For more information: http://ezinearticles.com

For places to purchase: http://www.buckandbuck.com/shop-by-need/senior-clothing.html

http://www.silverts.com/?s_gaw=g03c6HN9S&kw=senior%20adaptive%20clothing&creative=27462297079&gclid=CMab5f_ep7cCFU4S7Aod6TEAeQ

http://www.adaptiveoutlet.com/Women_s_Adaptive_s/26.htm

CareZone is an app that is very helpful for adult children who are caring for a parent. It includes a journal to record what is going on, notes for communication, a place to store important documents and a shared to-do list. Medication dosages, doctor’s visits and prescriptions can also be easily tracked. This is a free app for I-phone.

For more information on CareZone and other family friendly apps, please see http://usat.ly/14xYwhy

The Executor can find this a daunting task if you have not taken the time to provide him or her with detailed information about your various accounts and holdings and where the needed paperwork can be found.  The Executor’s Challenge, a recent article in AARP Bulletin/Real Possibilities (May 2013), provides detailed information about how to choose an Executor and an Estate Planning Checklist.  The article can be found at:  www.aarp.com

1.  I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back on it, they see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have not honored their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they made or had not made.

2.  I wish I didn’t work so hard.  This was especially the regret of males. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. They regretted spending so much of their lives on their work existence. Many women also spoke of this regret; they were mostly from an older generation and had not been breadwinners.

3.  I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. Many reported they had suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others and as a result they settled for a mediocre existence and never because who they were capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses related to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

4.  I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. Many did not realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks, when it was no longer possible to track them down. They had become so caught up in their own lives they let friendships slip by. Regrets were over not giving friendships the time and effort they deserved.

5.  I wish that I had let myself be happier. Many people did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. Fear of change had them pretending to themselves and to others that they were content, when deep within they longed to laugh and have some silliness in their lives.

Adapted from AARP, February 1, 2012, by Bronnie Ware.

Read this typical story.

$30,000 – that’s Mrs. Kauffman’s nursing home bill for care she received following a three-day hospitalization. Although she was in the hospital for three full days, Mrs. Kauffman was never admitted as an inpatient. Instead, she was classified as an outpatient on “observation status.” Because Medicare coverage for nursing home care is only available after a three-day hospital inpatient stay, Mrs. Kauffman could not get Medicare coverage and is responsible for the bill.

Every day the Center for Medicare Advocacy hears about people like Mrs. Kaufman who were in the hospital, getting tests, medication, and care – sometimes even getting surgery – but whose care was classified as outpatient observation.  Like Mrs. Kauffman’s family, these families are often left with huge bills they never expected; bills they shouldn’t have to expect.

The problem of “observation status” is finally getting attention.  Just last week, USA Today and the Washington Post covered the issue, quoting the Center for Medicare Advocacy.  The problem is finally getting attention because it is getting worse. The families we talk with every day can’t pay $30,000 for necessary medical care; that’s why Congress must act now.

You can help by contacting your legislators now.  Tell them to pass the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 (H.R. 1179 and S. 569) to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries and their families are protected. For more information, go to: http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/endobservation/

1. If you accept palliative care, you must stop other treatments.

2. Palliative care is the same as hospice.

3. Electing palliative care means you are giving up.

4. Palliative care shortens life expectancy.

5. There isn’t much need for a palliative care consultation, because my doctor will address my pain anyway.

Dr. Richard Besdine explains why each of these statements is wrong and provides a new (to me) explanation of palliative care.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-w-besdine-md/palliative-care_b_3095190.html

1. Must be a Cobb resident
2. Must be a senior citizen 60 years or older
3. Must meet income guidelines

For more information on National Nursing Home Week go to http://www.ghca.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=765:new-twist-on-national-nursing-home-week&catid=36:news&Itemid=95