Finding an Elder-Care Lawyer

Elder-care attorneys often provide a range of services, from estate planning to health-care benefits. Try to hire one who suits your needs

Adam Swidler, a product marketing manager at Google (GOOG) in Mountain View, Calif., had the all-important caregiving talk with his father two years ago. He figured the conversation had covered the bases, namely his dad's wishes in the event of a medical crisis. But when his 76-year-old, divorced father became incapacitated from a stroke in March, Swidler found out how wrong that assumption had been.

Read More

Memory Lapse or Alzheimers?
Multi-Tasking Fuels Forgetting

SAN DIEGO — Those twinges of forgetfulness that appear to be getting more pronounced may worry you. After all, the statistics are scary: Every 70 seconds, someone in the USA develops Alzheimer's. But every lapse isn't a signal that your memory is kaput.

Cheryl Edwards-Cannon, 57, says she relies on Post-it notes and spiral notebooks to help her remember, since she's multitasking "the majority of the time."

Edwards-Cannon, of Belmont, Mich., is married and works for a company that manages charter schools. She travels 10 to 15 days a month. She also oversees care of her father, who is in assisted-living, and her mother, who suffers from dementia and requires a different place, four miles from her father's.

Read More

Americans Lack Basic Estate Plans

Half of Americans don't have any of the most basic estate planning documents, including a will, a living will and financial and medical powers of attorney, needed to protect them (and their assets) if they're incapacitated, according to a new survey. The national telephone survey of 1,022 adults, conducted in December by Harris Interactive for Lawyers.com, a unit of Reed Elsevier, found that many of those who had done no planning were deterred by the legal cost and mistakenly believed that those without large assets didn't need to plan.

Read More

Why The VA Frustrates Vets

Segment from January 3, 2010, focuses on the problems getting claims through the red tape at the Veterans' Benefits Administration.

NOTE from Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org ... Following is the print version of the 60 MINUTES segment on the Veterans' Benefits Administration.

60 Minutes: Two Wars Are Slowing The Large Bureaucracy, Delaying Benefits

Watch the video here

(CBS) There is a sacred tradition in the military: leave no one behind on the battlefield. But many veterans are beginning to believe their country has left them behind at home, once they're out of uniform and in need of help. That help is supposed to come from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the financial compensation it gives to veterans disabled by their military service.

Read More

Book Review: How to Care for Aging Parents

Virginia Morris. How to Care for Aging Parents. Workman Publishing Company, Inc. New York, NY. 2004. 691 pages.

$12.89 from Amazon.com (click to order)

As your parents age, their needs begin to change. How to Care for An Aging Parent -- a revised and greatly expanded edition of a book first published in 1995 -- can help you deal with these changes as they occur. The book is a comprehensive look at almost every issue you might encounter as your parents age, whether they are living on their own, with you, or in a nursing home.

Read More

When Elder Care Problems Escalate,
You Can Hire an Expert

CARING for an elderly parent is emotionally and mentally draining. There are diagnoses to decipher, housing issues to consider, health aides to vet and a raft of legal documents to complete. It can seem overwhelming, even when families are in complete agreement on how to care for an elderly relative. And often they are not.

Last week, my colleague Walecia Konrad offered advice on how to find "respite care" - someone to temporarily help you tend to an elderly parent or loved one so you can have some time for your own life. This week, I am writing about what to do when you feel the situation calls for the equivalent of a case worker.

Read More

Ask Medicare- Resources for Caregivers

We want to call your attention to a new video and resource guide featured on Ask Medicare (www.medicare.gov/caregivers). The video tells one family’s story, and highlights programs and resources that benefit and enhance a caregiver’s well-being. In addition, the video and resource guide provide links to services available for caregivers and care recipients through the HHS Administration on Aging, HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other state and local programs.

To view the video and download the resource guide, go the Ask Medicare site and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Or simply click here for the video:

and click here for the Resource Guide:

Ask Medicare is CMS’ website for caregivers. It is as easy as logging onto www.medicare.gov/caregivers to help a friend or family member choose a drug plan, compare nursing homes, get help with billing, find local resources, and more!

Caregiving Stress
Hazardous to Your Health and Sometimes Deadly

UNDERSTANDING CAREGIVER STRESS
A 2003 study of caregivers by a research team at Ohio State University has proven the off-repeated adage "stress can kill you" is true. The focus of the investigation was the effect the stress of caregiving had on caregivers. The team, led by Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, reports on a 6-year study of elderly people caring for spouses with Alzheimer's Disease. The study not only found a significant deterioration in the health of caregivers when compared to a similar group of non-caregivers but also found the caregivers had a 63% higher death rate than the control group.

The demands on a caregiver result in a great deal of stress. It is often observed in aging publications that stress can induce illness and depression. The resulting poor health can further decrease the effectiveness of the caregiver and in some cases, as proven by the study mentioned above, even cause premature death.

Read More

Retirement Benefits: What to Expect in 2010

By Emily Brandon , On Monday December 21, 2009, 12:16 pm EST

In most years, retirement benefits increase to keep up with inflation. But 2010 will be far from typical. Because of a drop in the consumer price index, government payouts and tax incentives to save for retirement will generally stay the same. At the same time, out-of-pocket retiree health costs, especially for prescription drugs, will continue their steady climb. Here's a look at what will happen to retirement benefits in 2010.

No Social Security increase. Monthly Social Security checks for most beneficiaries will not increase in 2010. Retirement payouts are tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, which fell between the third quarter of 2008 and the third quarter of 2009. Next year will be the first without a Social Security increase since cost-of-living adjustments went into effect in 1975. (There is a chance of a change, though; several bills to give retirees a raise are being considered by Congress.) The maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax will also remain the same at $106,800.
[See America's Best Affordable Places to Retire.]

Higher Medicare Part B premiums for some. Most current Social Security recipients will continue to pay $96.40 each month for Medicare Part B medical insurance, the same amount as in 2009. But for new enrollees, Medicare Part B monthly premiums will be $110.50, a 15 percent increase from 2009 prices. Retirees with incomes greater than $85,000 ($170,000 for couples) also will pay higher premiums, ranging from $154.70 to $353.60 each month, depending on the income reported on their 2008 tax return.

Read More