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Articles Posted in Home Care

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iStock_000023479361SmallEveryone yearns for time to relax and refresh during the summer months – especially sun-starved New Englanders. But if you’re a family caregiver, a ‘carefree’ vacation may be hard to come by.

–      If you leave town, who will take your place?

–      If you bring your loved one with you, will your vacation venue be equipped for their special needs?

There’s a lot to think about. But with good planning, you can take a breather from caregiving and give yourself a well-deserved break.

Here are some helpful suggestions: Continue reading

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Dementia, whether caused by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or some other disease, creates a very particular and emotionally fraught set of challenges for both patients and caregivers. When you’re navigating your way through this heartbreaking landscape of gradual memory loss, impaired reasoning, and personality changes, you need all the support you can get. You may be surprised to learn about one valuable resource that is too often overlooked – hospice.

Our previous post Hospice and Dementia: Not What You Might Assume, explored some specific ways hospice can help. This piece will talk about its benefits and when you should reach out to hospice.

Hospice is often misunderstood

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Angels-300x214By Carol Frances, Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri

Hospice care is misunderstood. I want to spread the news to all caregivers of loved ones with dementia, that this support system (provided, in my opinion, by angels) may not be what you assume.

When my mom fell at the dementia unit of a California assisted living facility, her physician ordered hospice care. I was confused why she did this as although my mom was certainly declining – she needed help being fed, which is not uncommon for people with advancing dementia – she wasn’t near dying and could still talk and walk.

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grandfather-on-the-porch-519288-mMany people believe that assisted living in Connecticut is out of reach for the average older adult, financially speaking, especially since our state is even pricier than other nearby states. But here’s some good news: the State of Connecticut supports several assisted living programs for individuals and couples with modest means.

According to the Department of Social Services’ website: “Assisted living bridges the gap between independent living and nursing homes. Assisted living is designed for people who want to live in a community setting and who need help with activities of daily living (ADLs), but who do not need as much care as they would receive at a nursing home.”

Why does the state want to help you stay out of a nursing home? Continue reading

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wageIf you employ a home care worker either for yourself or to help care for a family member, you understand first hand just how vital their services are to maintaining quality of life. The value of these hard-working professionals is hard to measure in only dollars and cents, but ensuring that they are fairly compensated is one way to show sincere appreciation.

In addition, though many people don’t realize it, there are federal laws that protect home care workers. As a potential employer of a home care worker, it’s important to educate yourself about these rules and make sure that you are in compliance with them. Continue reading

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Happy senior mother and daughter portraitTransfers of assets generally raise a red flag when it comes to applying for Medicaid. They can trigger a penalty period, or a period of ineligibility. The good news is the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) will allow certain types of Medicaid asset transfers.

For example, a family caregiver can be compensated for providing care to a loved one if the care they provide is necessary.

Make a caregiver agreement

The individual must demonstrate a functional need for assistance with one or more activities of daily living. The type of care provided must be spelled out in a caregiver agreement, and certain conditions must be met. We will discuss the conditions later in this post. Continue reading

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iStock_000007924623SmallYou did well financially, and when the time came to move to assisted living you never considered the possibility that you might run out of money.

But you didn’t expect to live this long! And now that you need more help, it’s even more expensive to live.

What do you do?

The State of Connecticut created the Private Assisted Living Pilot Program – available for up to 125 qualifying individuals in Connecticut who have spent down their assets as a result of living in private assisted living facilities. Continue reading

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iStock_000018435449SmallIndependent Living. Assisted Living. Nursing Home. What do these terms mean? How are they different from each other? And which one is right for you? Take a look here to learn what each one is all about.

Independent Living

Maybe you’re starting to think that a little more help would make life easier. You’re still living in the two-story house you raised your kids in. Maybe your spouse is gone, or maybe not, living is just getting to be too much.

Your daughter wonders aloud if you’d be happier in a retirement community where everything is Continue reading

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WomanRelaxingIf you’re a caregiver, you need some time for yourself. Away from the juggling of your family’s needs, medical appointments, and responsibilities of work.  You need respite care.

Respite care is substitute care given to your loved one so you can take a break and get some relief from the burden of care giving.

It can be for an hour, a day, a weekend, on a regular basis or just one time.

As elder law attorneys we see first hand the desperate situation many of our caregivers are in. We’re so concerned about it that we recently launched an initiative to improve the availability of respite programs.

Studies have shown that caregivers are at increased risk of depression and other health problems. By taking care of yourself, with adequate sleep, nutritious meals and exercise, you will increase your energy, your well-being, your morale, and your ability to provide that care. Reaching out for help from a respite program can be just what you need. Continue reading

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