How to Plan for Long Term Medical Care

As we Baby Boomers begin to age, sooner or later two out of three of us are likely to need Long Term Medical Care.  Approximately one of five will need that care for more than five years!  If you are married, the odds are extremely high that either you or your spouse will need assisted living or a nursing home in the coming years.

Long Term Care is Expensive

Unfortunately, the cost of these services is quite high.  For example, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal dated October 27, 2012 and entitled "The Cost of Living Longer," the average basic cost for assisted living in the United States ranges from $2751 to $4807 a month, depending on the number of services needed. In addition to the basic cost, however, patients should plan on paying about $347 for medication management, $236 for dressing assistance, $181 for bathing assistance and $504 for other personal care each month. That means the total cost of total care is approximately $4000 to $6000 a month. The cost of this has gone up about 2 to 4 percent every year since 2012.

It is easy to see that the cost of these services will quickly sky-rocket out of reach for most families.  Fortunately, there are steps we can all take now to make sure our future care is more affordable and less stressful for our other family members.

Buy Long Term Care Insurance

While you are still in your 50's or early 60's, look into the cost of purchasing Long Term Care Insurance from a reputable company like Genworth, one of the country's largest providers of this insurance coverage.  My husband and I purchased this insurance about five years ago, and we are glad we did.  The younger you are when you purchase Long Term Care Insurance, the less you will have to pay in premiums.

However, although this insurance will bring you peace of mind, it only helps if you are able to qualify for it and afford it.  If you wait until you have a serious medical problem you will not be approved or the premiums may be too high.  In those cases, you should look at the other money saving options that may be available to you, and let your family members know your preferences.  Here are some possibilities.

Long Term Benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs

A war veteran or their spouse may each receive as much as $2020 a month in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs to help pay for the cost of assisted living or nursing home care.  When combined with your other retirement benefits, this may be enough to cover the cost of your long-term care. The veteran only needs to have served in the military for at least one day during a war ... including the wars in Vietnam, Korea, etc.  They do not need to have served in a war zone while the war was going on.

If you think you may qualify, you can get more information and help with your application by going to www.va.gov.  Then click on "Locations" - "State Veterans Affairs Offices" - "Veterans Service Organizations" or "Regional Benefits Offices."  Unfortunately, I have been told that at many as 60 percent of claims are denied the first time you apply.  If you are denied, you may want to get help with the application from a service organization such as Veterans of Foreign Wars.  Do NOT give up.  You are entitled to these benefits.

Medicaid Long Term Care for Low and Moderate Income Individuals

Many people confuse Medicaid and Medicare.  However, they are different government programs.

Medicare will only pay for the first 100 days of nursing home care.  After that, you are on your own if you have assets and a moderate to high income.

However, Medicaid will pay for most long-term care for low-income and many moderate income people, especially those with very few assets.  In the case of a couple, the spouse who does not need care is allowed to keep some assets, a home and, possibly, a business ... although they may be expected to contribute to the care of the spouse who is in the assisted living facility.

If you believe that you may qualify for Medicaid, you or your family members should apply as soon as you go into a nursing facility for care that is being covered by Medicare.  The people in the facility can help you with your application.  There are also private companies, such as Nursing Home Solutions and A Place for Mom, which can help you with the application and find an assisted living situation, if you qualify. In California, Medicaid is called MediCal.

Independent Living Apartments instead of Assisted Living

Assisted Living can be very expensive and many people do not need that level of care.  As an alternative, some people are moving into independent living apartments that provide local transportation, meals, exercise classes and other services.  Then the family can hire a caregiver who only comes in a couple of times a week or a few hours a day to provide other essential services, such as help with medication, bathing, getting dressed, etc.

To help you compare the cost of home healthcare in your community, use Medicare's Home Healthcare tool at http://medicare.gov/homehealthcompare.

This choice is very common, for example, in the senior community where I live, Laguna Woods Village. In fact, it is common in most independent living retirement villages. In our community, many seniors stay in a typical condo or move to a high rise within the community known as Rossmoor Towers.  For about $2300 to $2800 a month, an individual or couple in the Towers has a private apartment with a full dinner provided every evening, and weekly housekeeping.  Each condo has a kitchen where the residents or their caregivers can prepare their own breakfast and lunch.  Many of the residents of the Towers share caregivers with their neighbors.  The caregivers arrive in the morning and help different residents with their meals, medications, bathing, dressing, etc.  Even with the additional cost of the caregiver, this arrangement makes it possible for a couple to stay together in their own private residence, even if one of them needs assistance with daily living.  The Towers are also far less expensive than the surrounding skilled nursing facilities.

Home Health Care - Age in Place

Similar to moving to the Towers, some people simply choose to remain in their own home and hire a caregiver to come to their home each day and provide the necessary assistance.  Whether or not this saves money depends on the cost of living in the current residence.  This may not be feasible for someone who lives in an expensive home with a large mortgage or for someone who will need a lot of personal assistance plus the cost of a housekeeper, landscape workers, etc.  However, it has become a popular and affordable option for many people.

Adult Day Services and Respite Care for Those Getting Care at Home

Another alternative is for the person who needs assistance to live with an adult child or other family member.  This can be stressful for the family members who are placed in the role of caretaker.  Consequently, being able to take an elderly person with dementia or other medical problems to adult day care makes it possible for the full time caregiver to work, run errands or just have a break each day.

Whether you use adult day care services or not, you may also occasionally need respite care. It is available in many areas.  Respite care is provided by many assisted living facilities to enable relatives to leave an older adult in their facility for a few days so that their family members can leave town or deal with a family emergency without worry.

Inform Your Adult Children or Other Relatives of Your Preferences

Once you decide on the type of care that you would like to receive when you are older, it is important that you inform your spouse, adult children or other relatives of your desires.  If you have purchased Long Term Care Insurance, give a copy of your policy to your nearest relative in case you are incapacitated.  If you know of independent living apartments that appeal to you or where you already have friends, inform your relatives of your selection.  If you would like to continue to live in your home as long as possible, others will need to know this, as well.  Finally, if you hope to live with your adult children or other relatives, you should discuss this possibility with them long before you become disabled.

If you would like additional information about where to retire, common medical issues as we age, changing family relationships or financial planning, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You may also be interested in reading:

Healing Relationships with Your Adult Children
Patient Safety in the Hospital Near You
Laguna Woods Village Active Adult Community
Garden Spot Village Community for Seniors in PA

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo of private room in medical facility courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Patient Safety in the Hospital Near You

Patient safety in the hospital has become an important issue.  According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 180,000 patients die every year from hospital mistakes, accidents and infections.  An additional 1.4 million people are seriously harmed during their hospital stay.  Although we will never be able to completely eliminate hospital errors, there are steps that can be taken to minimize them.

How to Find the Safest Hospital in Your Community

Your first step will be to locate the safest hospital in your area, and then select physicians who are affiliated with that hospital.  There are several websites that rank hospital safety:

http://hospitalsafetyscore.org
http://hospitalcompare.hhs.gov

When I entered the local hospitals in my area into hospitalsafetyscore.org, I discovered that the ones where I am most likely to be taken were all given a rating of "A."  That was a relief, because there were a number of hospitals in my county that had a rating of "C" and "B."  One even had a score of "F."  Hospital Safety Score rates a number of items including the hospital's computerized prescriber order entry system, hand hygiene, care of ventilated patients, correct antibiotic use, frequency of incidents in which a foreign object was left in a surgical patient and accidental cuts or tears from medical treatment. 

When I searched the database for local hospitals on hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, I was able to compare my local hospitals and look for differences in issues such as readmission  or death rates for heart attack and pneumonia patients, number of heart attack patients given aspirin or fibrinolytic medication upon arrival, and the results of patient surveys.

Armed with this information, I felt much more confident in the hospitals I may need to use in the future.

How to Prevent Infections and Mistakes During Your Hospital Stay

No matter how your local hospital rates, you and your loved ones can also do a few things to improve patient outcomes.  If you are the patient or the close relative of a patient, you need to do everything you can to reduce the risk of mistakes and injuries during a hospital stay.  Even though you are dependent on the medical staff for major activities, such as treatment during surgery, you can still remain proactive and take some responsibility for the quality of your care.  Here are some steps you can take:

You may be in pain, but try to be pleasant.  You are more likely to receive better care and quicker attention if you and your relatives obey hospital rules and treat all staff members like they are friends, not enemies.

Politely ask everyone to wash their hands ... your visitors as well as the hospital staff, including doctors, nurses and aides.

Be observant of your bandages.  Make sure they cover any wounds or incisions and that the bandages are kept clean and changed regularly.

Follow pre-op and post-op instructions carefully.  Take antibiotics as directed and take the full amount of the prescribed medicine.  Ask a family member to be with you when you are given the instructions so that someone else, who has not been on anesthesia, knows exactly what you should and should not do.

Pay attention if you will be using a catheter or other medical device. Be certain that you and a family member both know how to use it correctly.

Wash your own hands before you touch a wound, bandage, catheter or other device.  Your immune system will be weakened after surgery or a major health event.  Don't challenge it even more.

If you follow all these steps in choosing a high quality hospital and taking personal responsibility for your care, your patient safety in the hospital should not be a major problem.

What to do If You Think Something is Wrong After a Hospital Stay

Pay attention to how you are feeling during the next two weeks after surgery or a hospital stay. If you begin to feel worse, develop a fever, start vomiting or experience other unexpected symptoms, call your doctor immediately.

If you had surgery and the area around your incision begins to look worse, becomes swollen or hot to the touch, has an unexpected discharge, or red streaks begin to extend out from it, you should also call your physician.  It may have become infected.

If you are interested in learning more about common medical issues as we age, changing family relationships, where to retire or financial planning, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

You may also be interested in reading:

Healing Relationships with Your Adult Children
Sexually Transmitted Diseases After Age 50
Foods That Lower Your Cholesterol
Exercises that Help Fibromyalgia
Doctor Housecalls Provide Home Medical Care
Aging and Tips to Prevent Hip Injuries

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo courtesy of www.morguefile.com

How to Start Over after a Disaster - When You Have Lost Everything

I remember hearing a few years ago that one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy were the barrier islands off the coast of New Jersey.  Many of the homes on these islands were completely wiped out. At the time, CBS reported that the situation was especially difficult for these residents because a substantial number of them were retirees in their 60's, 70's and 80's.  Starting over is going to take a long time, and many of these people are understandably overwhelmed by all that they have lost.

Every year, thousands of other people lose their homes and property to fires, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters.

While there is no easy way to come to grips with this kind of devastation, especially when it happens to us, there are steps that people can take to help them through these difficult times.

How to Deal with Starting Over

Here are some actions that people can take to get through these trying times:

1.  Get help.  Many of us have grown accustomed to handling everything ourselves.  We are reluctant to accept help, even when it is available.  This is one of those times when we need to accept help.  Be grateful for any assistance that is offered to you, whether it is a place to stay, replacement clothing, or a friend who helps you try to salvage whatever you can from the ruins of your home.  The American Red Cross has a long history of providing assistance to people who need short-term emergency assistance.

2.  Deal with the business of starting over.  Talk to your insurance agent and FEMA representatives as soon as possible.  Gather all the information you can, and make the necessary decisions once you understand your options. Sometimes we simply want to freeze in place.  However, it is better for us emotionally as well as financially if we take action as soon as we are physically and mentally capable of making reasonable decisions.

3.  Seek out counseling.  If you have been through a disaster like Hurricane Sandy, you may be experiencing shock or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and not realize it.  Whether you seek counseling from your church, a private therapist or decide to join a group therapy program, you will find it helpful to talk about what you have been through.  Share your circumstances with others, and let them share theirs with you.  You will both find that you feel better afterwards.

4.  If your sadness does overwhelm you and you feel crushed and hopeless, see your physician. He may be able to prescribe something that will help you regain your equilibrium so that you are able to move forward.

Minimizing Your Losses

If you are in a situation in which you are being asked to evacuate, you can minimize your feelings of loss and confusion afterwards if you have taken along the right documents and belonging when you evacuate.  In addition to changes of clothing and enough supplies to last a few days, you should also take your valuables and important documents whenever you evacuate.  For a complete list of what you will need, read:

Personal and Financial Protection When Evacuating

Another issue you may face after a disaster is the need to replace your automobile.  Unfortunately, many of the cars that are in floods each year will not be junked; instead, they will be sold to unsuspecting consumers.  Be sure you research the background on any used car you purchase.  Have it inspected.  If you are thinking of purchasing a car that is advertised online, you may also want to read:

You Can Avoid Online Used Car Scams

Finally, when you begin to rebuild your home, you do not want to be victimized again by dishonest people who pretend to be helpful contractors.  In your hurry to get your home rebuilt, criminals known as "storm-chasers" may offer to help you.  All too often this has devastating results.  Before you hire a contractor, read:

Post-Disaster Contractor Fraud

The three articles mentioned above will help you get through this difficult time.  If you have been the victim of a disaster, please feel free to leave comments and let our readers know if you have other suggestions that will make things easier for disaster victims.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

The helpful articles mentioned above are from the blog:  http://Lies-and-Liars.blogspot.com

Photo of hurricane destruction is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Social Security Changes in 2013

Moderately good news was announced recently for retirees who are already receiving their Social Security benefits.  Your Social Security benefits are expected to increase by about 1.7% beginning in January, 2013.  If you are working and receiving Social Security benefits at the same time, the size of your check should increase even more than this because of the increased premiums you have been paying into the system during the past year.

The 1.7% increase is not as much as the 3.6% cost of living adjustment that was received in 2012.  However, since Social Security recipients did not receive any cost of living increase in either 2010 or 2011, it is helpful to be getting any increase at all this coming year.

There are other changes to Social Security that we can expect in 2013 that will affect both those who are working and paying into the system, as well as those who are already retired.

Other Social Security Changes in 2013

Unless the government takes steps to change it, the temporary payroll tax cut will expire at the end of this year, meaning that workers will once again return to paying 6.2 % of their income for Social Security, rather than the 4.2 percent that we have been paying for the past couple of years.  For many workers, this will mean a substantial decrease in the amount of their take-home pay.

Another change will affect people who are retired and collecting Social Security benefits but who are younger than their full retirement age (approximately about age 66).  If they are still working and collecting their reduced Social Security benefits at the same time, they will be able to earn $480 more next year before their Social Security benefits are reduced.  In other words, they can earn $15,120 rather than the current amount of $14,640 before their benefits are reduced.  Once retirees reach full retirement age, they can work, earn as much money as they want, and receive their full benefits without a penalty.

Another change that will benefit some retirees is that the maximum possible monthly benefit for someone who waits until their full retirement age to collect their Social Security benefits will increase to $2,533 a month.

Finally, everyone needs to be aware that, as of March 1, 2013, the Social Security Administration will no longer mail out paper checks.  Instead, beneficiaries can choose to either have their payments deposited directly into a bank account, or their funds will be loaded onto a Direct Express Debit MasterCard.  Doing away with paper checks will save the government money and provide a safer way for people to receive their benefits.

You may also be interested in reading:

Do You Need a Million Dollars to Retire?

Best Places to Retire on $40,000 a Year

Why Some Seniors are Choosing Cohabitation

Best Places to Retire in the United States on $100 a Day

You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Photo of old Social Security card is courtesy of www.en.wikipedia.org/commons

Aging and Tips to Prevent Hip Injuries

The following information was  written specifically for this blog by the DrugWatch website and I felt it would be helpful information that would interest many Baby Boomers as well as older senior citizens and their families. 

Guest Post on the Prevention of Hip Injuries from DrugWatch

Protecting hip health becomes more important with each passing year. As we age, both muscle and bone mass tend to decline. Muscle weakness in the hips can affect balance, leading to falls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three adults over 65 fall each year. Weak bones can make those falls much more dangerous, increasing the risk of hip fractures. Then, there is the daily wear-and-tear, slowly thinning the cartilage that cushions the hip joints, making them more vulnerable to injury and arthritis. Taking good care of your hips can help avoid these problems.

Daily Exercise is Essential to Hip Health

Inactivity speeds age-related bone loss, which can lead to osteoporosis, that brittle bone disease that is at the root of many fractures of the hips and spine in women over 55 and men over 70. Muscles deteriorate quickly without regular exercise, losing mass and strength, affecting balance, endurance and the stability of weight-bearing joints, like the hips and knees, increasing joint wear and the risk of sprains, strains and falls.

On the other hand, making a habit of being active for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week can keep the muscles surrounding your hip joints strong and supple, maintaining solid support for smooth joint function, balance and stability. Bone-loss can be slowed substantially with regular exercise and even reversed to some extent, since putting a bit of stress on bones each day stimulates increased production of new bone cells to repair and strengthen them. Walking, stair climbing, swimming or dancing will all enhance hip health, so find an activity that you enjoy and get active.

Balanced Nutrition Keeps Bones and Muscles Strong

Poor nutrition is a major risk factor for osteoporosis and can contribute to weak muscles, poor balance, joint deterioration and a long list of diseases and conditions that affect overall health. A balanced diet that includes whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean proteins and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is the way to go, and if your appetite isn't what it used to be or you have dietary restrictions, a daily multivitamin with minerals can offer additional nutritional support.

What You Should Know About Hip Replacement

While you can reduce your odds of hip problems or injury, even the most dedicated efforts at protecting hip health can't eliminate risk altogether. Should joint deterioration or injury make surgery necessary for you, there are things you should know about hip replacement to minimize risks.

Hip replacement is generally a very safe procedure and has helped many reclaim their lives after disabling hip problems. However, these procedures have been a bit more troublesome than usual recently, due to issues with faulty hip replacement systems, several of which have been recalled.

Metal-on-metal hip implants have caused most of the trouble, with high rates of implant failures and complications, such as metallosis, a serious problem related to metallic implant debris. An inflammatory condition, metallosis can cause severe pain, tissue death and bone loss at and around the implant site, often leading to implant loosening or failure and revision surgery.

Elizabeth Carrollton uses her background in journalism to write for DrugWatch.com. She is dedicated to educating the public about medical safety and important decisions that can impact a person’s health and life. Much of her work includes editorials pertaining to hip replacements and alternatives to relieve pain, as well as complications and hip recall lawsuit information.

You will find other articles about maintaining good health and personal safety throughout this blog.  Use the tabs or pull-down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

You are reading from the blog http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

This article and the accompanying picture are courtesy of www.DrugWatch.com