If persons with dementia could speak, they would tell us about their needs and desires, and particularly what they don’ like –or what leaves them in a state of frustration. Instead, we are compelled to read the signs and decipher their feelings based on their body language and occasional agitation, a task which is not always easy, and one that frequently leaves us with a profound sense of inadequacy. Is our Interpretation Correct? Are we reading the signs correctly? Some mess

As foolhardy as it may sound, some of us still don’t give much thought to what we would do if a parent were struck by an accident, stroke, or debilitating mental illness. Having to deal with a slew of unplanned for contingencies, or “winging” it, would inevitably prove costly and highly stressful. Instead, here are a few basic elements that would comprise the contingency planning needed for those of us who have aging parents. Long Term Care Insurance (LTC insurance) Long ter

This is a 3-part series explaining the workings of Medicare in understandable terms The Age 65 Milestone Medicare and Social Security are the huge prizes for US citizens approaching the age 65 milestone. Upon reaching this milestone, the big bulk of one’s healthcare expenses –doctors, hospitalizations and medications- get picked up by Medicare, the federal health insurance agency. Baby boomers, folks born between1946 and 1964 and currently coming of Medicare age at the rate o

This continues from – Part One Medicare Part B (Professional Services): There is a monthly premium for Part B, and it is commonly deducted straight from social security payments. Part B is the medical insurance portion of Medicare that extends to essential doctors’ visits, preventive care services, hospital outpatient services, lab tests (including X-Rays and other imaging tests), and some home health services that are deemed essential for rehabilitation. Part B usually cover

This continues from – Part Two The Future of Healthcare for Seniors Every time we’ve had a budgetary crunch over the last couple of decades, we’ve heard a repetition of the same old remedies that directly affect those of us who are over 65, causing our spokespersons to rise and shut down the proposals that are not favorable. Here are a few of the proposals that have kept coming back in the past and, one has to assume, that will be come up again in the future: As the typical r