Answer:  If you are a professional who helps families plan for or deal with ANY of their elder care matters, then you owe it to yourself to be listed on America's #1 online source for "Elder Care Experts"….

ElderCareMatters.com

ElderCareMatters.com is where you will find more than 2,000 competent, caring elder care experts located across America, including:

• Elder Law Attorneys
• Estate Planning Advisors
• Financial Planners
• Investment Advisors
• Geriatric Care Managers
• Insurance Professionals
• Life Care Planners
• Professional Organizers
• Reverse Mortgage Lenders
• Senior Move Managers
• Senior Real Estate Professionals
•  Tax Advisors
• Aging in Place Professionals
• Daily Money Managers
• And other elder care experts with long and successful careers working with seniors and their families

This is also where you will find some of America's best:

• Assisted Living Communities
• Alzheimer's / Memory Care Communities
• Continuing Care Retirement Communities
• Home Care Agencies

Together, we provide families across America with:

• Unparalleled professional expertise
• Up-to-date elder care information & answers to your elder care questions
• Competent, caring assistance with a wide range of elder care services

So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional who helps families with ANY of their elder care matters, then request today an Application for Membership in the national ElderCare Matters Alliance and get listed on ElderCareMatters.com - America's #1 source for "Elder Care Experts" plus information and answers about a wide range of elder care matters.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters, LLC
ElderCareMatters.com

 

 

 

Answer:  It is my pleasure to provide you with the following list of the 87 different elder care services that are currently provided by the members of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance on ElderCareMatters.com:

1. Accounting Services
2. Adult Day Care
3. Advance Medical Directives
4. Aging in Place Services
5. Alzheimer's / Memory Care Communities
6. Annuities
7. Arbitration
8. Asset Protection Planning
9. Assisted Living Communities
10. Assisted Living Referral Services
11. Bankruptcy
12. Bill Paying
13. Budgeting
14. Caregiving Education
15. Companion Care
16. Conservatorship
17. Consumer Law
18. Continuing Care Retirement Communities
19. Cremation Services
20. Crisis Intervention
21. Daily Money Management
22. Dementia Care
23. Disability Income Insurance
24. Disability Planning
25. Elder Abuse Litigation Services
26. Elder Law
27. ElderCare Planning
28. Estate Administration
29. Estate Liquidation
30. Estate Planning
31. Family Law
32. Financial Planning
33. Funeral Services
34. Geriatric Care Management
35. Guardianship
36. Health Insurance
37. Hoarding Clean Up and Coaching Services
38. Home Care
39. Home Downsizing Services
40. Home Health Care
41. Home Modifications
42. Hospice Care
43. Independent Living Communities
44. Investment Services
45. Life Care Planning
46. Life Insurance
47. Litigation
48. Long Term Care Insurance
49. Long Term Care Planning
50. Medicaid Planning
51. Medical Services
52. Medical Alert Systems
53. Medical Claims Processing
54. Medical Equipment & Supplies
55. Medical Malpractice Litigation
56. Medicare Consulting
57. Medicare Supplemental Insurance
58. Medication Management Services
59. Moving Services
60. Nursing Homes
61. Personal Finance
62. Powers of Attorney
63. Probate
64. Professional Organizing
65. Public / Non-Profit Resources
66. Real Estate Services
67. Rehabilitation Services
68. Residential Psychiatric Care
69. Respite Care
70. Retirement Planning
71. Reverse Mortgages
72. Securities Arbitration & Litigation Services
73. Senior Housing
74. Senior Move Management
75. Senior Move Planning
76. Senior Relocation Services
77. Social Security Disability Services
78. Special Needs Planning
79. Tax Law
80. Tax Planning
81. Tax Preparation
82. Transportation Services
83. Trustee / Fiduciary Services
84. Trusts
85. VA Benefits
86. Wills
87. Wound Care

The goal of ElderCareMatters.com is to provide families across America with the help they need to plan for and deal with their elder care matters.  Let us know if there are other elder care services that you would like to have us list on ElderCareMatters.com – America's #1 source for Elder Care Experts plus information & answers about a wide range of elder care matters.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO, ElderCare Matters, LLC
ElderCareMatters.com
1-877-379-4500

Answer:  ElderCareMatters.com is an elder care resource to help families across America plan for and deal with their elder care matters.  With this goal in mind, we will continue to add more elder care-related services to ElderCareMatters.com in order to make this online elder care resource invaluable for families looking for help in planning for and/or dealing with their elder care matters.

Below are the 72 different elder care services currently listed on ElderCareMatters.com (with more services soon to be added): 

1. Adult Day Care
2. Advance Medical Directives
3. Aging in Place Services
4. Alzheimer's / Memory Care Communities
5. Annuities
6. Arbitration
7. Asset Protection Planning
8. Assisted Living Communities
9. Assisted Living Referral Services
10. Bankruptcy
11. Caregiving Education
12. Consumer Law
13. Continuing Care Retirement Communities
14. Crisis Intervention
15. Daily Money Management / Bill Paying
16. Dementia Care
17. Disability Income Insurance
18. Elder Abuse Litigation Services
19. Elder Law
20. ElderCare Planning / Long-Term Care Planning
21. Estate Administration
22. Estate Liquidation
23. Estate Planning
24. Financial Planning
25. Funeral Services
26. Geriatric Care Management
27. Guardianship / Conservatorship
28. Health Insurance
29. Hoarding Clean Up and Coaching Services
30. Home Care
31. Home Downsizing Services
32. Home Health Care
33. Home Modifications
34. Hospice Care
35. Independent Living Communities
36. Investment Services
37. Life Care Planning
38. Life Insurance
39. Litigation
40. Long-Term Care Insurance
41. Medicaid / Disability Planning
42. Medical / Healthcare
43. Medical Alert Systems
44. Medical Claims Processing
45. Medical Equipment & Supplies
46. Medicare Consulting
47. Medicare Supplemental Insurance
48. Medication Management Services
49. Moving / Relocation Services
50. Personal Finance / Accounting / Tax Preparation
51. Powers of Attorney
52. Probate
53. Professional Organizing
54. Public / Non-Profit Resources
55. Real Estate Services
56. Rehabilitation Services
57. Residential Psychiatric Care
58. Respite Care
59. Retirement Planning
60. Reverse Mortgages
61. Securities Arbitration & Litigation Services
62. Senior Move Management
63. Senior Move Planning
64. Social Security Disability Services
65. Special Needs Planning
66. Tax Law
67. Tax Planning
68. Transportation Services
69. Trustee / Fiduciary Services
70. Trusts
71. VA Benefits
72. Wills

If you need help with your family's elder care matters, you can count on ElderCareMatters.com to provide you with the experts, information & answers you need to plan for and deal with your elder care matters.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO of ElderCareMatters.com
1-877-379-4500

Answer:   Yes, there are planning steps you can take now.  First, check with your local agencies, such as the Area Council on Aging to find out what eldercare services are available in your area. You may find that there are adult day care centers that cost nothing or are very reasonably priced. Next, determine out what the cost of eldercare is in your community. These providers will include home health care agencies, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Prices vary, so survey the market carefully.

Involve your children and inform them of your wishes in the event you need custodial eldercare services, and write down your wishes. Name one of your children or friends that you trust as your eldercare coordinator. As an aside, it is always a good idea to consult with an attorney and have a durable power of attorney drafted, as well as a living will.

If you have assets available for possible eldercare expenses, you should designate those as being for that purpose. If you have existing life insurance or annuity policies, it may be possible to leverage those products by re-positioning them into products that can provide enhanced eldercare dollars in the event that you need them. Check with your financial advisor.

To find  competent, caring elder care professionals across America who are located near You and can help you with your elder care matters, go to: www.ElderCareMatters.com - A FREE online resource to find elder care experts plus elder care information & answers to your elder care questions.

Gregory D. Roberts, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, EA
Life Solutions
Aiken, South Carolina  29803
803-617-9805
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, South Carolina chapter 

Answer:   This is a great question. Choosing the home health agency that is best-suited for your needs is essential, but the most important selection is the caregiver. Selecting a caregiver that understands the specific needs and dynamics of an Alzheimer’s patient is critical and will determine the success of a strong relationship between your parents. Here are the questions I suggest you ask: 

1. Is the home health agency licensed? If so, request a copy of their license. This will insure that the agency is operating under the regulations of the state.
2. How long has the agency been in business? It is best to choose a well-established agency. They generally  offer more experienced, trained caregivers.
3. Are the caregivers licensed, insured and supervised? You want an agency that has professional, general liability and workers compensation coverage. If the caregivers are going to drive your parents, you should inquire about non-owned auto insurance. If caregivers are transporting patients and utilizing their own vehicle, this is a must. If they’re going to use your parents’ auto, call your parents’ insurance carrier and inquire about adding them to coverage. Moreover, if driving is required, ask the agency if they run a DMV check on the caregiver.
4. Does the agency do an Assessment Visit? If so, is this done by a Registered Nurse and is there a cost ? This is another significant step in the process for a number of reasons. You might feel that your mother needs four hours per day, but after assessing her, the opinion of the licensed professional might be considerably different. A clinically trained expert can determine if other services are needed, e.g. physical therapy. In addition, a better understanding of the home surroundings will ensure a safer environment for your parents.
5. How often is the caregiver supervised and by whom? Look for a RN supervision answer here. If not, that’s a concern.
6. What type of background screening is required of the caregiver? You should focus on a criminal background, abuse registry and reference checks. For me, the criminal background and reference checks are the most important.
7. Can I/we interview the caregiver(s)? If so, is there a charge? Either way take advantage of it.
8. If we’re not satisfied with the current caregiver, what’s the agency policy on providing a replacement?
9. Does the agency have a minimum amount of hours that are required? Although this varies agency by agency, most require a four hour minimum.
10. What are the rates?
    1. Hourly
    2. Daily: This is typically a live-in case where the caregiver is present in the home for 24 hours per day. This practice varies agency by agency based on the availability of live-in caregivers.
    3. How often do they bill and are you required to pay in advance? If they request advanced payment, it is typically for two weeks.  See if you can pay this on a credit card. The credit card will offer some safeguard to you if you’re not happy with the agency and want to make a change. 

Another aspect of selection is whether or not your parents have Long Term Care insurance (LTC). If they do have coverage, here are some questions. 

1. What LTC carriers do they accept?
2. Do they accept Assignment of Benefits (AOB)? If so, this allows the agency to bill the LTC carrier directly.
3. Does the policy have an Elimination Period? If so, how long? If the policy does, which most do, you’re required to pay for services within the Elimination Policy. An Elimination Policy can range from 30 to as many as 120 days. 

I hope that I’ve given you a starting point for discussions with prospective home health agencies. I would shop  a minimum of three agencies and dig as much as possible.

To find  competent, caring elder care professionals across America who are located near You and can help you with your elder care matters, go to: www.ElderCareMatters.com - A FREE online resource to find elder care experts plus elder care information & answers to your elder care questions.

Bart Delsing, Owner & Chief Operating Officer
FirstLantic Healthcare, Inc.
Delray Beach, Florida  33445
561-243-7979
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Florida chapter 

Answer:  Whether giving away assets is a good strategy for your parents will depend on a number of factors including their age, health, how they feel about giving up control over their assets, and how they feel about having less flexibility regarding where care can be provided.  

Oftentimes assets are given directly to a child with the thought that the child will use the funds for the parents later when the need arises.  But a true and complete gift does not come with strings, once given to the child there is no legal obligation on the part of the child to help mom and dad later.  What if the child does have good intentions to help mom and dad, but divorces, is sued, is influenced by a spouse, or is just not good with money?  Mom and dad’s hard earned assets may be taken away forever. 

Giving assets away can be tricky.  If after giving assets away mom or dad needs care prematurely i.e., within 5 years of the gift, a penalty period or period of ineligibility for Medicaid will result.  This period will not begin to run until mom or dad applies for Medicaid. 

You don’t indicate your parents age or health status, but purchasing a long-term care insurance policy to cover a period of 5 years could be a good investment.  There are policies available that include a return of premium feature, meaning that if the policy is not used the premiums are given back.  There are also life insurance policies that have long-term care riders.  With this type of policy if long-term care is needed the policy is tapped and if not it continues as a regular life policy paying a benefit on death. 

It will be worthwhile to consult with an elder care attorney to learn about all the options for long-term care planning available.  The guidance of a professional will save the family time, money and stress in the long run.

To locate experts in your state who can help you with these elder care matters, go to: www.ElderCareMatters.com - America's online source for elder care experts plus information & answers about a wide range of elder care matters.

Heather R. Chubb, Life Transitions Lawyer
The Chubb Law Firm
Gold River, California  95670
916-635-6800
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, California chapter

Answer:  Most of the larger insurance companies offer Long Term Care Insurance, including Northwestern Mutual, MassMutual, State Farm, John Hancock, Genworth, MetLife, Mutual of Omaha, and AARP. The federal government also offers Long Term Care Insurance to its employees. Unfortunately, none of these policies is inexpensive. I recommend that you speak with a qualified insurance agent to determine what alternate types of policies are available and to comparison shop for the best price.

To locate long term care insurance experts in your state who can help you with these elder care matters, go to: www.ElderCareMatters.com/statechapters.htm

Dennis Duncan, Attorney at Law
The Law Offices of Dennis L. Duncan, P.C.
Macon, Georgia  31210
478-254-4232
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Georgia chapter

 

At last, families across America have one resource they can tap into daily to relieve the stress of aging… ElderCareMatters.com

ElderCareMatters.com, along with the 1,350+ members of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, provides families with the elder care resources they need to plan for and deal with their issues of aging.  In fact, here is where you will locate, by state, some of America's top elder care professionals who provide a total of 68 different elder care services that will help you plan for and deal with your family's issues of aging, including: Advance Medical Directives Aging In Place Services Alzheimer's / Memory Care Communities Annuities  Arbitration  Asset Protection Planning Assisted Living Communities  Assisted Living Referral Services Bankruptcy Caregiving Education  Consumer Law Continuing Care Retirement Communiities Crisis Intervention Daily Money Management / Bill Paying Disability Income Insurance Elder Abuse Litigation Services Elder Law ElderCare Planning / Long-Term Care Planning Estate Administration Estate Liquidation Estate Planning Financial Planning Geriatric Care Management Guardianship / Conservatorship Health Insurance Hoarding Clean Up and Coaching Services Home Care Home Downsizing Services Home Health Care Home Modifications Hospice Care Independent Living Communities Investment Services Life Care Planning Life Insurance Litigation Long-Term Care Insurance Medicaid / Disability Planning Medical / Healthcare Medical Alert Systems Medical Claims Processing Medical Equipment & Supplies Medicare Consulting Medicare Supplemental Insurance Medication Therapy Management Moving / Relocation Services Personal Finance / Accounting / Tax Preparation Powers of Attorney Probate Public / Non-Profit Resources Real Estate Services Rehabilitation Services Residential Psychiatric Care Respite Care Retirement Planning Reverse Mortgages Securities Arbitration & Litigation Services Senior Move Management Senior Move Planning Social Security Disability Services Special Needs Planning Tax Law Tax Planning Transportation Services Trustee / Fiduciary Services Trusts VA Benefits Wills

If you and your family need help with your elder care matters, this is where you will find competent, caring elder care experts located near you who provide a total of 68 different services that will help you plan for and deal with your family's issues of aging.  Whether you are looking for: an elder law attorney in Philadelphia a geriatric care manager in South Florida a long-term care insurance professional in Fort Worth, a home care provider in Southern California, or an assisted living community in Phoenix (as shown in the photo above)… you can count on www.ElderCareMatters.com to help you find the Elder Care Experts and services that you will need in ALL 50 states (plus the District of Columbia).

Special Offer for ALL Elder Care Professionals:  The next 125 elder care professionals who apply for Lifetime Membership in the national ElderCare Matters Alliance will receive a 25% discount off the regular price of lifetime membership. So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional – take advantage of this special 25% discount offer and pay only $337.50 for a "lifetime membership" (and there are no annual membership dues, ever!) in the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.    To request a Membership Application, send an email to: info@ElderCareMatters.com.

Answer:  If you are an elder care professional and you would like to "get the word out to thousands of families across America in a cost effective way about how you can help them plan for and deal with their issues of aging", then you should join our 1,250 elder care experts as a lifetime member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.  And, now, if you are one of the next 250 members, you will receive a 25% discount off the regular lifetime membership price.

This 25% discount is available only to the next 250 elder care professionals who join the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional – take advantage of this special 25% discount offer and pay only $337.50 for a "lifetime membership" (and there are no annual membership dues, ever!) to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

To request an Application for Lifetime Membership, send an email directly to: psanders@eldercarematters.com

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters, LLC
1-877-379-4500
www.ElderCareMatters.com

If you are an elder care professional and you would like to "get the word out to thousands of families across America in a cost effective way about how you can help them plan for and deal with their issues of aging", then you should join our 1,250 elder care experts as a lifetime member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.  And, now, if you are one of the next 250 members, you will receive a 25% discount off the regular lifetime membership price.

This 25% discount is available only to the next 250 elder care professionals who join the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional – take advantage of this special 25% discount offer and pay only $337.50 for a "lifetime membership" (and there are no annual membership dues, ever!) to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

To request an Application for Lifetime Membership, send an email directly to: psanders@eldercarematters.com

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters, LLC
1-877-379-4500
www.ElderCareMatters.com

Answer:  The experts of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

ElderCareMatters.com is now offering a NEW Ask an Elder Care Expert service.

Each week one of our 1,200 experts will answer your family's important questions about elder care matters – from legal, financial, housing, health care, etc.

If you would like to ask one of our Elder Care Experts a question about his/her areas of expertise, just send a short email (a few sentences only please) to:  Questions@ElderCareMatters.com

Every day we will post one of your questions along with an answer provided by our Featured Elder Care Expert of the Week to the homepage of www.ElderCareMatters.com (which is currently visited by thousands of families each week).  Yours may be one of the questions posted.

So bookmark www.ElderCareMatters.com and visit us daily as questions about a wide range of elder care matters are answered by some of America's top elder care professionals with years of experience helping families plan for and deal with their issues of aging.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters
1-877-379-4500
www.ElderCareMatters.com

The ElderCare Matters Alliance is a national organization of 1,200 elder care experts who help families across America plan for and deal with their issues of aging, including providing families with a host of elder care resources that can be found on www.ElderCareMatters.com

If you are a competent, caring elder care professional – you need to belong to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

To request a Lifetime Membership Application to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, send an email to psanders@ElderCareMatters.com

www.ElderCareMatters.com – America's online source for elder care experts who help families plan for and deal with their issues of aging.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters
www.ElderCareMatters.com

Answer:  The short answer is no. Generally, LTC insurance works like any other insurance, unless it has a return of premium benefit provision, there is no reimbursement provision. My experience tells me, however, that had she lived for about a year while receiving benefits, those benefits, if added together, would have exceeded her total premiums paid in.

Coincidently, my wife passed away this past February. She fought cancer for about four and a half years, but was able to perform her activities of daily living up until early December of last year about the time she was determined to be terminally ill. She had a 90-day elimination period in her policy (just as I do in mine), so she never was able to receive the first dollar of benefits. Insurance companies would have to charge significantly higher premiums if they were expected to reimburse policy holders for benefits not received. In fact, they wouldn't stay in business very long.

I guess you could say that LTC insurance is like other types of insurance. We pay premiums in case we need it, but hope we don't become ill, disabled, have our homes burn to the ground, or be involved in an auto accident, just so we can collect benefits.  I hope I live a long life and never need to collect benefits on my policies. 

William H. "Bill" Lee II, CLTC
Long Term Care Institute
Baton Rouge, Louisiana  70809
225-926-5414