Mar
6
Is Long-Term Care More Important to Women Than Men?
Filed Under Kansas City Elder Care, Kansas and Missouri Alzheimer's Care, Kansas and Missouri Nursing Homes | 6 Comments
I could hear the panic in Mary’s voice. Her husband Joe’s health had been steadily declining for years, and Mary has been his primary caregiver. But last week he fell at home, breaking his hip, and now he’s in a subacute facility. The recovery process hasn’t gone well, in part because of Joe’s age and partly because of the toll that Alzheimer’s has taken on his mind. Mary is now facing the prospect of either long term care at a cost of $11,000 per month or, in an effort to keep the cost down, trying to bring him home and provide much of the care herself, supplementing it with a few hours of home aide assistance. “Joe never wanted to talk about long term care and so we never did plan for this,” she tells me. It’s a classic scenario and one that, so often, is more damaging to the wife than the husband. How so?
Mary’s situation is a typical one. At 72, she’s six years younger than Joe. Add the fact that women have a longer life expectancy than men and chances are that the husband will need long term care first. And if the couple hasn’t planned for it, they’ll likely spend most of their savings on his care. Mary and Joe have $400,000 of assets plus their house. Without any guidance Mary could be left with as little as $109,000 and the house before the State will help pay for Joe’s care.
What about their income? Mary will lose much of that towards Joe’s care. He has Social Security of $1,500 and a pension of $2,500 while Mary has only Social Security of $500 because she spent many years tending to the needs of her family. She’ll get to keep approximately $1,500 of Joe’s income when he qualifies for Medicaid, not enough to meet her expenses. Then, when he dies, she’ll take another hit, because Joe chose the maximum pension for his life. There is no survivor option for Mary. Add to that the fact that she will only receive one Social Security check (Joe’s because it is the larger of the two) and her income will drop to $1,500. It, therefore, is so important for Mary to protect as much of their assets as she can to replace the income she loses.
And when Mary does need care it will likely be more expensive and difficult to administer. Why? Because she won’t have a healthy spouse living with her to care for her at home. Chances are she’ll need to hire more care, and she’ll be more likely to need nursing home care earlier. Her children will need to take on a greater role to fill the void.
One more thing. Mary’s concern about keeping costs down is causing her to take on more of the caregiver role herself. That can take a physical and emotional toll and may contribute to a more rapid decline in Mary’s health. Had the couple planned for this possibility well in advance, tapping into available sources of payment such as long term care insurance or government benefits, Mary would be more inclined to pay for additional help.
When you consider all these factors together, it becomes clear that, for many couples, it is the woman who is at greater risk. Mary now realizes it, too. Fortunately, she isn’t too late in reaching out to us. While it would have been better had she called us sooner, we can still help her protect something.
Jul
31
The economic downturn has offered one bright spot for businesses searching for new office space, and we’ve taken advantage of it. Effective August 1, we’ll officially be occupying our new offices at Corporate Woods.
Why the move? We were able to get significantly more space in an excellent location for less than our current lease. With the better lease rates and more flexibility in negotiation, now is a good time for companies to take advantage and save some money. Rental rates are much lower than they were a few years ago so we’re thrilled that we’ve secured a great space to serve our clients in beautiful Corporate Woods. For those of you familiar with this area, Corporate Woods is just west of our current location, so we’ve moved (almost literally) across the street!
One thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to our clients. We know families have many questions when faced with the difficult task of finding and paying for long-term care for a loved one, and we’re here to help. Give us a call now. We can assist with Medicaid qualification and planning, Estate Planning as well as Wills and Trusts, Powers of Attorney, etc. (See FreeSeniorWorkshops.com for a list of our upcoming seminars on these subjects). Initial consultations are always free. Visit our web site at www.kcelderlaw.com for more information or to request free material. We look forward to being of service.
We hope to see you in our new offices soon!
Jan
7
UMKC Training Social Workers to Help Seniors in Kansas and Missouri
Filed Under Kansas City Elder Care | 2 Comments
Great writeup in the Kansas City star on UMKC’s program aimed at training social workers to become more effective in their work with Kansas and Missouri seniors:
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/954642.html
Jul
8
More Helpful Hints for Kansas and Missouri Alzheimer’s Caregivers
Filed Under Kansas City Elder Care, Kansas and Missouri Alzheimer's Care | 4 Comments
Caring for a friend or family member can present a variety of challenges…here are some more helpful hints that our Alzheimer’s Resource Center have found to be effective. As always, please feel free to contact us or request our free guide to caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease in Kansas and Missouri if you have any questions that aren’t answered here.
Is your loved one crying? Depressed? Wanting to be alone? Wanting to stay in bed?
We all have a right to our blue days, and at times, the person with this disease just feels deeply sad. They sense the changes in their lives, and they feel their losses. Put your arms around them and say it’s okay to cry, it’s okay to feel sad. Bit by bit, you may coax them up and about. Try old, familiar stories or old familiar prayers. If they refuse still to get up, come back in a little while and try again, or have a different person try. Music can make an extraordinary difference. Play music they once loved; it will help them to reconnect to life.
In this case, you will be involved in a lot of physical care. Use touch. Stroking and rubbing of hands and feet (unless medically not advised for some other reason) will help keep the person “in touch,†and help with circulation to prevent skin breakdown. Your loved one will also need to be turned from side to back to the other side at regular intervals to prevent skin breakdown, commonly called bedsores.
Is your loved one bedfast (i.e. unable to get out of bed at all, or only with great effort)
Even if the person cannot move on their own, they can be repositioned — such as moved to an upright chair, or a recliner if available. They can therefore be involved in the social activity going on around them and can be a part of it, too. Don’t forget pet therapy or music.
A home health nurse can give instructions on how to do exercises that are appropriate for your loved one.