Tag Archives: assisted living

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Choosing an Assisted Living Facility

AssistedLivingWebinarAre you a mom or caregiver looking for easy and cost effective ways to choose the best assisted living facility for a loved one?

As you embark on this tough life decision, this is the best time to make sure all your health questions are answered for your loved one. Keeping your loved one’s medical records up-to-date, knowing how to talk to your loved one about this life transition, and learning the best self care tips to stay healthy when being the caregiver will make all the difference when you’re faced with choosing the right assisted living facility.

How do you go about choosing the best assisted living facility? How do you create a medical life list for your loved one? What questions should you ask when visiting an assisted living facility?

Your questions are important. That’s why I have scheduled a FREE live webinar on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 2 p.m. EST to help empower you to navigate the process of choosing an assisted living facility with ease.

Register HERE now.

Ready to get ahead on planning for assisted living? Tune in to the live webinar to learn:

  • Expert advice on money saving tools for assisted living.
  • Self care tips for moms and caregivers.
  • Tools for organizing your loved ones medical records.
  • How to talk to your loved one about this life transition.

 

You can bring your questions to the webinar or submit them in advance by email or on Facebook or Twitter.

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The Most Important Step in Choosing Assisted Living

Lori-Ann and her father

Lori-Ann and her father

As many of you know, my proud father and I struggled through the process of making decisions about assisted living options for him.  I learned a lot from this experience.

If the time comes that your loved one needs to enter assisted living, there are many considerations to be made. You may be thinking about location, dietary needs, activities, and packing up their house.

Remember, though, to also think about your loved one. The person who is moving into assisted living will probably be dealing with a lot of emotions. They may be worried. They may be grieving the loss of their mobility or their independence.  My dad loved his little condo and was heartbroken to know he could not live there by himself any longer.

It’s important to talk to to your loved one throughout the process. You may want to include your siblings in the conversation, but then you need to go talk to you loved one. Let your loved one know what the doctors have recommended. Let him or her know that you need to make a decision.

If possible, bring your loved one with you to the assisted living facilities when you tour them. Let them be involved in deciding which place suits their needs and budget.

This may be a tough transition for them. The more you can involve them in the process, the more in control they might feel. Lastly, always remember, there is no perfect living arrangement as someone ages.  Just knowing this will allow you to weigh and balance all the options.

I’d love to hear about your family’s experience with assisted living.  Please leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram.

Want to know more about preparing for assisted living? Check out my book Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Assisted Living Facility.

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How to Keep Your Family Healthy this Holiday

Multi Generation Family On Countryside WalkLast Wednesday we held a webinar on 7 Strategies to Keep Your Family Healthy this Holiday. Thank you to everyone who attended. We are thrilled with your interest and participation.
We received a lot of great questions and, due to time limits, we were not able to answer all of them. So as we promised, here are some of your questions and the answers:
1. Do you have to go through your employer to get a Health Savings Account?
ANSWER: No, anyone can set up a Health Savings Account. To qualify, you must be under 65 years old and have high-deductible health insurance.
2. When should I get my flu shot?
ANSWER: Flu season runs from October to May, so the best time to get your flu shot is early fall.
3. What should I do if I think one of my relatives is depressed during the holidays?
ANSWER: Encourage them to see a therapist. Depression is a serious disease that should be handled by medical professionals. If you think your relative just has a case of the “holiday blues,” let them know you are there for them if they want to talk. Encourage them to exercise and get enough sleep. If they are stressed, offer to help in the kitchen, or help watch their kids, run last minute errands, and so on.
4.  How can I help my loved one in an assisted living facility celebrate the holiday?
ANSWER: There are many ways to celebrate with your loved ones in assisted living facilities. If they are unable to come to your celebration, bring some holiday cheer to them. Bring family photos and mementos, decorate Christmas cookies, watch their favorite Christmas movie with them. For my father, I had a special “small” Christmas tree decorated for his room. If the facility they live in is too far away, try Skyping or FaceTiming them and don’t forget to send a thoughtful Christmas card!
5.  How do I enroll in Medicare?
ANSWER: You may be automatically enrolled. If you are, you will get your red, white and blue Medicare card in the mail three months before your 65th birthday. You will need to sign up if you are not getting Social Security or RRB benefits or if you live in Puerto Rico. Apply online at https://www.socialsecurity.gov/medicare/apply.html, visit your local Social Security office, or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. 
Please continue to send us your questions. We will be scheduling more webinars soon. I’d love to hear from you!
To learn more about your healthcare, please subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my toolkit which includes 2 free ebooks and lots of great information.