Anticipatory Grief

  How and when to grieve is sometimes unclear. When do we grieve a terminal diagnosis? Do we grieve now or when a loved one passes? Do we grieve a dementia patient now, or when the person is physically gone? We are constantly torn between good times and bad, between positive associations and uncertain loss.…

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Don’t Expect Care from Your Children

  Many parents expect that their children will take care of them when they get older, but the truth is, many children do not, according to what social workers tell us. Some people are surprised at this..…who doesn’t take care of their parents when they get old? A little research showed that more people than…

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Difficult Choice on Medigap

A plan to shut the doors on the most popular insurance policies used by retirees on Medicare will soon present difficult decisions for people choosing Medigap supplement insurance. In 2020, people who are on Medicare and don’t already have what’s known as Plan F or Plan C Medigap insurance won’t be able to buy it…

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How Medicaid Treats Joint Bank Accounts

Medicaid’s rules for eligibility are complex and there are so many misunderstandings. Families often mistakenly believe that adding more account holders to the Medicaid applicant’s bank account will reduce their assets. We often hear things like this, “Well, I added myself to Momma’s checking account last year, so won’t Medicaid look at only ½ of…

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New Medicare Card Scams

New Medicare cards that will protect your Social Security number will find their way into your wallets next year. Already there are warnings about the changeover to protect you against scammers. The design for the new Medicare card is expected to be revealed this month and TV ads have already begun talking about the new…

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Name Confusion-Normal or Dementia?

  Do you ever get confused and call Bill’s room John’s? Sometimes, our memories get all mixed up, especially in homes we have lived in for a long time and children have switched rooms. Do you say: “Susie, I mean Mary, I mean Joanie, dinner is ready.” “Oh, what’s your name?” Don’t be concerned, this…

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Who Decides – You or Someone Else?

Taking responsibility for tough life decisions prevents others from having to step in and make them for you, but also allows you to discover options that can alleviate the fear. Aging is difficult, with one potential loss after another. Making your own decisions can provide some control over your aging process. Following are several decisions…

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New Medicare Cards

To protect Medicare recipients from fraud and identity theft, new Medicare cards will no longer have Social Security numbers on them. The new cards will automatically be mailed to all 58 million current beneficiaries beginning in April of 2018. The new cards will feature a randomly assigned Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) made up of 11…

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