This is the first of some excerpts from my new book “Saving Seniors’ Savings – Best Kept Secrets on How To Pay For Seniors Services” that I will be posting here on my blog and sharing on Facebook. We will let you know when it is available on Amazon.Below is the image of the cover of the book, please enjoy the first except from my book…
My goal is to provide this simple book to seniors who likely have no idea what is available in their search to remain independent, and who hope to pass on savings and assets to their family members. Families will benefit from a customized plan for their medical care, nursing care, or other caregiving needs and support when their aging loved one needs services. When it is time to call me for resource or placement guidance, this step will save us all time, energy, and money. It is unfortunate but many of the government programs designed to help seniors are so dysfunctional and overloaded with bureaucratic red tape that it takes a professional to weed through their policies and procedures to get applications for these benefit programs processed.
This book offers resources for determining or acquiring eligibility, and for some individuals, may assist in actually getting benefits. Being prepared for this process helps manage the feelings of helplessness or powerlessness when facing the kinds of decisions involved with assisting an aging loved one.
When you become a caregiver for someone else, it is essential to consider getting some caregiver relief help to make sure you have a day off from caregiving. It is not a job that should be done alone. In our western society we have gotten away from the concept of the extended family. But in the current economy, with the high cost of senior care and healthier life expectancy, it is actually becoming a choice families are making out of necessity. There are three generation families with children and grandparents in the same household, placing a burden on the money-making and caregiving generation, such as daughters and daughters-in-laws who are many times still caring for their own children. We call this “The Sandwich Generation”.
Unfortunately, the deterioration of family structure is a major issue that is creating havoc on our ability to return to a concept of an “extended family network.” This is all the more reason for creating long term care planning for our seniors! The best way for families to get help is to seek out an expert like Senior Care of Sacramento who can assist in creating a long term care plan for yourself and your loved ones.
I am also providing some tools and information to assist you in determining the costs associated with keeping a loved one at home vs. an RCFE and questions to ask yourself about whether or not it is time to move a loved one or yourself to an RCFE.
I want to give you an example of a senior consulting case I worked on to give you an idea of the multitude of different scenarios that we here at Senior Care of Sacramento have assisted. Here is an example of how we solve a customer’s problems:
A 67 year old son was caregiving his 92 year old dad who suffers from kidney failure and needs dialysis 3 times a week, and is also a serious fall risk. His son promised to keep his dad at home, so he stays with him 3 weeks a month. When he goes home to his wife (who lives 50 minutes away) one week a month, his sister flies out from the east coast to give her brother a break. The dad’s monthly income was $1175 and was all going to pay for his 3 weekly dialysis treatments and medications. We were able to get resources for the dad to supplement his monthly income and get his dialysis paid for without using his monthly income. The dad now has an annual income of almost $40,000. With these resources the son can afford to hire a caregiver 35 hours per week, or be able to afford an RCFE if his dad falls again and can’t return home.
We get the satisfaction of knowing that we helped make this family’s lives easier and more manageable and were able to create a better quality of life for not only the dad, but the whole family.
The Author
Therese Johnson a freelance writer and book author, local TV producer, radio show host on Money 105.5FM’s “Senior Moments”, and the founder of Senior Care Of Sacramento. She is a gerontologist, community and social service specialist, continuing education provider, and administrator for residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFE). She is an Alzheimer’s Specialist and certified nurse’s assistant. Therese is passionate about optimizing the quality of life for senior citizens, through taking an integrative medicine approach to their care, as well as engaging in social and financial advocacy on their behalf.
Therese studied conventional, complementary, and alternative medicine and spent 16 years working in acute care, long-term care, and residential care for the elderly. While serving as the president and legislative advocate for Foothill Association of Care providers for the Elderly (FACES), Therese sponsored and successfully passed the Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (AB 499), requiring Medi-Cal to fund RCFEs and Board and Care – small, home-like environments offering seniors personalized attention, private quarters, and dignified lifestyles. Prior to the passage of this bill, Medi-Cal only funded skilled nursing facilities.
Therese is the founder and Executive Director of the Integrated Alzheimer’s Research Group, which provides Alzheimer’s intervention and prevention training. She is the founder and president of the Alzheimer’s Reiki Program, which offers continuing education for nurses and caregivers, taking a holistic approach to treating and holding in remission Alzheimer’s disease. Therese is also a volunteer for Sutter Auburn Faith Hospice.
