In most traditional practices, the patient pays the physician indirectly through his or her insurance. In a direct primary care practice, the patient pays the physician directly. The significance of this is that the direct primary care physician serves the health interests of the patient rather than the insurer, has lower overhead due to not having to file insurance claims, and can spend more time with their patients.  This is different from a concierge practice, [...]

Did you know hospice and palliative care are not just for the last few days of life? In fact, patients who seek services sooner often find more peace, less pain, and more "living" during the last months, weeks, and days of their lives. Also, many assume hospice care is just for cancer patients when in fact some of the most common diagnoses of hospice patients include Congestive Heart Failure, Alzheimer's, COPD, and cancer. Having conversations [...]

My dad grew up in another time. There's no way he would agree to seeing a therapist, or would he? There is no way around it. Growing old, whether you are caring for a parent or you are the parent yourself, often provides situations which are stressful and can be very emotional. Many seniors grew up during a time when they coped with difficult emotions by simply grinning and baring it. We now know that [...]

Many physicians gave up making home visits at the turn of last century, however a relatively new practice differentiates themselves by going to the home of all its patients. As people age and lose mobility and tire more easily, a simple visit to the doctor's office--where there is a real risk of being exposed to whatever virus is going around--becomes more daunting. While it was common practice a century ago for physicians to visit their [...]

When there's a pack of dogs chasing you in your dreams every night, it might be an indicator of severe caregiver burnout. It's time to care for the caregiver. To read the entire article, visit: https://www.wral.com/reaching-the-edge-caregiver-burnout/17420264/

Are you having a hard time managing your mom's doctors' appointments, meds, and in-home services from a distance? Maybe you need an Aging Life Care Manager? Another critical and relatively recently-established profession is an Aging Life Care Manager (formerly known as a Geriatric Care Manager). I recently asked Meike Wiest, MSW, CMC, an Advanced Professional Aging Life Care™ Manager at Lifelinks, to answer some questions. To read the entire article, visit: https://www.wral.com/what-is-an-aging-life-care-manager-/17396537/

What distinguishes a geriatrician from a regular internist and when should you seek the help of one? It wasn't just one or two people who asked me if I knew Dr. Parsons, an old school physician and geriatrician who has practiced medicine for almost 40 years, caring not only for older patients, but in some cases, up to three generations within a single family. He set up an office in downtown Raleigh in a non-descript, [...]

Navigating mom's recent hospitalization and skilled rehab stay, especially if you are an adult child living at a distance, is untenable. How can you guarantee she is getting the best care? A Professional Healthcare advocate can help. Professional health care advocates are a new and growing profession in the elder care world, especially given how dispersed many families are. I recently reached out to Nancy Ruffner, President of Navigate NC, a local advocacy agency based in [...]

Susan Stanhope, of Moving Elders with Ease, recently answered my questions about finding a senior move manager to help move mom from home to her new apartment in Assisted Living. To read the entire article, go to: https://www.wral.com/what-is-a-senior-move-manager-/17379657/

No one has the time or wherewithal to become a jack-of-all trades when caring for their declining parents. To fill the needs, many new and emerging professions have come to the fore. For the month of March, I will be profiling some key ones through interviewing local experts. Elder Law Attorney Janna Wallace, of Omega Law, was kind enough to answer questions for today's post. To read the entire article, go to: https://www.wral.com/what-is-an-elder-law-attorney/17379510/