What is respite care?
Let’s start with a definition of the word “respite.” According to the Oxford Dictionary, a respite is a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
Preparing for Life as a Solo Ager
By Mary Jo Johnson, MPA, CMC, CDP, CADDCT
I want to talk about a topic that’s getting more attention these days: solo agers.
Solo agers are people who are growing older without the support of family. According to the demographers, solo agers have the following things in common:
- They are age 50 and up.
- They are unmarried.
- They live alone, and don’t have a significant other.
- There are no siblings, children, or extended family in the picture.
Solo agers are, quite literally, aging alone.
Medicaid Planning Mistakes – Part 2
If you want to delay a loved one’s application for Medicaid benefits to pay for nursing home care, there are plenty of ways to do it. This article, the second in a multi-part series, explains two more ways people mess things up.
What are the most common mistakes people make when attempting to qualify an elderly loved one for Medicaid? We posed this question to Matthew Bravette, one of the attorneys at Bratton Law Group, a Life Care Planning Law Firm with offices in the Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia areas.
Why You Need a Dementia Safety Plan
When you care for a person with dementia, there are many things to be concerned about, not least of which is their safety. Early in the condition, people with dementia begin to lose safety awareness. Their perception of what’s safe and what’s not in the world around them is altered by the changes to their brain. You may find that they wind up in situations that both surprise and scare you.
How can you help keep a person safe? A great place to start is to be proactive and create a comprehensive dementia safety plan that protects them, their home, and their finances.
What’s It Like to Live with Dementia?
By Robin Lacrimosa
On May 6, 2022, I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I completed the Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT®), a ground-breaking, evidence-based, and scientifically proven method of building a greater understanding of dementia.
Take an Elder Care Coordinator to Your Next Care Conference
What is the advantage of having an elder care coordinator at a Life Care Planning Law Firm involved in preparing you for care conferences at your loved one’s nursing home? We posed this question to Michelle Russo, one of the elder care coordinators at Anderson Elder Law, a Life Care Planning Law Firm in Media, Pennsylvania.
Don’t Skip the Care Conference
Should you ever blow off a care conference for your elderly loved one at the nursing home?
Kim Gizzio says no.
Kim speaks from experience. With a master’s in social work and as one of the elder care coordinators at Anderson Elder Law, a Life Care Planning Law Firm in Media, PA, Kim has seen what happens when family members don’t bother to attend these important meetings. “If you’re new to the world of long-term care, you may not realize what’s happening and why it’s so important for you to attend,” she said.
Create an Emergency Medical Packet for Your Loved One
Family caregivers often get a crash course in elder care once they begin looking after elderly relatives. The biggest lesson many learn initially is that organization is key, especially when an older relative develops a need for urgent medical care.
Many families struggle to convey important medical details to health care staff. That’s where creating an emergency packet of medical information can help. This information can be given to paramedics, emergency room staff, and urgent care clinicians.
Here’s how to build your own emergency medical packet.
