Few people anticipate the significant increases in care costs over time. When I recently compared the cost of a private studio in six Assisted Living communities with relatively similar base rates, I found a difference in cost between the lowest and highest of $56,760/year for those requiring the highest care level.
To read the entire piece...
There are so many reasons now that it is more infrequent than not that we don't get to say good bye in this way--we live far apart; parents fear the kids might be scared; we have so little time, we get lost and overwhelmed with all the chores a death requires--but there is a reason...
Recording conversations with your parents or grandparents need not be complicated or overwhelming. You might even be surprised at what can happen simply by turning your phone recorder on. To see what one neighborhood in Raleigh did, visit OakwoodProject.org
To read the entire article, visit my series on WRAL: https://www.wral.com/recording-stories-the-oakwood-project/17892522/...
There are few decisions as fraught as deciding whether, and if so, where and when to move one's spouse or parent with Alzheimers to a secure memory Care Community. Here are tips culled from Nurse managers who have helped dozens of families weather this transition.
To read the entire article, visit my column on WRAL: https://www.wral.com/tips-for-making-the-move-to-memory-care-smoother/17875906/...
I was called in not long ago to help find a landing place for someone after the family did an “intervention” for opioid addiction. I spent a day and night making calls to every wise person with the right expertise in my digital rolodex, trying to find just the right place with an open bed,...
A client of mine was recently put on hospice. Because they were a fall risk and had considerable special needs, the hospice nurse recommended 24/7 care.
It is hard to trust the care of a loved parent to strangers at any point, but especially when on hospice. In this case, until that point the client’s adult...
It’s Sunday morning and still raining in Raleigh. Several inches of water pool on the surface of our back yard, nothing compared to the towns east of us. Our soggy Sunday paper is full of images of rescues of the elderly in New Bern and Swansboro, Wilmington, James City and Riverbend. And the waters are...
In running around town yesterday, checking on old clients and looking for urgent placements for new ones, here are some notes from the field on how those working in the elder industry are preparing for Hurricane Florence.
Yesterday, Windsor Point, a CCRC in Fuqua Varina, took in nine residents temporarily from a community in...
Many people have an inaccurate impression of what yoga is. Howie Shareff, founder of You Call This Yoga, wants to correct that by bringing free yoga classes to many who might never have access to it. Shareff knows on a personal level the physical and mental benefits yoga can provide for anyone.
To read the whole...
One in six women and one in ten men living past the age of 55 will develop some form of dementia and potentially need to designate a guardian who will act in their best interests when they no longer can themselves. Lawyer Leslee Sharp, who is also one of four public guardians appointed by the...
People who work with the dying on a daily basis must develop the tools, personal awareness and insights to practice in a way that doesn't unleash the firehouse of adrenaline and cortisol that is so damaging to both our physical and mental health.
To read the whole article visit: https://www.wral.com/is-someone-dying-/17770404/...
Even in the top-end Assisted Living and Memory Care communities, there may come a time when you are asked to bring in additional private aide time if your loved one's needs seem to demand that, but at what cost?
To read the whole article visit: https://www.wral.com/cost-of-24-7-care/17749752/...
When you are ready to bring hospice in, it's not simply a matter of making one call, but it's not that complicated either--if you know what to expect.
To read the whole article visit: https://www.wral.com/steps-to-bring-hospice-in/17732229/...
What does getting a call from Jay Leno and witnessing a man drive through a Verizon storefront up to the customer service counter have to teach us?
To read the entire article visit: https://www.wral.com/two-roads/17732188/...
Many don't know that there is the option to bring hospice care into assisted living as their loved one nears the end. In the families I've worked with who have done this is, I've seen more peace with the process, which is a true gift for all involved.
To read the whole article, visit: https://www.wral.com/hospice-in-assisted-living-/17726243/...
I had been out most of the afternoon visiting family care homes and was writing up my findings for a client when I noticed the time. 6:30. The report was due in the morning. My neighborhood women’s group was due to start in fifteen minutes at Marie’s.
It had been a long day. I was struggling...
“Hello, John, it’s Liisa here,” I say gently, but loudly, my mouth closest to John’s left ear. His eyes are open. I place my hand gently on his shoulder and say, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
John, like several of my oldest clients, is almost entirely blind, as well as hearing impaired. I...
Because of Aging Advisors NC, we were able to make an informed, compassionate decision under true crisis. We will not forget Liisa’s caring diligence during stressful times. - P. Barbour
Liisa’s report was so tailored to our family’s specific needs, financial, geographic and health-wise, as well as individual desires. She enabled us to compare Continuing Care Retirement Communities apples-to-apples, revealing a difference in costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of our anticipated stay. In fact, there was a difference of over $600,000 in cost between the options we were most interested in. It’s an invaluable service. – J. Hearn
Dad wanted to stay at home after mom passed unexpectedly. Liisa helped put in place a care team, the right medical equipment, and additional services since I live on the other side of the country. Most importantly, she helped exercise dad's longterm care policy to pay for nearly all of it. -S. Clark
After another fall, I knew I had to move mom from independent to assisted fast. Liisa made it so much easier by quickly providing a report which compared three great options that met her needs with immediate availability. - R. Landers
Liisa enabled us to strategize ways to reduce private agency care for our dad, while also keeping him safe, saving our family $65,000/year. -MH
Mom’s dementia took a sudden downturn. She was living with me, but I needed to keep working. Liisa identified two affordable options and walked me through what we needed to do to get Mom there. - K. Roche