Fact: It is possible to gain compensation as a paid caregiver for a spouse or family member, such as elderly parents. Reality: Compensation is not much if you are currently working at a job that pays livable wages, especially if your employer provides your medical and retirement benefits. Research Carefully Before Becoming A Caregiver for…

When my mother started to slip cognitively her doctor recommended we play basic, brain stimulating games to help slow the pace of decline. Our family favorite game was Yahtzee. Yahtzee can be a high energy game of basic strategy and elementary level counting.  We witnessed our mom’s level of engagement tick up when we played…

One of the most difficult choices adult children have to make is how to take care of your aging parents when they’re no longer able to care for themselves. As you juggle your responsibilities and their needs, you may find you can’t provide all the care your parents need in the long term. You and…

Nearly 70% of people over the age of 65 will need some form of long-term care at some point in their lives but traditional health insurance is not designed to cover the cost of long-term services. Long-term care insurance helps provide peace of mind for seniors concerned about burdening their families with the cost of…

An advance directive is a document by which a person makes provision for health care decisions in the event that, in the future, he/she becomes unable to make those decisions.  If you are young and healthy, do you need an advance directive? If you are in poor health, do you need an advance directive? If…

Nothing is quite as upsetting as learning that your elderly parent has suffered a fall–especially if this isn’t the first incident. Unfortunately, falls are all too common among older adults as strength and balance alter over time. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that between one-third and one-half of all adults in…