Almost one of every five patients in the intensive care units of a major teaching hospital got treatment that was futile or “probably” futile, according to the doctors who treated them. And older patients—especially those admitted from a nursing facility—were most likely to get care that does nothing to improve their quality of life, or even keep them alive for [...]
In the always-complex, often-painful world of family caregiving, there is no worse advice than this: When your parents need help, you must reverse roles and become their parents. Here is the reality: If you are the adult child of an aging parent, you will always be their child and they will always be your parent. They may need your help [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the dramatic decline in family caregivers who will be available to assist Baby Boomers in their old age. Today, according to estimates by AARP, there are about 7 people aged 45-64 to care for each person who is 80 or older. By 2030 there will be only 4 and by 2050 there [...]
Two major new studies have turned the popular perception of dementia on its head. For years, we’ve heard that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are on the rise—a prediction that strikes fear in the hearts of both the public and policymakers. But these new reports conclude that dementia rates may be falling, and suggest that some forms of [...]
Genworth Financial, the nation's largest seller of long-term care insurance, is engaged in an “intense, very broad, and deep review of all aspects of our long-term care insurance business,” president and CEO Tom McInerney told investors last week. Industry sources say the firm could withdraw from the market if it does not win regulatory approval for new rate hikes on [...]
This week, the PBS program Frontline investigated care at the nation’s largest assisted living company—Emeritus Corp. The program’s message was powerful—and highly controversial: Residents of some Emeritus facilities are dying as a result of poor care by insufficient and poorly trained staff and a lack of government regulation. I can’t speak to what’s happening at Emeritus, a for-profit company that has [...]
Family caregivers are the bedrock of our system of long-term supports and services. At least eight of every ten people receiving care get it at home (not in a nursing home or other residential facility), and nearly all of their assistance is provided by relatives or friends. But a forthcoming study by AARP finds that huge demographic changes threaten to [...]
It is a cruel paradox: As the cost of long-term care rises and the number of people needing it grows, traditional options for paying for these supports and services are narrowing. Traditional private long-term care insurance is largely disappearing from the marketplace. Reverse mortgages, already something of a niche product, are likely to become harder to get-- especially for those [...]
It is often a tough question: Mom has an illness that could be treated with surgery. The operation is routine for a younger patient. But is it too risky for an elder like mom? Today, doctors who consider the special risks of surgery for older patients must use complicated and time-consuming assessments to judge whether an operation is the best choice. But University of [...]
Take a look at this table, which AARP's Don Redfoot posted earlier this week: It is a remarkable story: Long-stay nursing home care by seniors enrolled in Medicaid has been plummeting for 15 years. It is not clear exactly why, but there are probably several reasons. First, state Medicaid programs have been shifting care from nursing facilities to home and community-based settings--a step that seniors themselves favor and one [...]