About me
Elders desire a life with good health, dignity, economic independence and finally a peaceful death. They long for care, love and affection. Understanding their needs and concerns, will ensure their good health. Lending an emotional support to the elders keep them jovial, which is inevitably the ideal way to live a healthy life. However, for many people, providing care and attention to elders is not possible due to work priorities.
Elders suffering from cognitive challenges' undergo serious personality changes; at this point they need care and attention. When they are left unattended, most of them are gripped with overwhelming feelings of dejection, purposelessness; some of them even turn violent. Regardless of the fact that many of us know that aging is a natural progression and it has its own shortcoming, most of us tend to ignore this and resort to an unruly approach.
When is Elder Care Necessary?
Elder care is not always an absolute; in fact, some senior citizens never require any type of care to live independently in their later years. However, elder care often becomes an issue when a loved one begins experiencing difficulty with activities of daily living (ADLs), both safely and independently. ADLs may include cooking, cleaning, shopping, dressing, bathing, driving, taking meds, etc.
A general decline in health is often the impetus for the introduction of elder care, as it may indicate a waning ability to independently handle activities of daily living. For example, senility, which usually comes on at a gradual pace, may mean that a person who once remembered to take medication on time is now having difficulty doing so. Failing eyesight may mean your loved one is gradually losing the ability to move safely about the house, or advanced arthritis may mean he or she is having difficulty getting in and out of the bathtub without assistance.
The need for elder care may also happen quickly, as is the case if your loved one is recovering from a broken hip or recently had a stroke and is still suffering the cognitive and/or physical effects.
What is constant, however, is that elder care may be needed when a health condition –whether physical, cognitive, or even emotional – hinders the ability to safely complete activities of daily living.
Family members or a doctor are usually the first to recognize a need for elder care. The type of elder care that is right for your loved one, however, is largely dependent upon the type of health conditions he or she suffers from, the severity of the conditions, and the deficiencies experienced as a result.
Ways to Cover Geriatric Care Manager Costs
Most geriatric care managers charge by the hour (ranging from $100-145 per hour) and the initial cost of an evaluation can be extremely expensive. While some families hire a care manager for just a one-time assessment, many choose to keep a care manager involved throughout the care process, finding that having an expert involved may even save money in the long run.
It’s important to note that most insurance plans will not cover the cost of a geriatric care manager and Medicare will not pay for their services. Most families that hire a geriatric care manager do so at their own expense.
If a geriatric care manager is not in your family budget, there are alternatives to help you navigate the complex and sometimes confusing world of senior care:
Senior Advisers: These are regional representatives that can help you locate a local senior living community in a specific area. Advisers are paid through communities, so services are free to families. This is a great option for families who have already decided to make the move to senior living and want help in choosing the best community for their parent or senior loved one’s needs.
The Senior Source: The Senior Source offers geriatric care managers for an hourly fee, but also provides information, resources for families and support groups to make educated decisions about caretaker for patient at home for patient at home. With information about end-of-life-planning, hospice, in-home services, inter-state moves, legal services and mental health services, The Senior Source can help families begin to sort through their options in an organized and methodical way.
How Can an Elder Law Attorney Help Me?
An elder law attorney can help with any one of the following:
Discuss the importance of wills and estate planning, including planning for a minor or adult with special needs, probate proceedings, and other matters.
Create a durable power of attorney.
Provide help with health care and planning, including long term care options, patient rights, Medicare, and health care power of attorney.
Financial representation: financial planning (including durable financial power of attorney), housing opportunities and planning, income, estate, and gift tax matters.
Guardianship: help with the selection and appointment of a legal guardian.
Help locate long term care facilities and manage assisted living cost.
Explain nursing home resident rights and help file nursing home claims.
Draft a living will or other advance directives, including a durable power of attorney and long term planning documents.
How Do Elder Law Attorneys Bill for Their Services?
Elder law attorneys generally charge by the hour based on the type of work. In some cases, elder law attorneys charge a predetermined flat rate charge based on the type of work, such as review and signing of documents, filing of tax returns, and will preparation.