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caring for elderly parent

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Overview

Taking care of an elderly parent can be quite a challenge. No two situations are the same. Below are articles, guides and tools that address many of the issues that you might think about or encounter. Regardless, it's essential for family members to meet, share information and design a plan, especially if the parent can no longer live safely at home and you are considering a move to assisted living or a nursing home. The evaluation process should include input from the parent's primary physician. Also to consider are Geriatric Care Managers and Elder Concierges. Geriatric Care Managers review available services that might allow the parent to remain in their current residence. Elder Concierges carry-out tasks or help their customers complete the relatively mundane activities of everyday life. Last update 5.26.21


Issues
  • Alzheimer's and Dementia: National Institute on Aging, WSJ
  • Articles on Caregiver Related Issues, ParentGiving
  • Caregiver Handbook, Harvard Med.
  • CareMaps, Kaiser, Atlas of Caregiving
  • Communication: State of Washington, American Psych. Assn.
  • Costs: Interest.com
  • Cost of 24/7 In-Home Care, HomeCare.org
  • Could I Kill My Mother, NYTimes
  • Duty versus Obligation, Legal Ramifications: The Difference, NPR, Filial Obligations, Globe & Mail
  • Elderly Self-Neglect, NextAve
  • General Guides and Tips: SeniorsMatter, Caregivers Library, WGBH, US News and World Report, Aging Parents, Family Caregiver Toolbox (Caregiver Action Network)
  • Guide For Family Caregivers, MoneyGeek
  • Guide For Managing Someone Else's Money, CFPB
  • Helicopter Child to Parents, Next Avue
  • Home Care: AgingCare, Care.com, ABC News
  • How-To Videos for Family Caregivers, Next Avenue
  • Impact on Working Women, Boston College
  • Medical Alert/Emergency Response Systems, ConsumerReports, FTC
  • New Care-Giving Solutions: MedCottage
  • Oral Health for Caregivers
  • Organizing Medication: Wikihow, Caregiver.com
  • Relationship with Spouse, caring for parent, AgingCare.com
  • Resistance: Care.com, Mayo Clinic
  • Role Reversal: WebMD
  • Sandwich Generation from Boomers to Millennials, Squared Away
  • Sibling Conflicts: AgingCare, DailyMail
  • Signs Parents May Be Ready for Assisted Living, Next Avenue
  • Signs a Loved One May Need Help, AL
  • ​Should You Move to Be Closer, Next Avenue
  • Stress: How Stuff Works, Patheos.com
  • Taking Care of Frail, Aging Parents, Kaiser
  • The 7 Deadly Emotions of Caregiving, Next Avenue
  • Transitioning to Assisted Living, Nursing Home, etc.: Visit Housing Options section.
  • What to Do When the Money Runs Out, UMH, ALD, Forbes, RTG, EL
  • When is it Time To Give Up Guns, NY Times, Alz
Elder Care Mediator
Sometimes disputes taking care of an elderly parent are bitter enough to break families apart. In such cases it can be a tremendous help to have an objective professional in the room — someone to lower the temperature, ask appropriate questions and find common ground. Such people are called eldercare mediators, family mediators or adult family mediators. When successful, the mediator’s work can help avoid a costly legal battle and keep the family united — or at least on speaking terms. Learn more.

Elder Concierge
Concierges carry out tasks or help their customers complete the relatively mundane activities of everyday life. To that end, a variety of companies have sprung up, each fulfilling a different niche. In some areas, elder concierges charge by the hour, from $30 to $70, or in blocks of time. Learn more.

Guides and Tools for Finding Care Providers
  • AARP, Step by Step Guide for Caregivers
  • Care.com
  • Caring.com
  • Eldercare.gov
  • Huffington Post
  • ​Money.com

Somethings to Think About

Caring Relationship Tickets/Fureai kippu
With the traditional system of children caring for aging parents breaking down as young people move away to the cities, a new system emerged in Japan called Fureai kippu or Caring Relationship Tickets, a form of currency whose unit is one hour of service to an elder. 

Tickets earned are then used to pay for service. The majority of Fureai kippu providers are in their 60's and 70's. Younger people earn tickets too, with many sending them to distant parents so they can use them to pay for services locally. Learn more about Japan's aging boom.


Legitimizing the Role of Family Caregivers
18 states (as of March 2016) have enacted legislation that would allow a patient to name a family caregiver to help legitimize the role family members play in the health care system. Consequently, hospitals would not be allowed to discharge patients from a hospital without their caregiver being notified. The hospital would also have to provide instructions on follow-up tasks including how to administer drugs and change bandages.

There is also a bill under consideration in Massachusetts, where this site is published, that prohibits employers from discriminating against workers who are caring for a relative, while a second bill recognizes the burden on spouses by offering a modest weekly stipend for those caring for patients covered by MassHealth, the state insurance plan for low income and disabled residents. Other family members and friends already are eligible for caregiver payments.


In Washington, legislation has been introduced that would offer a Social Security credit to anyone who has to quit a job or work fewer hours to take care of a family member. The New York congresswoman pushing the bill, Nita Lowey, claims that 65 million unpaid caregivers lose an average of $324,000 in pay and benefits over a lifetime. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also backs a Social Security credit for family caregivers, as well as a tax credit of up to $6,000 to offset expenses. (Boston Globe)

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  • Home
    • Caring for Elderly Parent
    • Eating & Exercise
    • Emerging Technology & Concepts >
      • End of Life Options/Issues/Grieving >
        • VSED Primer
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Health Challenges
    • History of Aging >
      • Ancient Egypt, India, China
      • Before 1500
      • 1500s & 1600s
      • 1700s & 1800s
      • 1900s & 2000s
      • Early New England (1600s)
      • Quest To Look Young
      • Books
    • Housing Options & Aging in Place Guide
    • Insurance, Security, Fraud
    • Intergenerational Programs
    • LGBT
    • Positive/Successful Aging
    • Retirement/Estate Planning
    • Science of Aging
    • Support Resources
    • Travel
  • About
  • Contact