It's almost like you need an advanced degree to navigate hospital bills, assisted living community contracts, or your parent's medical treatments and recommendations. No one can do it all. However, there are experts who can help.
Until not too long ago, when the needs of elderly family members arose, younger family members nearby stepped in to...
A CCRC, short for Continuing Care Retirement Community, is a place that offers all levels of care, from Independent to Assisted to Skilled Nursing, within one community. Many CCRCs also offer Memory Care on-site. CCRCs are typically considerably more expensive than the month-to-month stand-alone options I’ve covered in previous articles. That said, people who can...
One in ten people over 65 has Alzheimer's. One in three seniors dies of Alzheimer's or other dementias. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease worsen over time, although the rate at which the disease progresses varies. On average, a person with Alzheimer's lives four to eight years after diagnosis, but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors.
To read the entire...
Assisted Living was designed for people who are primarily independent, but need some help with Activities of Daily Living (called "ADLs"), such as bathing and dressing. They could also benefit socially and emotionally by being with others their age. Safety and security are also important benefits. North Carolina defines an Assisted Living as a facility...
Independent Living Communities, as opposed to senior housing, are communities physically designed with amenities and services that keep seniors independent as long as possible. For example, most Independent Living apartments are wheelchair accessible, have built-in safety features like extra lighting, grab bars in the bathroom, a roll-in or easy-step shower, emergency pull-cords, pendants and daily...
Years ago, in an article about photographer Sally Mann, the interviewer disparagingly asked Ms. Mann why all her photographs were of her kids. At the time, she was a mother of three young children living a very simple life in rural Virginia. She responded, "I’m working within my constraints."
To read the entire article, go to: Read more
Senior communities are for people who are still living independently, but often want to downsize, simplify and/or live in a home with safety features, services or resources tailored to their needs over time. In this piece, I'll briefly cover four options, representing a broad cost spectrum, as well as tips from Senior Real Estate Specialist...
"Help! Dad’s memory issues are too much."
"Mom’s unsteady on her feet."
"The house is so cluttered I’m afraid one of them will take a fatal fall."
We humans avoid change until we’re forced, especially if it means leaving home. As one gets older, it almost feels like throwing in the towel. We dig our heels in. We...
Recently, after identifying three Assisted Living Communities for a family I was working with, the daughter called in a panic, worried that her mom would outlive her savings.
I knew her mother was the widow of a veteran who was on active duty in the Korean War.
"Did you take into consideration the Aid and Attendance Benefit?"...
Your elderly neighbor takes a fall, hits her head and passes out. You call 911. When the ambulance arrives, a young paramedic asks, "Any medical conditions we should know about?"
You have no idea what to say.
According to NC Information Technology, 7.3 million calls were made to 911 in North Carolina in 2017 alone. (Over 100,000...
Two weeks ago, after working closely with a family to find just the right assisted living community for their mother, we settled on the perfect place. It could meet the mother's needs, was proximate to both her second husband and her adult child and was within their budget. The adult children completed the paperwork, placed...
I recently ran into a neighbor at the Y whom I deeply respect and love. I’ve known her for fifteen years now and every Christmas she sends out easily the most creative card we receive.
I called out, "Great holiday card!"
She responded, "It’s all fake."
There was a pause, then I said, "Whose isn't?"
This exchange made me...
One of my kids recently told me their teacher was really struggling because the mother she cared for in her home had taken a sharp turn for the worse due to dementia. This teacher was taking such good care of my child, I wanted to do something for her in return. They did not have...
I recently met with a family who have been caring for their 90-year-old mother in their home. They have done so willingly out of love, but as her needs have increased, they fear they will not be able to do so for much longer while also keeping her safe. The issue is, like many people,...
A client recently contacted me after her 94-year-old mother took a fall, which landed her in the Emergency Room. Fortunately, the mother remained alert and was able to clearly communicate to the attending physician what had happened, where it hurt and what she wanted done. However, this was a wakeup call for her daughter, with...
A client recently told me her mom had fallen victim for the third time to a scam in which someone called and demanded access to her computer. The mother gave it, lost money and also all the data on her computer. My client said she has talked with her mom over and over about avoiding...
Recently, while helping a client organize her office after downsizing to a continuing care community, I came across a Tupperware bin of letters. “What are these?” I asked her. She put on her reading glasses and said, “Oh, it’s my Round Robin.”
To read the entire article, go to: https://www.wral.com/a-new-year-s-resolution-deepening-our-connections/17220690/...
Did you know that the average American household receives over 850 pieces of junk mail, or the equivalent of 1.5 trees, every year? Add to that over 150 solicitation calls and thousands of email spams, and you can quickly feel like you’re climbing a never-ending Mount Everest of advertisements. You don’t have to be over...
“Hey, Papa,” several grandkids said, as they streamed in the front door. Cedric, a former paratrooper with the Army for 20 years, was all dressed up. He looked sharp with his new haircut, nice pants and hard bottom slippers, sitting near the Christmas tree. Tracy, his youngest daughter, was sitting next to him as children...
Two years ago, on the occasion of their fiftieth wedding anniversary, my parents invited my family and my brother Erik’s to join them for one week in Helsinki, Finland, where they married on December 21, 1965. It was a production to line up everyone’s schedules. My husband has to request time off three to six...
We never could have done this without you. We appreciate all the time, research, and AMAZING report and the wise guidance on moving forward!
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
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
The hospital gave us 24 hours to identify which of six rehabs I should move mom to. Within two hours, Liisa identified the top three and outlined pros and cons for each. What a relief! - C. Rheams
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
I was in search of an assisted living facility for my 91-year-old mother, and I did not know where to begin or how I would have any confidence in my findings. Liisa Ogburn listened to my story, did the research, found a number of facilities that fit my parameters, and provided a clearly written multi-page report that answered all of my questions and included her findings, opinions, and recommendations. -P. Jones
