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Geriatric Care Management Nurses

We create PARENT CARE solutions

115 Metro Park (back entrance) Rochester, NY 14623

5 8 5 - 4 2 4 - 2 4 2 4

ARTICLES & ANSWERS

Senior Life and Jennifer Meagher RN are featured on the WHEC News 10 website: www.WHEC.com. Jennifer answers questions from people like you and writes an article as well. She’s been writing for News 10 since 2007.

The most common questions asked of Senior Life are about life planning; options, costs and decisions. These letters and articles outline some of the considerations. Need more information? Book a consultation for complete information for your situation.

DEMENTIA DEMENTIA: DIGNITY and SECONDARY CONCERNS DEMENTIA: A FRIEND’S DENIAL and WHY DIAGNOSIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN DAYS AND NIGHTS ARE CONFUSED DRIVING WITH DEMENTIA		LIFE PLANNNING DECISIONS and FINANCES STAYING HOME MOVING MEDICAID

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE MOM AND GUILT ARTICLE CRITICAL MOTHERS AND LAZY SIBLINGS PERSONALITY DISORDER AND BAD PARENT VENGEANCE CRITICAL BROTHERS AND LONG DISTANCE FAMILIES SPLITTING UP PARENT’S VALUABLES

DECISIONS and FINANCES

Dear Jennifer,

My parents need help. They aren’t doing very well at their house. My mother has dementia and she needs watching. My father has to keep an eye on her every minute. She’s tried to get out of the house in the middle of the night because she thinks she hears children crying. He wakes up all night with her. My father is losing weight. And he still doesn’t want her to live anywhere but home. I have called home care companies, but my parents don’t have the finances to pay for more than about a year and then they will be broke. I looked online and checked with other geriatric care managers, but I’d like your opinion.

Thank you.

Lauren

Dear Lauren,

Your parents are at two different levels of care and this is something many couples go through. The first consideration is safety. Your mom and dad must be “safe enough.” Right now, they aren’t. Your mom could end up in the news as a missing confused elder, which would be particularly devastating at this time of year.

I advise you to make decisions that you will not regret later. It isn’t wise to ignore the problem or cross your fingers that everything will go along alright. (You already realize that, which is why you are writing.) Years in the future we cannot come back to today to make different decisions. So, do you fight with your father, or let things go along “as is?”

It helps to imagine scenarios and consider how you will feel with the outcomes:

	1.	What if your father wears himself out so greatly his health fails and he is hospitalized?
	2.	What if there is a crisis and a need to make decisions quickly – will you get the outcomes you wish?
	3.	What if your mother gets out of the house and strays away?
	4.	Will your father fall apart if they are separated, will he fall apart?
	5.	What if they run out of money? Then what?

It is a lot to consider, and requires a coming together of the minds. Safety has to come first. Keep reading; there’s more in today’s article, the first in a series.

Warmly,

Jennifer

LIFE PLANNING- PART ONE of a four part series: FINANCES

Benefits include:

	1.	Veteran’s pension called “Aide and Attendance”
	2.	Long term care insurance use
	3.	Medicare and personal health insurance coverages
	4.	Medicaid programs. NOTE: it can take 3 -12 months for Medicaid to approve your application. (They have been very backed up this year.)
	5.	Tapping into no cost/ low cost programs through Lifespan

Housing and care costs PER YEAR include: (These prices are the most common pricing at present).

	1.	Independent Living costs. $21,600 (studio apartment) to $33,600 (or more if you go super deluxe)
	2.	Assisted Living costs $54,000- $66,000 per year; there may be a community running a special with lower prices; and there are communities with super deluxe spaces at higher prices. NOTE: there are a small handful of Assisted Living Communities which take Medicaid as payment. (Includes Memory Care communities.)
	3.	Enhanced Assisted Living costs roughly $78,000 or more.
	4.	Nursing Homes costs $144,000 - $168,000. Yikes.
	5.	Staying home with 24 hour home care – sit down and take a breath – this costs roughly $190,000! I bet a lot of you thought this would be less, didn’t you? This is 24hour coverage. Cut this in half for 12 hours per day service and half again for 6 hours and so forth.

Note: staying home feels less expensive – FINANCIALLY, but it can be more expensive to WELLNESS.

Serving Upstate NY with Remote Services Available Throughout the USA
115 Metro Park (back entrance) Rochester, NY 14623
info@seniorlifegcm.com
585.424.2424

ARTICLES & ANSWERS

DEMENTIA

LIFE PLANNNING

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

DECISIONS and FINANCES

LIFE PLANNING- PART ONE of a four part series: FINANCES

Benefits include:

Housing and care costs PER YEAR include: (These prices are the most common pricing at present).