Shannon Martin, M.S.W., CMC
Aging Wisely, LLC
Clearwater, Florida 33756
727-447-5845
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Florida chapter
If your loved one is hospitalized, the hospital discharge process is a key transition time. Within 90 days of hospital discharge, as many as 35% of Medicare recipients will be readmitted to the hospital.
Without proper support and resources as well as good understanding of follow up instructions, many individuals will return to the hospital for reasons that could have been avoided. No one wants this, and it can be especially dangerous for elders and persons with chronic conditions.
If you are a family caregiver and an elderly loved one is hospitalized what can you do to ensure a safe transition after the hospital stay? Read more on Article of the Week: Ensuring a Safe Transition for Your Loved One After a Hospital Stay…
Bert Cave
President of Support For Home
Sacramento, California 95825
916-482-8484
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, California chapter
At Support For Home and other good home care agencies, our mission is to help people live at home just as long as they want to and safely can. We, along with the courts and gerontologists, believe that home is normally the place where quality of life is the highest. However, we believe that every individual and every family should, in advance, determine the criteria which establishes home as a viable living space – either independently or with home care services.
Read more on Article: Advance Living Directive (Part 1 of 4)…
Kenneth C. King, Jr., Esq.
King Law Group, P.C.
Roanoke, Virginia
1-866-985-1123
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Virginia chapter
The holidays are the best time of the year for talking T-U-R-K-E-Y. As you savor turkey and gravy and once again remember how good the green bean casserole really tastes, gather your family into a "Time to Talk Turkey" about your family's Love 'n Money. The holidays are the right time to formulate and discuss your family's plans, including your estate plans.
To get you started, during a large helping of mashed potatoes and gravy, here is a simple formula for family discussion: talk T-U-R-K-E-Y(the "Turkey" topics are in the following paragraphs). For each Turkey topic, discuss who, what, when, where and how. It is that simple. So, let's get talking T-U-R-K-E-Y about your family's Love 'n Money. For each letter in "Turkey", we'll get you started with some questions. Now, it is your turn to provide the discussion. Read more on Time to Talk T-U-R-K-E-Y…
Sally Allen
A Place for Everything, LLC
Golden, Colorado
303-526-5357
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Colorado chapter
If you or your parents are at the stage of life to consider downsizing, you've got a lot of company. Nearly 40 million people in the United States, or 13 percent of the total population, were 65 or older in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
As individuals live longer and families are often geographically dispersed, more elderly adults are faced with the trauma of relocating, often from a place they've called home for decades. Every nook and cranny holds special memories. The thought of leaving them behind can be overwhelming. Read more on Tips to Make Downsizing Easier…
Marilyn Ellis
Lighthouse Organizers, LLC
Walnut Creek, California
1-866-379-6440
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, California chapter
Moving into an assisted living community isn't the end of the road – it's a new beginning.
While seniors might desire to stay in their homes, practicalities often dominate: hard to walk up stairs, inadequate bathroom, or the home is in disrepair or is too big or too costly to keep up. Perhaps they have suffered an unexpected and permanent loss in function. Moving in with you or having someone live with them may not be an option.
If you've neither visited an assisted living community nor done so in several years, you are in for a happy surprise. They are nothing like the early 20th century horrors of a nursing home. Read more on What to take when moving into assisted living…
By Tom Olsen
St. George Village
Roswell, Georgia
770-645-2340
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Georgia chapter
What is a CCRC?
A "CCRC" is a Continuing Care Retirement Community, the most comprehensive retirement living option available to seniors in America today.
A CCRC combines the services of an independent living retirement community with an assisted-living facility and a nursing home at a single location. Read more on CCRCs combine independent living with assisted living and nursing home care…
By Michelle Ettenger
Elmcroft of Roswell
Roswell, Georgia
770-650-0555
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Georgia chapter
Not too long ago, families had few choices for senior housing. If an elderly person was unable to manage in their own home or could not be cared for by his family, then the nursing home for the infirm and the most frail was the only housing option available.
Read more on When is assisted living the right choice?…
By Lane Tharp, SRES, CSA
Coldwell Banker
Atlanta, Georgia
770-804-7805
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance,
Georgia chapter
It is exciting to move to a more manageable home after years of maintaining a large home and yard. The choices for downsizing are much greater now than ever before.
Downsizing may involve moving to a smaller home, a ranch condominium, or even a larger home on a smaller lot. It may also involve changing your community from a single-family home in an established neighborhood to an apartment home, a golf or lake community, a retirement community, or an assisted living facility.
The savvy home seller will want to approach this transition with a plan so that the move goes as smoothly as possible. Read more on Get marketing know-how when you're downsizing…
