill by offering 24-hour oversight and services beyond assistance with activities of daily living. Through the years, the term “nursing home” has developed a negative connotation despite being a […]
Assisted Living: Expectations and Resources
A move to assisted living is a big step in the life of a senior. Planned or unplanned, the move must be handled with a delicate firmness. This needs an understanding like few other events in life. The role reversal of adult child to decision-maker requires humility and a great deal of empathy. Remove all […]
Downsizing to Assisted Living: When is the Time Right?
A move to senior living requires accepting that a smaller space is okay. As Dr. Dennis McCullough encourages in his phenomenal book, “My Mother, Your Mother,” take a look around the space your loved one lives in now. What rooms are they actually using? (Rooms used for storing “stuff” do not count!) You most likely […]
An Aging Plan for Senior Living
Every week I meet seniors and their families who are struggling to make a plan in the middle of a crisis. Most of these situations could have been avoided, or at least minimized, by conversations about goals and plans for the future. It’s a hard conversation for most families, but necessary. Talking about aging and […]