There is no doubt that the widespread over-use of opiods has become a serious public health problem in the US. But I worry that older adults with palliative care needs may become unintended casualties of efforts to reduce the use and accessibility of these powerful drugs. The opiod problem is real. Nearly 30,000 Americans died from use of these drugs [...]
Genworth Financial, the largest seller of long-term care (LTC) insurance policies, has agreed to be acquired by a privately-held Chinese investment firm. At the same time, it announced it will reserve an additional $400 million to $450 million against future long-term care claims. The twin Oct 23 announcements are further indication of just how brutal the long-term care insurance business [...]
Medicaid long-term care is rapidly changing, and some of those trends may eventually remake the way all of us receive personal assistance as we age or become disabled. Nearly half of all states are now providing Medicaid long-term care benefits through managed care, and 13 states are requiring older adults to receive care that way. At the same time, four [...]
I helped care for my dad, who was dying of heart disease, for about 18 months. I was not even his primary caregiver. My mother and a home health aide took care of most if his-day-to-day needs. Yet, after he died, I was exhausted--worn out like I had never been before. Caring for an aging parent can be among the [...]
My friend Dan Timmel died last week. You probably didn’t know him. But if you are a frail older adult or a younger person with disabilities who is a Medicaid recipient, a family member of someone on Medicaid, or a taxpayer, you owe Dan a great debt. Dan was a senior career official on the Medicaid side of the Centers [...]
For the first time in 25 years the federal government has completed a comprehensive revision of the way it regulates nursing homes, where 1 million older adults and younger people with disabilities reside. The new regulations—all 700 pages worth—govern everything from staffing and dispute resolution to enhancing the role of residents and families in designing care. They’ll take effect in [...]
Here’s an idea: If you want to know how to help frail older adults age at home, start by asking them what’s important. Then, provide the assistance they need to help them reach their goals. Their challenges, and the solutions to them, are usually pretty straightforward—a grab bar in the shower to prevent falls, good nutrition and medication management, or [...]
Early in the presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton proposed a package of ideas aimed at helping adult children who care for aging parents and other relatives. Yesterday, Donald Trump embraced a similar idea. Family caregiving, it seems, is going mainstream. It is striking that both Clinton and Trump are talking about an issue that until now has flown far below the [...]
For decades, people have been hoping for the magic bullet that will prevent, cure, or even slow the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias. Yet, despite small hints of progress-- and billions of dollars in research--there is no drug, and no app or game, that can successfully treat these diseases. This year, results of these efforts have been decidedly [...]
A typical 65-year-old couple will need to save nearly $400,000 to pay for out-of-pocket medical care and long-term care in old age, according to new estimates by the Fidelity Benefits Consulting. That is $60,000 more than a typical couple’s entire savings at retirement, including equity in their home. Fidelity estimated an older couple will need to put away an average [...]