Archive for December, 2008
Caregiver Care
Being a caregiver is a tremendous responsibility. It is critical that you remember to take care of yourself when you are facing such challenges.
There are a wealth of resources on the Internet for caregivers:
Family Caregiver Alliance
Family Caregiving 101
National Alliance for Caregiving
Alzheimer’s Association CareFinder
Family Caregiving 101 is one of our favorite sites for caregivers. The site reminds [...]
Social Workers to the Rescue
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 and older will double to over 70 million by 2030.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) reports that this dramatic increase in older Americans will also increase the demand for age related services, programs, and policies.
Registered social workers can help with a host [...]
Surviving the Six Stages of Leaving Your Home
Lately we’ve run across a number of accounts of children of seniors helping their parents make the transitions from fully independent living to some sort of assisted care. Typically, the big decision is whether it’s time to move from a long-time home to some sort of independent arrangement which provides housing and services, but not [...]
Good Interview on NPR with Robert Hayes of the Medicare Rights Center
Joanne Silberner of NPR’s All Things Considered does a nice interview with Robert Hayes of the Medicare Rights Center about picking a Medicare Part D plan for 2009. Some meaty information on things you should consider before the end of the year.
Listen to the story here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98757630
Need Help Navigating Medicare? SHIP is Not Far From Home
We publish SHF because we’ve spent a lot of time researching on our parents’ behalf and thought people shouldn’t have to wander in the wilderness like we did. Yes, we got some help along the way, and when we did, it was a great stress reducer. That’s why when we find a resource like SHIP [...]
Your State May Have a Prescription Drug Price Finder
We’re big fans of local resources because they tend to do a better job of meeting our specific needs. That’s why we were simultaneously excited and disappointed at the prescription drug price finders we found.
A number of states offer tools that will help you find better prices on your prescriptions. We could find twelve state [...]
Need Help With Veteran Benefits?
If you are a U.S. veteran and are in need of assistance with benefits afforded you based on your service in the military, there may be someone nearby that can help you navigate the rules, forms and protocol of the federal government and the military.
The National Association of County Veteran Service Officers is an organization [...]
Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare Site: A Place to Start
An article in the Washington Post about the launch of Medicare’s updated Nursing Home Compare Site yesterday really highlighted the challenges that people face when trying to find a facility. Not only is it a potentially emotional process from the perspective of making a decision on care for a person who is close to you, [...]
10 Essential Questions People Need to Ask when Evaluating Medicare Plans
Allsup, a private Social Security disability claims services company, outlined in a press release, the kinds of things that you need to ask of plans that you may be considering. While we aren’t familiar with Allsup, it’s a good starter list if you’re not familiar with Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans. The questions below and [...]
Choosing a Part D Plan? Can You Say Formulary?
Whether your choosing a standalone prescription plan, or a plan that’s part of a Medicare Advantage plan, you’ll need to know what they cover and for how much. That’s where the formulary comes in. A formulary is a list of prescription drugs covered by a drug benefit plan. It’s usually a long list of drugs [...]