Happy Holidays, and welcome to our Winter 2011 issue.
A visit by a caregiver is often the simplest thing that can
make the difference in a senior’s day…going for a walk, having someone read to
them, helping to cook a favorite recipe, or just asking the senior about their
life experiences. Even if they’re experiencing health problems that limit their
activity, a caregiver can help immensely, because more than anything else,
seniors want to be listened to. Our caregivers have a passion for helping with
all these “little things” that mean so much and we are truly grateful for both
their passion and compassion.
Perhaps the time has come for
you to consider home care for yourself or someone you love. It’s often an easier and more economical
option to assisted living or the nursing home.
And the best part is, home care can help you maintain your independence and in your own home.
Now that winter is upon us,
sometimes day to day activities can become more challenging in the cold
weather. Driving is, of course more
hazardous and the possibility of slipping on the ice and snow is always a threat,
especially for anyone who is unsteady on their feet. Wouldn’t it be safer to get a little help and
leave some of those jobs for someone else?
One of the unique things about
home care is that the services can be tailored to your specific needs. For many of our customers, help is only
needed for a few hours once a week to help with the housekeeping, cooking and
running errands. Then, as time passes
and the need for help increases, we’ll be right there to provide you with the
help you need.
Give Hearts of Gold Caregivers
a call, talk to Tom or Faith about your situation. We can just discuss things over the phone, or
we can set up an appointment to meet in your home and explore how our services
can help you.
You’ve lived a good life; you
deserve to have a bit of gold in your golden years. Call Hearts of Gold Caregivers today and let
us bring assisted living to you.
Stay warm, stay safe. We wish you peace and best wishes for the New
Year.
2012 Medicare Premium Hike Lower Than Predicted
On the heels of the announcement of a 3.6 percent
increase in Social Security benefits in 2012, comes news that Medicare's
monthly premium will be much lower than expected next year—and will actually
drop for millions of beneficiaries. Administration officials said the new
health reform law was partially responsible for keeping costs down.
The basic premium for Medicare Part B will be $99.90 a
month, only a $3.50 increase over the $96.40 a month that most beneficiaries
have been paying since 2008. This increase is $7 a month less than what was
being projected as recently as last May and means that most seniors will be
able to keep the lion's share of their Social Security benefit increase. In
addition, higher-income earners and others who have not benefited from the
recent premium freeze will see a significant drop in their premiums.
Most Medicare recipients have not experienced a rise in
their Medicare Part B premium—which pays for doctor visits and other outpatient
costs—because of a provision in the Medicare law prohibiting premiums from
climbing more than that year's cost-of-living increase in Social Security
benefits. Since there has been no Social Security increase in the last couple
of years, most beneficiaries—nearly three-quarters—have continued to pay Part B
premiums of $96.40 per month.
But this protection has not applied to the other
one-quarter of beneficiaries who either:
• Do not have their Part B premiums withheld from their
Social Security checks, or
• Pay a higher Part B premium surcharge based on high
income (see below), or
• Are newly enrolled in Part B.
These beneficiaries who did not benefit from the premium
freeze will see their premiums reduced from $115.40 a month to the new $99.90
premium. In addition, the Part B deductible will fall $22 to $140.
Donald Berwick, MD, administrator of the federal Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said one big reason for the
lower-than-expected premium hike was historically low rates of health care
utilization, which he attributed in part to the health reform law's focus on
preventive services. In addition, the unexpected Social Security benefit
increase meant that rising Medicare costs could be spread among many more
beneficiaries, with each one paying a smaller share.
"Between reduced Part B premiums and increased
Social Security payments, the average Social Security recipient will have a net
cost-of-living increase of $40 per month in 2012," said the Center Medicare Advocacy.
Following are all
the new Medicare figures for 2012:
• Basic Part B premium: $99.90/month
• Part B deductible: $140 (was $162)
• Part A deductible: $1,156 (was $1,132)
• Co-payment for hospital stay days 61-90: $289/day (was
$283)
• Co-payment for hospital stay days 91 and beyond:
$578/day (was $566)
• Skilled nursing facility co-payment, days 21-100:
$144.50/day (was $141.50)
As directed by the 2003 Medicare law, higher-income
beneficiaries will pay higher Part B premiums.
The Social Security Administration uses the income
reported two years ago to determine a Part B beneficiary's premiums. So the
income reported on a beneficiary's 2010 tax return is used to determine whether
the beneficiary must pay a higher monthly Part B premium in 2012. Income is
calculated by taking a beneficiary's adjusted gross income and adding back in
some normally excluded income, such as tax-exempt interest, U.S. savings bond
interest used to pay tuition, and certain income from foreign sources. This is
called modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). If a beneficiary’s MAGI decreased
significantly in the past two years, she may request that information from more
recent years be used to calculate the premium.
Those who enroll in Medicare Advantage plans may have
different cost-sharing arrangements. On average Medicare Advantage premiums
will be 4 percent lower in 2012 than in 2011.
http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=9516&Section=4&state=
Holiday Blues and the Elderly
The holiday
season—Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day—is usually a time of joy and
celebration, but for the elderly it can also be a time of great sadness and
depression.
While the rest of the world is
busy planning family gatherings, and attending festivities, the elderly can be
easily overlooked. The National Institute of Mental Health considers depression
in people 65 and older to be a major health problem, with some six million
seniors suffering from late-life depression, which is often magnified during
the holidays.
Depression in the elderly can
be triggered by a number of factors, including physical limitations, declining
health, retirement, isolation from family and friends, a change in living
arrangements, and financial constraints. All of these factors are heightened
during the holidays when the feeling of isolation becomes more apparent. Older
adults may have to relinquish their role as head of the family as they become
guests rather than hosts of family gatherings. They may feel alone and left out
while everyone around them is occupied with holiday planning. Geographical
distance between family members can also be more difficult to cope with during
the holidays. Perhaps most importantly, the holiday season can trigger a
mourning period for those who have lost a spouse or other loved one.
Family caregivers and other
helping professionals need to be able to recognize and manage depression in the
elderly before it escalates. Left untreated, depression can lead to major
declines in health, including a higher risk of heart problems, loss of
independence, and greater need for daily caregiving assistance. Depression can
also lead to suicide.
Some signs of depression in
elderly people include:
• Loss of interest in life;
questioning the value of their life
• Showing little interest in
themselves or those around them
• Unwilling to get out of bed
or get dressed in the morning
• Loss of appetite; changes in
sleeping patterns
• Persistent sadness that lasts
more than a month
• Withdrawal from social
activities
• Excessive worry
• Inability to concentrate,
slowed responses
If any of these signs are
present, the person’s family physician should be contacted as soon as possible
for diagnosis and treatment.
Preventing depression in the
elderly during the holiday season may be as simple as making sure that they
feel needed and included in family activities. Call upon their expertise and
wisdom when making decisions about family matters and enlist their help with
holiday traditions. Keep them informed about what is going on in the family and
in the news. Keep in contact with phone calls and visits, and plan outings
whenever possible.
Be sure to acknowledge the
loss of loved ones during family gatherings with a toast in their honor, a
visit to the cemetery, or simply by talking about the people who are no longer
with us.
Since alcohol can also
contribute to depression, family members should ensure that the elderly person
does not over imbibe. Maintaining good eating habits, getting enough sleep, and
remaining physically active will also help prevent depression.
Time is always in short supply
during the holidays, and most of us tend to overextend ourselves, leading to
added stress and anxiety. It is too easy to overlook elderly family members and
friends at this time of year, and they may not always be able to verbalize why
they are feeling sad or depressed. Keeping them actively involved during the
holiday season will remind them that they are important and vital members of
the family.
By Robert Brooks
http://www.thehomecaredirectory.com
/home_health_care/related_articles/holiday_blues_and_the_elderly/55/
Multigenerational Families on the Rise
American
families are finding that the recent housing crisis, a struggling economy and
an aging population are causing them to join forces across generations. According
to a recent AARP study, the number of multi-generational households has jumped
from 6.2 million to 7.1 million in only the last two years—a growth rate that exceeds
the previous eight years combined.
Whether for economic or health reasons, making such a
move requires planning and flexibility to make the transition comfortable for
all concerned. Experts suggest that contingency planning for this eventuality
be put in place before it is needed.
“Keep in mind that even if your parents are highly
functioning now, anything can happen,” said Amy Goyer, AARP’s family expert and
a specialist in multigenerational issues.
“That can change overnight.”
Your parents’ needs
Assess what your parents’ needs really are.
“Get a good idea of where your parent is functioning
now,” Goyer said. “What kind of needs do they have, at what level are they
functioning? A lot of times, the adult children don’t really have a clear
picture of what their parents’ needs are.”
You can get an accurate picture by hiring a geriatric
care manager to conduct an assessment. A geriatric care manager can tell you
what your parents’ needs are and if you will need to modify your home to make
it physically safer for your elderly parents.
Involve the family
It’s critical that all family members be included in the
discussion, and it’s one of the biggest hurdles a family must overcome. All
siblings should be in agreement on the decisions and choices made, since
everyone may need to help out in some way at some point.
If other family members are unable or unwilling to help,
you may need to hire someone to help you, such as with cooking and cleaning, or
caregiving tasks. If possible, start putting aside money for this eventuality
before the need arises.
Who
pays for what?
Figure
out whether mom and dad will contribute financially to the household and, if
so, how much. Become familiar with what their
health insurance will cover. Most insurance, including Medicare, does not cover
non-medical in-home care services. Consider long-term care insurance (which can
cover such services) if your parents qualify and it makes financial sense.
Prepare yourself
Be prepared for the impact this move will have on your
lifestyle. Moving a parent in with you changes the family dynamic and requires
planning ahead and honest communication about
ground rules, boundaries and the new responsibilities of all family
members.
A common issue to be resolved is how taking in your
parents would affect the personal space of everyone in the household.
Don’t lose perspective
It
may be tough to reconcile this with your desire to help your parents, but keep
things in perspective and don’t jeopardize your own retirement. Consider creating a new budget that takes into
account any additional costs that may be incurred by the addition of your
parents to the household. Consulting a
financial planner to create a strategy for your new financial situation may be
helpful. You may even consider a family law attorney to prepare a written
agreement, especially if money is involved.
While
there are pitfalls to consider, such a move can bring rewards as well as
stresses. Besides saving money and keeping an aging loved one safe, multi-generational
living can forge closer ties between
parents, children and grandchildren.
By Caren
Parnes, for The Senior’s Choice
How to Be An Astute Caregiver
Know the Six Signs of Decline
Is it inevitable that aging must bring disease,
debilitation and dementia? Jack Lalanne, the exercise guru, continued his two-hour
daily workouts into his nineties. Clint Eastwood, at the age of eighty,
continues to produce, direct, and star in major motion pictures.
Sure, our parents are aging. But while chronic
illness and increased frailty take their toll on many, some are maintaining
their independence, vitality, and mental acuity well into their eighties. Yet
we still worry when these seemingly healthy parents forget their phone number
or lose their car keys. So how can we differentiate the normative aspects of
aging from disease?
My father was in his early seventies when he began
showing signs of dementia. Though keenly intelligent, he had always been
absent-minded— misplacing things, mixing up the names of his children, and
growing agitated when events did not go as planned.
So it was no cause for alarm when he began to seem
increasingly forgetful and disorganized: the emotionally wrenching
search-and-rescue missions for his lost glasses were just business as usual. It
was not until my father became disoriented on a short bike ride to the local
grocer and was forced to call my mother to pick him up that we recognized
something significant had changed. It was then that we made the decision to
have my father undergo a medical evaluation for dementia.
For those of us caring for aging parents, we must
balance concern for our parent's welfare with respect for their autonomy and
independence. In addition, we may live a distance from our loved ones and view
changes through a magnifying lens.
How do you know if what you're seeing is a true
decline, versus a natural state of old age? These 6 warning signs will help you
determine whether your parent is facing a medical problem or simply following
the usual path of aging:
1. Physical
Changes: Are there gait changes, extreme
weight fluctuations, or a decline in personal hygiene?
2. Household
Changes: Is there no food, old food or expired
food in the fridge? Are there scratches or dents on the car?
3. Mood
Changes: Does your parent show signs of
anxiety or depression? Depression is NOT a normal part of aging —and it can be
treated!
4. Forgetfulness—out
of the ordinary: Like my
Dad, losing glasses was expected. A repeated pattern of forgetting pertinent
events, however, may be cause for concern.
5. Misuse of
prescribed medications: Are there
expired prescriptions? Can your parent remember what medication he or she is
taking and when to take it?
6. Mishandling
Finances: Are there unpaid
bills, problems keeping track of expenses, signs of carelessness with money?
Once you recognize, like my family and I did, that
the changes you are observing may be signs of dementia, a chronic illness, or
increased frailty and dependence; it is time to communicate your concerns in a
compassionate and clear manner. You can then take proactive steps to plan for
the type of care that will give your parents the independence and well-being
they deserve, while maintaining their safety and your peace of mind.
By Jody Gastfriend, LICSW
http://www.care.com/senior-care-how-to-be-an-astute-caregiver-p1017-q6940206.html