• Scams We Hate: Robocalls and Spoofing

    In 2021, there were 92,371 older victims of fraud resulting in $1.7 billion in losses. This is a staggering amount. Financial crimes against older adults can be devastating, often leaving victims with no way to recoup their losses.

    One of the most common ways scammers connect with victims is over the telephone. Robocalling and caller ID spoofing are two schemes that go hand in hand.

  • When Your Loved One is Respite Resistant

    When you’re a caregiver with nothing left to give, arranging for respite care for your loved one, either at home or in a nearby long-term care facility, is a good way to hit the reset button.

    Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy. What do you do if your attempts to take a break are met with resistance or outright hostility from your loved one? What happens if the person you're caring for says, "No, I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want anyone else to be here with me. I don't want anybody else in my home."

    What do you do if your loved one is resistant to respite?

  • How Will the Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act Affect Medicare Beneficiaries?

    On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes a broad package of health, tax, and climate change provisions. The law includes several provisions to lower prescription drug costs for people with Medicare and reduce drug spending by the federal government. These provisions will take effect beginning in 2023.

  • When Your Siblings Won’t Help with Caregiving

    Are you a caregiver to elderly parents? Are you looking around and wondering why your siblings aren’t helping you? Quite often, caring for aging parents becomes the responsibility of just one person. It’s often a daughter.

  • Daddy Was My Superhero

    By Mary Jo Johnson, MPA, CMC

    Let me tell you about what happens when the Superhero in your life encounters Kryptonite, the destructive, weakening agent known to strip away superpowers. For many of us, this Kryptonite is Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. Your Superhero becomes unable to fight the battle alone. The cape comes off. They need you.

    Does this change in your Superhero’s strength or abilities mean that he or she no longer has an identity, a role, or significance?

  • How to Spend $10,000 a Month and Still Get Crappy Care

    If someone you love needs nursing home care, brace yourself for sticker shock. Depending on where you live, the monthly cost can be $8,000 or more—often much more. In some parts of the country nursing home care can cost upwards of $15,000 per month.

  • Medicaid Planning Mistakes – Part 3

    What are the most common mistakes people make when attempting to qualify an elderly loved one for Medicaid? Matthew Bravette has seen it all. As one of the attorneys at Bratton Law Group, a Life Care Planning Law Firm with offices in the Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia areas. Matthew has helped thousands of clients navigate the complicated and confusing Medicaid application process, and he has seen more than his share of mistakes.

    One of the biggest involves believing the rumors you hear from friends, family, and neighbors.

  • My Mother Found a Prince (and Other Unlikely-to-be-Real Scams)

    By Pati Bedwell

    We’ve all heard about the Nigerian prince scam. It’s been around for a while, so long that most older adults have heard about it. Many are certain that they would never fall victim to something so obvious. These are famous last words for many, who may not have fallen for the Nigerian prince, but for the same scam wearing different clothes

  • When Your Elderly Parents Become Incapacitated

    Just bringing up the possibility of someone in your family becoming mentally or physically incapacitated is often difficult. We tend to think of only the very elderly needing long-term, hands-on care, but a 2022 report by the Alzheimer’s Association found that one in nine Americans age 65 or older currently have Alzheimer’s. With the baby boom generation aging and people living longer, that number may nearly triple by 2050.