Alphabet Soup – Medigap Lingo Spelled Out

It’s open enrollment time for Medicare and Medicare Supplement insurance plans (Medigap) (Oct. 15-Dec. 7). After a brief glance at this menagerie, you may be seeing stars (or letters!). Here’s a quick cheat sheet to get you started. Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap) policies are sold to cover some or all of the expenses that Original…

5 Ways to Help Your Elder in the ER (before they ever need to go)

Have you ever been called to the ER or hospital when your elders have had a fall, a stroke, a blood pressure episode or some other health issue needing immediate attention? If you haven’t, you will be. When it happens (note: I didn’t say if) – we sit, we wait, we hold their hands –…

1-2-3 Simple Sanity Savers

Some things in eldercare are simple, not many, but a few.  These simple things are amazingly helpful, though, in preparing for future issues and emergencies with your elders. 1 - Get a spare set of keys to your elder’s house and car.  Find out the names and phone numbers of 2-3 neighbors.  Introduce yourself to those neighbors and…

Stress Busters

Your elder’s care team is just that – a team. You are a part of that team, with the ability to make important contributions to your elder’s care. It’s National Family Caregiver’s Month. That means YOU! Caregiving is stressful and overwhelming. It can bring very special moments too. Check out these tips for reducing the…

It Takes A Village

Your elder’s care team is just that – a team. You are a part of that team, with the ability to make important contributions to your elder’s care. When folks are living with dementia, they often are afraid of being asked about something that they don’t remember. It can leave them feeling vulnerable and depressed.…

Think and Drink

One of the most important elements of good health is drinking plenty of water. Many of us do not hydrate as much as we should; this is especially true for elders. How can we help them with hydration? How much water do elders need? There’s no exact answer for this but the daily guideline is…

The Book Where You Look

When you need medical info for your aging parent, are you up to your elbows in paper and still not able to find what you need? Stop what you’re doing right now and put together a Medical Portfolio for each of your elders. I’ve got clear directions right here. You’ll be doing the happy dance the next…