Technology For Aging in Place
The next wave of advances in aging in place technology is focused more on incorporating software programs and monitoring device into the home.
A Little Bit of Twitter
I am finding that Twitter is becoming a more important part of my social media diet.
Aging in Community
Aging in community presents a viable and appealing third option to institutional long-term care or “aging-in-place” that fosters and draws on social capital.
Driving Senior Services Over the Fiscal Cliff
With the election behind him, Barack Obama’s first item of business will be dealing with the fiscal cliff–that toxic combination of tax increases and automatic spending cuts that are due to kick in on Jan 2, unless Congress acts to delay or replace them with a long-term deficit reduction plan. Going over the cliff would mean deep cuts in a [...]
Innovating Your In-Home Care Search
Search smarter not harder. From the article Family Caregivers Now Have a Better and Easier Way to Search On-line for In-home Care Services
We Need Better Ways to Train and Support Family Caregivers
Last week, I wrote about an important new survey of family caregivers that shows nearly half are performing work that is often done by nurses, such as managing medications, caring for wounds, and operating medical equipment. The report, by AARP and United Hospital Fund, sheds important light on the often unrecognized role of these family caregivers. And [...]
Robyn Stone: Making it Easier to Age in Place
“Aging in place isn’t as easy as it sounds.” I heard these words recently from a friend who lost her husband less than a year ago. Her face still showed the strain of her years of caregiving, and now she worries that she won’t be able to rem…
Best Place and Best Way To Die: My Secret Strategy
Most of us oldsters would prefer to stay at home until we’re carted off. The ideal scenario: do this surrounded by loving, caring family and friends. But all too often, this set-up isn’t possible. (I’ve found a way that I think may work, which I’l…
Finding the Right Living Situation for an Aging Parent
When my father Frank suffered a serious fall and no longer felt safe living alone in his retirement home in Mount Dora, Florida, we were lucky to have a very competent geriatric care manager on the scene. Elinor and her staff were well known to Dad.
Review of Home Health Care Agencies
How safe and conscientious are home health care agencies? As one might expect, there is a huge range. From a recent report in the American Geriatrics Society Journal however, far to many such agencies have poor hiring and screening practices … Continue reading →
What Does it Take to Age in Place?
Along with 95% of the population over 55, Bill and I hope to live out our days at home in our South Denver retirement cottage. In fact, aging in place is at the forefront of our thoughts these days. We are learning that it requires preparation. W…
Reverse Mortgages Fall Short of Their Potential, Says a New Government Report
Reverse mortgages, which hold great promise as a way for the frail elderly to pay for long-term care costs while living at home, are failing to do the job. Few homeowners ever take out these loans, and those who do, paradoxically, may be putting their financial security in old age at greater risk. According to [...]
How To Build A Network For Parents Aging In Place
If you’re looking out for a parent in declining health who continues to live alone, and who resides more than an hour’s drive away, consider yourself a long-distance caregiver. It’s a hard role to fill alone, but an informal network of eyes and ears can provide crucial aid. These supporters can be neighbors, friends, parishioners, even a mail carrier or the pizza delivery person.
A Hospital Stay—In Your Own Home
What if you could be admitted to the hospital—in your own bedroom? That’s the idea of a health care model called Hospital at Home, which is aimed at elderly patients with diseases such as congestive heart failure, emphysema, urinary tract infections, or pneumonia. According to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, people [...]
Why Do Hill Republicans Want to Make Home and Community Care So Hard?
Why would House Republicans slash programs that make it possible for the frail elderly and adults with disabilities to live at home? Especially since the alternative would often be more costly nursing home care. GOP lawmakers say they support Medicaid’s Home and Community Based programs that provide long-term services and supports in the community rather than [...]
9 Need-to-Know Technologies for Caregivers
Caregiving | Home & Family | TechnologyCan you say the Jetsons? Increasingly, family caregivers are getting a helping hand through high-tech products and services. Bone up on these trends: GPS safety technology provides the location of the wearer: devices can be used on the wrist, as a clip-on, or on a pendant. Some cars and smart phones have them – enabling you to speak or touch your desired destination – and see or hear turn-by-turn instructions. Promoted: Join AARP Live’s “Town Hall” on May 17th to …
Elderproofing the Yard
“The only way I am leaving this house is in a body bag,” asserted one of our new friends, a founder of the Denver virtual village now known as A Little Help. Along with Bill and me and 90% of those responding to a recent AARP survey, she prefers …
Robot Caregivers?
Caregiving | Home & Family | TechnologyWith a shortage of caregivers, some researchers and healthcare professionals are turning in a new direction: Robots. A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses the value of Paro, a robot that looks like a baby seal. It’s being tested on dementia and autism patients in long-term facilities, but could also be used at home. That is, if you have $6,000. The Japanese-born Paro has a cry that sounds like a seal—we all know what that is, right?— weighs about the size of …
Sen. Corker: Long-Term Care is “Heading for a National Crisis”
Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn) warned today that long-term care financing is “a major train wreck” and “heading for a national crisis.” Corker, the senior Republican on the Senate Aging Committee, said he was very worried about the viability of private long-term care insurance and added , “there is no doubt there is a public sector role” [...]
A Retirement Journal: The Bottom Line
Many years ago our wonderful accountant Darv gave us the magic number. He suggested that we needed to step up our savings in order to have $500,000 put away to support us during our retirement years. Since at that moment our combined IRA’s and 40…
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