Independent Senior Home Care News and Updates

Looking at Long-Term Care Insurance

What is Long-Term Care Insurance?

Long-Term Care insurance pays for or assists in paying for care for someone with a prolonged physical illness, or disability or a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Services may include help with activities of daily living, home health care, respite care, hospice care, adult day care, or care in a nursing or assisted living facility.

Why consider Long-Term Care Insurance?

This will depend on your age, health status, overall retirement goals, income and assets. If you already have health problems that are likely to mean you will need long-term care (ex/ Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s), you probably won’t be able to buy a policy. You should consider buying long-term care insurance if: you have significant assets and income, you want to protect some of your assets and income, you can pay premiums, you want to stay independent of the support of others, or you want to have the flexibility of choosing care in the setting you prefer or will be most comfortable in. Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, and health insurance usually will not pay for long-term care. For some, a policy is affordable and worth the cost. For others, the cost is too great, or the policy they can afford doesn’t offer enough benefits to make it worthwhile. To determine whether you should or should not consider buying long-term care insurance, you may refer to the worksheets found in A Shopper’s Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance. Your free guide can be ordered at: https://eapps.naic.org/forms/ipsd/Consumer_info.jsp.

How do Long-Term Care Insurance Policies Work?

Insurance companies sell policies that combine benefits and coverage in different ways. Generally, benefits are paid using of three different methods, the expense-incurred method, the indemnity method, or the disability method. When the expense-incurred method is used, the insurance company must decide if you are eligible for benefits and if your claim is eligible for services (this is the most common method). When the indemnity method is used, the benefit is a set dollar amount. Once the company decides you are eligible and you are receiving eligible services, the insurance company will pay that set amount directly to you up to the limit of the policy. When the disability method is used, you are only required to meet the benefit eligibility criteria. Once you do, you receive your full daily benefit, even if you are not receiving any long-term care services.

How Much do Policies Cost?

Premiums will vary based on a variety of factors, including your age and health, the level of coverage, benefits and options you select for your policy. It is best to educate yourself with the above-mentioned Shopper’s Guide and then contact your insurance agent. An annual premium for a 50 year old can vary from $409 to $1,087 and for a 65 year of from $1,002 to $$2,130.

What Shopping Tips Should You Keep in Mind?

Ask questions, check with several companies and compare outlines of coverage, and check out the companies’ rate increase histories by contacting the state insurance department. Investigate your insurance company or agent by contacting a rating agency such as:
A.M. Best Company www.ambest.com
Fitch IBCA, Duff & Phelps, Inc. www.fitchrating.com
Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. www.moodys.com

Great Things to do for a Senior

Start an Indoor Garden
Living plants bring color and add joy to our lives. Many seniors are or had been active and avid gardeners. With the winter upon us, bringing the outdoors inside not only can add color and beauty, it can help to combat hopelessness. The senior is given the opportunity to give as well as receive. They are given the chance to care for and foster the growth of a living thing. In return, they are given a feeling of self-worth and rewarded with beautiful plants or useful herbs they can enjoy year round. Pick out a pretty garden pot and plants or herbs to fill the container to bring to your loved one. Add a big bow and attach a miniwatering can and instructions. Your loved one will welcome the interaction and the planter will serve as a daily reminder of your concern.
In times of good weather, If they are still gardening, ask if you can spend some time in the garden with them. Bring along a picnic lunch or a gift such as gloves, a sunhat or rolling garden stool.

12 of 16 Great Things to do for a Senior

Introduce Them to Bookmobiles and Books on Tape
Reading is one of the most popular hobbies in America. Library use is at an all-time high and book sales at chain bookstores and websites such as Amazon.com are booming.
Your senior may have a well-filled bookcase or books and paperbacks lying around. Find out what they like to read, and if they are interested in a particular magazine. Ask if they use the library. If they don’t, offer to get them a card and list of library locations. Arrange for a visit to the Bookmobile, a library van that travels to sites throughout the city or county. Exchange new and used books with your client and offer to order or pick up books at a local bookstore or on-line for them. Invite them to join a book club.
If they are losing or have lost their eyesight, tell them how to obtain books on tape. Libraries usually have a wide selection and used bookstores are a good low-cost source. Locally, the Association for the Blind is an excellent resource. The Monroe County Library System has a program that allows you to download free audiobooks to your computer and transfer them to your portable device. Visit www.overdrive.linbraryweb.org for this program.
National Public Radio stations across the nation provide Reading for The Blind programming. Volunteers come into the station and read local and national newspapers, magazines and books. Check your local NPR station for specific programming.

11 of 16 Great Things You Can do for a Senior

Teach Games and Organize Puzzle ExchangesUse or lose it – at least that’s what they say. Mind-challenging puzzles and games are excellent tools for boosting brainpower and bringing people together.
If your community doesn’t have a game and puzzle exchange, start one. If they have one, add to it. This is not only a great volunteer activity for individuals, its a wonderful thing for business to do. Check around the house and see if you have any games you haven’t played lately. Ask your friends or local businesses to donate. Stop by a Goodwill or Salvation Army outlet. You can usually find all kinds of games on the shelves.
You can also volunteer to teach games at the local recreation or senior center. There are many new games, such as Sudoku, that seniors are unfamiliar with.
The internet provides hundreds of game sites. Seniors who have access to the internet and know how to use it have a world of puzzle and game opportunities at their fingertips. Library shelves are filled with puzzle and game books. Take a few out and loan them to a senior. Buy a puzzle book at your supermarket or drugstore to take as a gift the next time you visit.
Better yet, pick out a puzzle and do it together. Two heads are better than one and a lot more fun too.

10 of 16 Great Things to do for a Senior

Provide Pet or Vet AssistanceStudies show that people who have pets live longer and healthier lives. Having a Fido or Fluffy to care for keeps seniors active and emotionally fulfilled.
Pets are family too. If you’re pet-friendly pop for a toy, or tag along during walks. Make sure pets are being properly fed and groomed. Offer to pet sit, take pets to the groomer or in for annual vaccinations.
No pet. No problem. Seniors can still enjoy the company of a pet. Numerous non-profit organizations train pets and take them around to nursing homes, senior housing and recreation centers.
There are also inexpensive ways to obtain a pet. Non-profit organizations such as our local Lollipop Farm, the Dumb Friends League, the Max Fund and city and county agencies rescue pets and charge low-fees for adoption.

9 of 16 Great Things To Do for a Senior

Create Opportunities to Socialize and Learn.Loneliness, boredom and apathy are common emotions that plague seniors. The death of a spouse and distance from friends and family members can leave seniors lonely and isolated. Poor health or disabilities may prevent them from getting out of the house and socializing. If they are unable to drive, encourage them to enlist a service like Happier At Home to provide transportation for them to get around.

Sitting home in front of the television day in and day out is no substitute for engaging with others and exchanging ideas, especially when hundreds of courses and activities are available at community centers, colleges and non-profit organizations. Get a catalogue and review the courses with them. With all the choices, there is bound to a class or program that sparks their interest.
If travel is their bag, “Elderhostel,” an affordable international program that combines learning with travel, might be just up their alley.
Perhaps they have a hobby, such as fishing or shuffleboard. Invite them along the next time you’re heading out to the lake or recreational complex. Offer to take them to church, or take in a movie. In the end, it doesn’t really matter what you do. It’s the fact you’ve taken the time and effort to include them and your interaction that counts.

8 of 16 Great Things to do for a Senior

Help with a Home Safety AuditIt’s a well-known fact that more accidents occur at home than anywhere else. When it comes to seniors, the numbers are even higher. Statistics show that falls are the cause of 70 percent of accidental deaths to people over the age of 75 and 40 percent of all nursing home admissions. Sadly, some twenty-five percent of seniors who fall and suffer hip fractures die within a year.
These statistics are frightening but it’s not just the falls themselves that impact seniors. It’s the fear of falling itself. When a friend or family member falls and is injured or put into a nursing home, seniors are afraid it will happen to them too. Before long, they give up their daily walks and social activities, making them even less mobile and more isolated.
One way to prevent falls is to arrange for a professional home safety audit. The audit will identify areas of concern and offer recommendations. Happier At Home provides this service for free.
Take a look around the house the next time you visit. Check to see that rugs are wrinkle-free and edges are firmly tacked in place. If there are area rugs, make sure there are no-slip pads beneath them.
Inspect the bathrooms. Do the tubs and showers have no slip-mats, decals and safety bars? Are hand-held electrical appliances located too close to the sinks or tubs? What about lighting around the staircases and porches and in the bathrooms and kitchen? Are the bulbs the correct wattage for the fixtures? If the lighting is poor, help locate a handyman who can take care of the job. There are non-profit home repair organizations in many cities that charge seniors low fees for home improvements. Some home safety solutions are remarkably easy. Pick up clutter. Install new batteries in smoke detectors. Hire neighborhood kids to shovel the walks. Think about safety measures in your own home and you’ll come up with dozens of ways you can help. Just remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Number 7 of 16 Great Things to do for a Senior

Sign Them Up for a “Driver Safety Education” Class Seniors, just as any of us would, hate to give up the right to drive, even when their eyesight is failing and reflexes are slowing down. Driving equals freedom, and losing that freedom means relying on others to do errands and get out to social events.
State transportation offices, auto clubs and senior organizations offer Driver Safety Education courses. These classes are designed to improve driving skills by teaching defensive driving. Teachers accompany drivers, test their skills, and make an independent evaluation of how safe they are behind the wheel. Their evaluation and recommendations may resonate far better with a senior than the opinion of a family member or friend.
You can do your part as well. Check the tire pressure on vehicles and inflate them if necessary. Make sure cars have been recently serviced. If they need servicing, obtain discount coupons and offer to take cars in for them.
If you are concerned about his driving abilities, offer to take him to the doctor, run errands or pick up guests at the airport. Another option is to hire a companion service such as Happier At Home to provide transportation.
When it comes time to renew their driver’s license, be supportive. Seniors are anxious about passing the vision, written and driving tests. Review the materials with them so they are comfortable with the questions and accompany them to the Drivers License Bureau.
Knowing how to drive, when to drive and when to quit can save not only the lives of seniors but the lives of loved ones and other motorists.

Number 6 of 16 Great Things You Can Do for a Senior

Educate Them on How to Prevent Identity Theft and Fraud.Senior citizens are a prime target for identity theft and fraud. Physical and mental infirmities make them highly vulnerable to victimization and exploitation and many live alone, making them easy marks for unscrupulous salesmen and con artists.
To make matters worse, seniors are the least able to deal with the financial and emotional consequences of identity theft or fraud. Worst of all, there are no quick fixes.
Here are some suggestions on ways to prevent being victimized. Many excellent brochures are available from federal agencies, financial institutions and non-profit organizations. Websites such as www.privacyrights.org is a good source of information. Police departments and Better Business Bureau may offer seminars as well.
We Recommend:
a. Pay cash wherever possible.
b. Destroy old credit cards and rip up carbons.
c. Use a paper shredder to get rid of receipts, bills and financial information.
d. Purchase a locked mail box. Mail all mail at a postal facility, not a home mail box and retrieve mail from the box promptly.
e. Never respond to any unsolicited e-mails, including those that appear to be from banks or financial institutions.
f. Never give out SSN, credit card number or other personal information over the phone, by mail or on the internet unless you have a trusted business relationship with the company and have initiated the call.
g. Get registered on the national Do Not Call Registry.
h. Never carry extra credit cards or social security information in their wallets and keep wallets in a secure place at home.
i. Reduce the amount of junk mail by sending their name and address to the Mail Preference Service.
j. Remove their name and address from the phone book and reverse directories.
k. Pick checkbook orders up at the bank, rather than through the mail.
l. Keep a list or photocopy all credit cards, bank accounts and investments including account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers of the customer service and fraud departments.
m. Order a credit report once a year.
n. Review their credit card, phone and cell phone and bank statements every month for unauthorized use.
o. Check with Better Business Bureaus and state agencies to see if the business has claims against it.
p. Never sign a contract without having a trusted friend or attorney review the document.
q. Ask for and check references.
r. Do business with reputable local firms rather than out-of-state businesses.

Number 5 of 16 Great Things You can do for a Senior

Create a Family History They Can Share With Others.Do you know where your great-great-grandparents were born or how they came to this country? Can you describe how they lived, worked or died? If you don’t know much, you’re not alone. Once our elders pass away, family histories and traditions are lost if they’re not documented and preserved by family members or friends. Taking a family history is a gift they and their family can treasure forever. You don’t need to be an expert either. Genealogy is one of the hottest hobbies today, and there is a wealth of excellent resources you can tap into. The internet offers numerous sites such as Ancestry.com, EllisIsland.org and genhomepage.com. Religious groups such as the Mormons have some of the most extensive libraries and documentation in the world. Closer to home, community colleges pack classrooms with genealogy students. Libraries are stocked with books on the subject too.
Ask a few questions about your loved one’s relatives or where they came from and you could get an ear-full. Researchers say when you age, you remember more about the past than the present. Great-aunt Maria’s emigration from Italy may be fresher in your client’s mind than who won yesterday’s ball game.
You can be the conduit for these memories. If it’s true what they say about the journey being the destination, get ready for a fascinating trip.