When you reach the end of your life, you may not be able to adequately make decisions, or express your wishes. This is often due to restricted mental capacity, often caused by illness. Your family, doctors, and other medical professionals need to know what your wants are so that they can be followed. In order to plan for this, health care directives, living wills and do-not-resuscitate orders are three things that you want to have in place.
Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders
Over the past century, the average life expectancy has increased 30 years. Due to advanced technology in medicine and vaccinations, healthier life styles, and numerous other factors, the older population is continuously growing. The question is, how does one live years beyond the average life expectancy of our time and live to be 100 years or older, as a healthy centenarian? To find out the secrets of a healthy centenarian, one must go beyond simply comparing the lifestyle and habits of centenarians to the average person, who lives to be about 80 years old.
If you are planning to leave money or property to a loved one with a disability when you pass away, you should plan carefully. Without a proper plan in place, you may put your loved one's ability to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid benefits at risk. If someone in your family has special needs, an elder law attorney can help you set up a special needs trust.
For many seniors, one of today’s biggest struggles is figuring out how to pay for skilled nursing facility. Typically, people turn to public sources, such as Medicare and Medicaid. For seniors on Medicare, the first 100 days of in-patient skilled nursing facility is typically covered. After the initial 100 day period is over, an expensive daily co-pays kick in, or a patient would be forced to switch to Medicaid.
Did you know that less than 1/3 of Americans over 50 have begun to save for long-term care? Planning ahead can help you and your family learn more about the benefits of this type of insurance. Even if you haven’t started planning for the cost of long-term care, you may still find that long-term care insurance is the right choice for you and your family.
As your parents get older, they may want to stay at home instead of moving into a nursing home. However, this can pose a challenge if they struggle to complete daily tasks without assistance. While you may assume that moving your parents to a nursing or care facility is your only choice, keeping your parents at home is now a viable option.
To help your parents safely stay at home as they age, follow these tips:
Day-to-day activities, such as grocery shopping and doctor’s appointments, may seem like impossible tasks for those experiencing limited mobility. Plus, many older adults have enjoyed caring for others throughout their lives and are uncomfortable receiving help. Accepting help, especially from someone outside their family, is difficult for these seniors.
These symptoms may indicate that seniors are beginning to experience a loss of independence:
Paying for in-home care often poses a challenge for many working families due to its high cost. However, in-home care is often necessary to help an aging parent or spouse stay in the home they love. Because of this, it is important to consider the cost of in-home care during estate planning.
There are certain health plans and types of long-term care insurance that offer a specific amount of coverage for home health care. You should contact your insurance provides to find out what is covered.
In-home care may be covered in these situations:
