Alzheimer’s Resources from Assisted Living Today
To help raise awareness of the significant impacts AlzheimerÛªs disease has on families and loved ones, Assisted Living Today put together the AlzheimerÛªs Action Day Guide, aåÊcomprehensive resource covering the latest research, treatments, fact and figures, as well as informative tips for caregivers.
The Guide contains:
The CaregiverÛªs Guide to AlzheimerÛªs Disease
They interviewed a panel of 20 leading memory care experts. Each expert answered three pertinent questions related to caregiving for a loved one with AlzheimerÛªs:
- Advice for AlzheimerÛªs Caregivers
- Techniques for Treating AlzheimerÛªs Patients
- Key Questions to Ask About AlzheimerÛªs
Other topics covered on the site include:
- Dementia vs. AlzheimerÛªs: Are They the Same Thing?åÊ
- 5 Signs of AlzheimerÛªs Disease You May Not Be Aware OfåÊ
- 10 Common Memory Loss CausesåÊ
- The Eye Test ÛÒ AlzheimerÛªs Disease Detection at The Most Crucial PointåÊ
- Top 5 Dementia Medications for SeniorsåÊ
- 5 Non-Medical AlzheimerÛªs Treatments That WorkåÊ
- Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLBs) ÛÒ how it differs from Traditional Dementia in the ElderlyåÊ
- Interview with Carol Steinberg of AFA Teens – AFA TeensåÊis a national organization with the goal of engaging teenagers in the fight against AlzheimerÛªs.åÊ
- Interview with Tommy Whitelaw on Caring for Loved Ones with Dementia – Tommy Whitelaw is publisher ofåÊTommy on Tour, a short movie and blog chronicling TommyÛªs journey to bring awareness to dementia and the challenges of caregiving for this population.åÊ
- Ideal Living Settings for AlzheimerÛªs PatientsåÊ
- Memory Care
Long-Term Care Insurance May Be a Dying Breed (VIDEO)
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Long-Term Care Insurance May Be a Dying Breed
A report earlier this fall by MoodyÛªs Investors Services – ÛÏLong-Term Care Insurance: Sector ProfileÛ – says that despite the need for long-term care insurance, the productÛªs future is in question because of persistent losses and a challenging operating environment.
The benefits under early policies were often too generous relative to factors such as actual benefit utilization rates and lapses, according to MoodyÛªs. To compensate insurers had to increase reserves and raise rates to improve the profitability of older products.
New, better designed and priced products seek to reduce risks for insurers, with changes including more restricted benefits and payout periods, as well as ÛÏcombinationÛ policies, which offer long-term care combined with a life insurance policy or an annuity contract.
Nevertheless, MoodyÛªs believes potential buyers may balk at fewer benefits and higher rates, and sales could go down noting that senior citizens on fixed incomes form a highly sensitive constituency and regulators could therefore reject or limit new rate requests.
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The exit or retreat of five key firms from the market since 2010 leaves only one dominant player.
MetLife and CUNA Mutual stopped selling LTC in 2010. In 2011, CNA and Berkshire pulled out. This year Prudential stopped selling individual to focus on group sales, while Unum stopped selling group but had previously pulled out of individual sales.
Since the CLASS Act died, there are still few solutions to funding long-term care. Remember Medicare only pays for this in certain situations. Your choices are limited.åÊ
- Buy an expensive long-term care policy.
- Investigate the assurance benefit, in short, using your life insurance to pay for long-term care needs.
- Do effective, ethical and legal estate planning.
- Pay for long-term care out of pocket until you exhaust resources and then hope to qualify for Medicaid.
None of these are sure bets. With block grants in states, there is no assurance that Medicaid will be able to continue funding long-term care. And who knows what will happen with Medicare.åÊ
And remember, Medicare, Medicaid might be used for skilled nursing. Assisted living by and large is self-pay until you can’t. Medicaid factors in at times but not usually.
If you are smart plan to age in place. Which means plan to start looking at your house and what you need to do to it now to make it safe for living as you age. With more services moving to community settings, you will be able to access the care and transportation you need as well as find the social interaction that is vital to a quality of life at any age. And with tele-health options increasing, your health care will be increasingly monitored from home.
People are fixated and rightly so on assuring everyone has health insurance for medical needs. This in no way covers your needs as you age. That is swept under the rug.
Prepare people.
Sources: MoodyÛªs, Broker World
Hold Back on Those Christmas Gifts. You’ll Need the $ for Retirement (VIDEO)
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Hold Back on Those Christmas Gifts. You’ll Need the $ for Retirement
- 11.0 times pay: An average full-career contributing employee needs this much at age 65, after Social Security, to expect to have sufficient assets to get through retirement.
- 2.2 times pay shortfall: An average full-career contributing employee is expected to have 8.8 times pay in resources at retirement, leaving this shortfall.
