Alzheimer’s and Adult Day Care

payingforalzheimerscare
Brian Willie
A major component of your loved one’s ability to remain at home as long as possible is interaction with others. Mind stimulating activities and frequent contact with other people facing similar circumstances is key. Adult day care is a great way to make sure your loved one receives this level of interaction, and can give you as a caregiver a much needed break.

It can also be a very cost-effective option when you compare it with the cost of nursing home care, assisted living facilities etc. Adult day care facilities can be for profit or run by non-profits and are set up to improve your loved one’s quality of life. There are more than 3,500 adult day care facilities in the United States. Many have registered nurses on-site. On average it costs anywhere from $40-60 per day and some facilities allow payment by the hour or half day.

This is a great option for families who want thier loved one with Alzheimer’s.....
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Top Valentine Gifts For Those With Dementia

Healthnews-stat.com

Valentine’s Day is the perfect chance to give gifts that are not only enjoyable but also beneficial to a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. These valentine presents keep on giving long after Valentine's Day is gone

Over 5.1 million Americans are living with dementia. Is one of them someone you know or work with? Get him/her or anyone with Alzheimer's disease a Valentine's Day gift that will keep on giving long after the holiday is gone.

First on the list of gifts is a book by Susan Berg called Adorable Photographs of Our Baby -- Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals, This book features baby photographs that seniors with dementia love. This book shares a plethora of ideas and resources for you.

Another gift dementia persons will fancy is a......read the whole story

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Alzheimer’s and Geriatric Care Managers

payingforalzheimerscare
Brian Willie

A Geriatric Care Manager can be a very useful professional that your family can hire to help with long-term care arrangements. So what is a Geriatric Care Manager (GCM)?

These are licensed or certified professionals, often with a master’s degree in gerontology, nursing, counseling or social work. They can help your family develop a care plan for your loved one with Alzheimer’s and then monitor compliance with that plan.

In your journey through this disease, it will quickly become apparent to you that.... read the whole post

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Alzheimer’s, Levels of Care

payingforalzheimerscare
Brian Willie
You may be aware, but there are levels of care or a “continuum of care” you will be faced with as your loved one’s Alzheimer’s progresses. When your family member is still able to substantially care for themselves, they may live first in an indpendent living facility. Many times health services are provided and some have emergency systems built in.

However it is also very common for a family member to live with the person with Alzheimer’s. In many cases this is the adult child who is providing care as an in-home caregiver. It’s often necessary to supplement this care with at-home health care. This can be a great way to balance your life as a family caregiver but still bring in additional help. As we have discussed, it can be quite expensive and it may be difficult for many families to pay this cost over time.

Next comes assisted living facilities.....read the whole post

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Alzheimer’s Disease, Power of Attorney

payingforalzheimerscare
Brian Willie

I often tell my clients that at the first sign of any form of dementia (and hopefully much sooner), they must put in place a properly drafted power of attorney. It is critical that a trusted family member or friend is given the authority to help make decisions on behalf of the person with Alzheimer’s. As the disease develops, there will be good days and bad days where your loved one may or may not have the capacity to sign legal documents. Often an attorney will run through a series of questions with your loved one to determine capacity, or may rely on a doctor’s findings.

Power of attorney documents are important because.....click here to read the whole post

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Brand New Product For Those With Dementia

As I’m sure you know, many people who suffer from severe dementia and Alzheimer’s also deal with incontinence. For that reason, I thought your readers might be interested in the following information.

Reuters
By Jessica Wohl

(Reuters) - Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB.N) is overhauling its Depend line to offer disposable underwear tailored to men and women as it prepares for an influx of aging Americans who need incontinence products.

Depend has been around for nearly 25 years, but this is the first time it is offering separate versions of absorbent underwear for men and women.

The products, which look more like traditional cotton underwear than an adult diaper, will be available in North American stores in March and appear in Europe later in 2009.

While Depend is a smaller business than other Kimberly-Clark products such as Huggies diapers or Kleenex tissues, it expects an aging population will help boost sales.

Baby Boomers, the generation of Americans born between 1946 and 1964, are heading toward retirement with the oldest set to turn 65 in 2011. Many of them are already caring for parents who may use incontinence products......Read the whole story

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Alzheimer’s Disease, VA Aid and Attendance Example

payingforalzheimerscareBrian Willie

In general, you can use a variety of methods to have assets under an acceptable level for VA qualification. Use of a trust is just one method commonly used. For VA qualification you have to look at two things: 1) Income-your income must be under what they call the Maximum Annual Pension Rate. So if for example, your husband is in need of “Regular Aid and Attendance,” then you are potentially entitled to the Maximum Annual Pension Rate of $1,842 per month (the maximum in the category of Aid and Attendance-note there are 2 other categories.)

But in order to qualify, your income must be less than $1,842 per month. However, it’s important to remember that the VA allows you to subtract all Unreimbursed Medical Expenses from your gross income. Typically, a family facing Alzheimer’s has very high expenses and can easily qualify on the income side once they subtract Unreimbursed Medical Expenses. 2) Assets-Assets for a married couple must be about $80,000 or less not including a home. That’s where planning and use of trusts and other documents can come into play.

It’s very important to note that......click here for the whole story

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