When a parent or relative passes away, it’s a traumatic and emotional time for the entire family. During this end of life phase, there is special care that can make dying a less stressful and painful experience for those involved.

People don’t have the privilege to plan how or when someone will come to their end of life, but we can be open about discussing it and reviewing the options for care that may be appropriate under differing circumstances. It is important that the thoughts and wishes of your terminally ill loved one be honored and respected.

Some things to remember before the end of life stage occurs: make sure the advanced directives reflect the wishes of your loved one,  and that the planned actions are carried out properly and according to their wishes. Of course many times there will be no options as death comes quickly or circumstances require continued hospitalization.

If you have ever had the opportunity to talk with someone who has been through the end of live process with a Hospice organization, almost universally, they will relate what a good experience it was and will recommend it to other families.

The most direct and efficient way to learn more about Hospice is to contact a Hospice in your area. You can click here on Find A Hospice to locate one near you. Call them and ask for information and help in learning more. That you do not having an immediate need for their services will not keep them from being helpful. Everyone who works in the Hospice field is passionate about their work and will be happy to assist. Don’t put this off, as a weight will be removed from everyone when the plan and agreement is in place.

Source: Life Ledger Caregiving Tips by John Boden.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Champions for Successful Aging is a new web property created and “Championed” by Home Instead Senior Care. Through strategic partnerships and engagement with “Champions,” this site focuses on building a growing panel of thought leaders on aging. The goal is to impact policy making and bring media attention to the idea of successful aging.

Paul Hogan leads an all-star lineup of experts from the areas of academia, business and non-profit groups, all with the intent to impact key government decisions, educate and create a voice for the aging population in North America and around the world.

Do you need ideas, papers or talking points? Reference this site to help establish yourself, or Home Instead Senior Care, as being a thought leader in your community.

Over the next 20 years the entire planet will undergo a tremendous and permanent change as the population grows older. By 2030 all developed nations will have more people over the age of 60 than under the age of 15 (U.N. forecasts).

This has never happened before in the history of the planet.

This change will impact everything, from how economies operate, services governments provide, and how societies and cultures view older adults and aging.

This site has been launched to foster discussions, conversations, ideas and plans for this new world. Our point of view is that the opportunity is in front of us to create a world where more older adults can live better, longer lives. To be successful, we will need new ideas and thinking about aging and caring for older people.

Initially, the audience we want to reach with this site are  those actively involved in policy making, shaping public opinion, and leading efforts on aging in their communities and otherwise engaged in older adult issues. These are some of the “Champions” we seek.

Source: Champions of Aging

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

A common concern for families and siblings are denial and refusal to discuss the fact that aging parents may need more help at home. Caring for aging parents can put siblings at odds.

Denying elder care planning is common within families, nearly half (46 percent) of people surveyed who expect to eventually be caring for an elderly loved one had not taken any action to plan for this care. This survery was produced in a Harris Interactive® poll conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network.  In addition, 70 percent had not spoken with the parent or relative they anticipate needing to care for about what their wishes might be, while 76 percent had not discussed the issue of caring for elderly relatives with other family members.

Denial or sweeping elder care concerns under the carpet is a prevailing emotion and action when it comes to the care of senior loved ones. But refusing to address the issue won’t prevent the unexpected from happening. That’s why it’s important to talk with your parents and siblings as soon as possible and plan for the future.

The first step of letting go denial is to ask your relatives what they would want to do if the time comes for them to need special care in their lives. Ask specific questions such as: “If you fell and were injured, where would you want to go to rehabilitate?” If the answer is “home,” which is where most seniors prefer to be, then look into the types of services that can help your loved ones remain where they live. Discuss whether your parents would benefit from these services now. Many home health care companies are available in communities of all sizes to provide medical caregivers at home.

Oftentimes, a Home Instead Senior caregiver also is well-equipped to help seniors at home. For example, Home Instead Senior Care now has more than 900 offices throughout the world. A Home Instead CAREGiverSM is trained to assist elderly individuals by providing companionship and medication reminders, and help with meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands and shopping.

Check out these tips about communicating with family members. And go to www.4070talk.com and www.solvingfamilyconflict.com to learn more.

At approximately $174,000, the average lifetime cost for senior Alzheimer’s care, the disease can take a toll on the finances of seniors and their families. There are two major aspects of Alzheimer’s and finances that seniors and their families need to consider; advance financial planning, to prepare for a stage when the senior may be unable to be involved in their own financial decisions; and understanding the costs associated with Alzheimer’s care.

Elderly costs for Alzheimer’s care do vary dependent upon the progression of the disease; but can average around $18,000 per year for early Alzheimer’s care, $30,000 for a senior with moderate Alzheimer’s symptoms and $36,000 during the latter stages of Alzheimer’s disease. 75% of the costs incurred are due to Alzheimer’s care required in the home, while the other 25% of average Alzheimer’s costs relate directly to health care. Since costs of Alzheimer’s care are so significant, often seniors are unable to support the costs self-sufficiently, and family caregivers may become responsible for medical and care costs.

Seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s, may also become physically and mentally unable to manage their finances self-sufficiently, so during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease it’s important for seniors to establish a living will, appoint a Power of Attorney, and ensure that all bills and financial documents are consolidated.

With appropriate planning and consideration of the costs implications of Alzheimer’s, seniors and their families can put greater emphasis upon health over finance.

Sources:
1.   Alzheimer’s Association
2.   About.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Home Instead Senior Care wishes Mother’s across the nation a “Happy Mother’s Day”.

Mother’s Day is around the corner and we’ve got a few ideas to help you celebrate mom. The holiday has its roots in ancient Greek festivals honoring Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. The modern American holiday officially began in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May a day to honor all the mothers of mere mortals like us.

Older adults need to be reminded that they are cherished and appreciated. Here are a few gift ideas that she will love to have.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Unique Gifts for Mom:
Pottery Classes
Painting Class
Electronic Massagers for Car or Office Seats
Floral Bouquet of the Month Clubs
Bath & Body of the Month Club
Relaxing Backyard Hammocks

Gift Experiences that Spoil Mom:
Mother and Daughter Spa Packages
Day at the Spa Packages for Mom
Facial & Body Wrap Gift Certificates
Manicure, Pedicure & Spa Package Gift Certificates
Home Spa Gift Sets

Entertainment Gifts:
The Kindle: Amazon’s Wireless Reading Device
Buy an iPod and download her favorite music on it
Movie or Theater Gift cards
Tickets to her favorite music venue
Netflix Subscriptions

Mother’s Day Gift from a long distance adult child or family member who cannot be there to help celebrate Mother’s Day:

• A day out with a home companion caregiver for lunch and a movie
• Hire a professional caregiver to shop and cook for one day a week

Make mother’s day a special day for mom by pampering her and making her feel like a queen.

Boston Seniors and Increasing Social Security

While many seniors do not think it is possible, there are many legal ways in which the amount of benefits from Social Security can be increased. One of the key things is to make sure you wait until at least the normal retirement age to begin collecting. This will help to maximize the amount of the monthly check. Below is a list of other ways that seniors can increase the amount.

1.    The important key to maximizing social Security benefits is to wait until the normal retirement age. By retiring early, you will lose a percentage of the amount you would have gotten if you had waited a few more years.

2.    When seniors have reached the normal retirement age, they will not be subject to an earning cap. This means the senior will be able to continue to work without worrying about jeopardizing their current monthly income.

3.    Seniors who retire at the age of 62 will lose 25% of their potential Social Security income.

4.    Other forms of income, including pensions and dividends will not reduce the amount that is paid by Social Security.

5.    If possible, wait as long as you can before collecting benefits. For every year after the normal retirement age, the amount of benefits available to you will increase by 8%.

6.    It is also possible to take advantage of spouse benefits by having one spouse retire at the normal age and the other wait a few years longer. This will help to maximize income.

Yahoo Finance

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

The vast majority of Boston seniors already have a life insurance policy. What they may not realize is that they can sell their old policy and purchase a new one at a lower premium. In addition to saving some money, seniors will also receive new benefits that could be better than those from their existing policy. The following information provides some more facts about how Boston seniors can benefit from a new policy.

1.    Settlements can provide seniors with ways to take advantage of some new policies that have new benefits and lower premium prices. It can be beneficial to use money that was gained from a settlement of an old policy to purchase a new one with better benefits.

2.    Buying a new policy by selling an old one can lower the annual premiums and offer a new policy that will leave more cash in the pocket of the senior.

3.    Using a life insurance settlement as a way to increase wealth and income, seniors are now looking into selling their old policy to get a better one at a lower price.

4.    Though this new financial tool is not commonly used, more seniors are learning of the benefits that come with life insurance settlements. Financial advisors are urging seniors to take action and sell their existing policy. Not only will a new one provide better benefits, but it can also save the senior a lot of money on premiums and also provide cash back from the sale of the old policy.

Global Life Insurance

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

It is common for a senior to make some mistakes financially, which is why it is important for seniors to share financial information with spouses and financial advisers. While it can be difficult to ask for outside help, Boston seniors will benefit from having someone help them with financial decisions so that mistakes will not be made. Many seniors who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s will experience financial problems. The following list provides 8 tips that can help.

1. Make sure someone else has access to online banking records. This is usually a family member of a financial adviser. By doing so, bank activity can be monitored to see if mistakes are being made.

2. Have a current list of all companies that bills are paid to. This includes utilities, mortgages, insurance and loans.

3. Reduce credit limits on credit cards and make sure others have access to credit-card account records.

4. Investment accounts should be made known to family members and spouses. When another person checks these records, they should be able to see how much is in the account and whether that is the right amount.

5. Tax returns should be filed by a professional. If possible, share the return paperwork with a trusted family member.

6. Have a list of all financial relationships. This means any company or individual the senior conducts financial transactions with.

7. Have important documents in place and accessible. Wills, insurance policies, deeds and any other important document should be accessible by family members.

8. A financial checklist will help seniors with Alzheimer’s stay on track. This will help them manage what bills to pay and will also keep them up to date on all account balances.

Money.USNews.com.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

With the on-set of age, naivety and vulnerability become ever increasing among seniors, making them perfect targets for investment scams. According to Metlife Mature Market Institute, senior financial abuse costs American seniors $2.6 billion dollars annually. However, you or your senior does not need to become another victim.

• If it sounds too good to be true it probably is— One of the best questions a senior can ask is simply about the investment itself, questioning if the broker or product is registered with the state or national regulatory authorities. Be cautious of broker claims that their certificates of deposit (CDs) earn above average interest rates. Many companies trying to scam seniors will say the pay will yield much higher rates of return than normal.

• Be extremely skeptical of salespeople—Scammers target seniors by going door-to-door or pestering them with phone calls.

• Research, research, research—Check the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s list found at www.sec.gov/investor/oiepauselist.htm of unregistered entities with consumer complaints. Also, make sure you do not agree to an investment without consulting family and friends.

• If you have been scammed, all is not lost—Financial crimes against seniors often go under reported, with seniors feeling ashamed or they do not know where to report the company. To file a complaint against a broker or firm, visit www.finra.org/complaint. Read about a seller’s background, at www.SaveandInvest.org or call 888-295-7422. For more on brokers or firms, call 800-289-9999 or log onto www.finra.org/brokercheck.

Source: ConsumerAffairs.com

Image Source: sxc.hu

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.

Not all seniors are finding that they can live out their retirement dreams as they had once hoped. Some seniors are finding that they are pushing out retirement past 65, if they even have the opportunity to retire at all, like 92 year old Erma Paliani who finally had the opportunity to retire for the first time since she began her working career. Here’s why seniors are retiring later on then they ever hoped:

• While the average age to claim Social Security Benefits is 63.9, many need additional income on top of it to be able to afford basic aspects of daily living, like housing and food

• Many seniors would love to retire and just focus on their family and relaxing, but based on the numbers of seniors aged 65 and older which are rising higher than ever before, this isn’t a reality for everyone. The number of older works, aged 80+ has had the most substantial increase at 67% to 500,000 Americans

• With people living longer, money doesn’t go as far as it used to, and as time goes on this might increase even more, keeping more and more seniors in the workforce longer than planned

• Government benefits, which were initially defined in 1940 certainly weren’t designed to support 30 or more years of retirement, which means seniors need a fairly substantial nest egg to make it through

Via: AARP

Image: elements4health.com

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.314. 9873.