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Alzheimer’s Care : 4 Ways to Save Big as Caregiver

03/17Leave a Comment

Alzheimer’s Care: 4 Effective Ways to Save Big Bucks

Medical treatments, prescription pills, personal care supplies—these are just some of the common expenses that make up the cost of Alzheimer’s disease. However, it does not stop there. Family members and loved ones also have to contend with home modification costs, facility care fees, and insurance claims.

Understandably, many family caregivers get overwhelmed and frustrated with the situation. After all, so many of them are struggling to build a stable retirement fund for themselves. And on top of that, the rise in the costs of living has already overtaken income growth. It is a difficult circumstance to be in, and yet it is impossible to say no to Mom or Dad when one of them needs help.

On a bigger scale, the cost of Alzheimer’s also delivers a significant blow to the nation’s finances. In fact, Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are expected to cost the nation $259 billion in this year alone.

With this in mind, family caregivers can surely benefit from all the budgeting tips they can get their hands on (we certainly would). saving-money

Long Term Care Tax Deductions

Family caregivers are no stranger to the financial weight that comes with caring for a parent. This is why they can certainly gain from tax breaks. In order to do so, adult children must be able to claim their parents as their dependents. Qualifications are detailed on the IRS website, but here are the preliminary criteria:

• Family caregiver must not be a dependent of another tax payer
• The dependent must be a resident of the US, Canada, or Mexico
• The dependent cannot file a tax return with his or her spouse

Take Advantage of Apps and Devices

Assistive technology can improve both the person with Alzheimer’s and the family caregiver’s the quality of life. Not only does it help maintain independence and autonomy, it can also help reduce the risk of accidents and falls.

Instead of paying for an extra pair of hands or adult day care services, you can make use of devices and apps that monitor the activities at home. Some are designed to track medications and detect falls. Having these gadgets installed in your home not only feels like you have an extra pair of eyes but they can also help you save more money in the long run.

Track All Costs of Alzheimer’s

Setting a budget and sticking to it can save household substantial money. However, you must have a good overview of all your expenses and income to make the budget you set realistic.
Remember never to underestimate the importance of a well-organized overview of all your expenses.

Equip Yourself for the Aftermath

Often, the cost of Alzheimer’s is not just financial. Family caregivers sacrifice their emotional, physical, and social well-being to meet the demands of care. Studies show that caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are 3.5 times more likely to say that the greatest challenge of their task is that it creates or aggravates their own health problems.

Once the dust settles, family caregivers can end up needing long term care services themselves. However, those who have provided financial support to their loved ones with Alzheimer’s are likely to have depleted nest eggs. This makes covering the high costs of long term care close to impossible.

This situation is why family caregivers are called to invest in long term care coverage as early as possible. After all, the aftermath of caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be devastating.

Author: Samantha Stein is an online content manager for ALTCP.org. Her works focus on key information on long term care insurance, financial planning, elder care, and retirement. In line with the organization’s goal, Samantha’s work highlights the importance of having a good long term care plan, which includes requesting a long term care insurance quote online to securing comprehensive coverage.


Filed Under: Care Tips, Common Questions, Faces of Alzheimer's, Guest Post Tagged With: Financial Planning, healthy aging, Prepare for future

5 Steps to Aging Gracefully from Dr. Nagy (video)

08/084 Comments

 5 Tips for Aging Gracefully 

Aging gracefully would certainly be enough for me. Most of us aren’t looking for the fountain of youth. We know we will grow older and we only want to grow older gracefully.

Aging gracefully to me, means to age at a normal pace without major disease or heart ache. Even though I have COPD, it’s something I accept and am able to live with.

Even with illness, many are still be aging gracefully if we refuse to bemoan our circumstance in life, but rather live the best life we can.  To me, Aging gracefully means taking care our our own physical and emotional health and doing all we can to assist those around us to ensure their aging gracefully!

Here are 5 Tips from Dr. Christopher Nagy for aging gracefully

Dr. Nagy offers 5 solid steps to Graceful Aging

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Filed Under: Care Tips, Healthy Aging Tagged With: aging gracefully, exercise, healthy aging, live well

How big is your Lifespace? Could it be the deciding factor in Alzheimer’s disease?

05/032 Comments

Lifespace – How big is yours?

Dr. James R. Burke, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Duke UniversityMedical Center, said isolation could offer a clue to possible dementia problems before they become obvious. “This will be particularly important when disease-modifying therapies are available, so that evaluations can be started and interventions considered before there are significant cognitive problems,” Burke said.

“(Life space) is actually a measure that has come into vogue with gerontologists lately,” James said. “Mostly it’s been a measurement of mobility, figuring out whether people are getting around their environment, how much they’re seeing that’s different from their couch or bedroom or living room.”

This study was so interesting to me because my adult children have nicknamed me “the hermit.”  My children nag me constantly because I’d rather be home–than any place else. I have one grandson who takes after me  and also prefers to stay home with Nana than gallivant around town with his parents.

Now this study comes along and I have the family nagging me anew. It’s bad enough that I probably inherited the Alzheimer’s gene from my Mom but now I learn that being a hermit isn’t exactly good for me either.

 Great Group Games Electronic Catchphrase Play Crouquet Walk with a friend Play tennis with a Partner Ride with a friend Go Dancing Talk to Someone Visit a Friend Have a Party

During this study at the Memory Disorder Clinic at Duke University researchers followed 1,294 seniors from two separate studies of older adults whose health was being tracked over time. At the beginning of this study, none of the elders showed signs of dementia. Over an average of 4.4 years, 180 developed Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers found that people who reported that they never left their home environment during a given week were about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in the five years of follow-up as those who traveled out of town. The research, James said, offers “a new way to see who’s going to be more likely to develop dementia in the future.”

The study also found that those who did not go beyond their driveway or front yard were also more likely to develop mild cognitive disorder, which can be an early manifestation of Alzheimer’s.

As the thinking goes, your “life space” is the area you travel. A healthy adult should travel often and far from his “home-base.”  Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally also. Enjoy your travels and take part in activities that may feel foreign at first. Read a new book, Learn a new language, Study a new subject that you weren’t interested in before.

In other words, a person who has an abundance of friends and family in many cities, who determines to travel and visit them often, staying informed about all their lives, including work and families-– will be much healthier than the person who sits home day in and day out with little more activity than watching the ten o’clock news broadcast.

I do recall, when my Mom’s husband passed away about 8 years before her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, her life changed decidedly. Before then, they were a couple on the –“Go!”

With adult children on both sides of the country they were on-the-road more than  home. When Mom’s husband passed away, her travelling stopped abruptly and the world as she knew it changed. As I think about it now, how sad she must have felt to give up the fun and happy life she knew with her husband.

As muscles stay healthy with vigorous exercise or a good walking program, so too, our brain needs to be exercised daily. Perhaps, the old saying: “If you don’t use it–you lose it” may give us pause in this case.

I think I’ll take that hermit grandson of mine and get out of the house this weekend; a nice craft fair might be nice. Exercise for the body and the mind! Invite a friend over, play a game, have a party, work in your yard.

What Will you do to Expand your Life Space this week?

I’d love to hear your ideas on this topic! Comment and Share…

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 Read a Book Play a Game Write a Letter Call Someone

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Filed Under: communication, Healthy Aging Tagged With: Associate, communicate, healthy aging, life-space, Play, Stay Active

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