Wisdom Wednesday: Aging Wisdom's Podcast

There may come a time when due to injury, failing health, or age, you are no longer able to communicate your wishes regarding your medical treatment. This could happen if you had a stroke, are living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, were in a coma from an accident, or have an illness that has left you unable to communicate.  Advance directive is a broad term use to describe any legal documentat...

Have your done your legal planning and paperwork? The first step, for yourself, or if you’re helping your parents, is the estate planning documents. Usually, estate planning is a package of documents.  Most people are most familiar with the will, but when we're talking about long-term care planning, the most important documents are the powers of attorney documents .   A comprehensive estate p...

 Are you ready to take charge of the future? Whether supporting an older parent or planning your own aging, it's crucial to understand the intricacies of long-term care and be prepared for any unexpected twists and turns.  Lisa Mayfield , our principal and founder, was invited by Kristin McHugh, Lead Advisor with Brighton Jones , to a conversation about proactive planning for the essentials o...

Thanks for listening! Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn . 

The depth and breadth of what care management is able to provide for clients is best answered by the needs and goals of each individual client. This is what we mean by person-directed, tailored care. In this week’s podcast, Sheila and Keri take a deeper look at the holistic range of services and supports that can be provided and coordinated by Aging Life Care professionals like our Care Managers ....

It’s natural for disagreements to occur, even in families with strong functional relationships. However, when parents and other older adults you care about are experiencing memory and health changes, it can create tension. Rare is the family who are all on the same page and managing decisions and tasks smoothly. An Aging Life Care professional (aka Care Manager ) is an experienced, knowledgeable,...

What happens when you contact Aging Wisdom? Part 3   We usually outlive our ability to drive safely by six to ten years. As we age, we naturally modify how we drive to address physical changes: Stiff joints, poor vision, slow reflexes. But a day will come when it’s unwise to continue behind the wheel. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a plan to eventually retire the keys, and your driving becomes a...

What happens when you contact Aging Wisdom? Part 2 In this second podcast episode of What happens when you contact Aging Wisdom? , Sheila and Keri talk about what happens after the get-acquainted (inquiry) call  when the caller wants to take the next step. Following the get-acquainted (inquiry) call, the next step is to schedule a consultation. During the initial consultation, you meet with an exp...

What happens when you contact Aging Wisdom? A Get Acquainted Call is usually the first contact. This call is an opportunity to learn about your situation and determine if our services fit your needs.  “That first inquiry call is a time of discovery. They're telling us a little bit about what's going on. We're listening and then we're offering in general terms how we can provide...

Change IS  hard, no matter who you are,  no matter how old you are.  Moving is on the list of the Top 10 most stressful life events.  It's understandable why our parent may be resistant to make a move, even when it makes the most sense for their safety and our peace of mind. Read more here -- Why is Change is So Hard? -- to understand why change is difficult, and why resistance is often the d...

Helping a person in your care navigate health and cognitive changes can be a challenge. It's not always easy, or successful.  There are many reasons.  Sometimes it's the result of brain changes that result in a lack of insight, a lack of awareness on the part of your loved one. Other times it could be fear or a sense of loss upon loss.  Wendy and Sandra talk about driving and moving in p...

How can you best prepare ahead of a crisis? Or have things in order ahead of when changes start to become evident?  Do your homework and research ahead of your parent needing help. Here are some key areas to consider: We always advise families and individuals who come to Aging Wisdom for guidance and ongoing support to first get their legal paperwork in order. This is essential. L egal paperwork:...

When families begin to see signs that an older adult needs help, how can they start having a conversation? Because nobody wants to say, "Hey mom, you need care. We need to move you." How do you get there before there's a crisis? In this episode, Wendy Nathan , Certified Care Manager at Aging Wisdom , and Sandra Cook , Executive Consultant for GenCare Lifestyle , discuss some strateg...

Having concerns about an older loved one’s well-being is normal. Striking the right balance between fostering independence and ensuring safety can be a struggle for adult children and other care partners. Sometimes we offer help and it’s ignored, dismissed, or refused. Granted, this can be frustrating. However, with patience, persistence, and some new approaches, you can build a foundation for con...

We're revisiting an interview Lisa Mayfield , founder, principal and care manager at Aging Wisdom , did with Suzanne Newman of Answers for Elders back in early 2020 on an evergreen topic: Family dynamics and caring for a parent living with dementia. They talk about facing family conflicts and shifting dynamics. Even in families where all have tight relationships, caring for an aging parent ca...

Cost of Long-Term Care* One of our favorite tools for getting a baseline on long-term care costs is the Genworth Cost of Care Survey .  Enter your city, state, or zip code for the median cost of care for a variety of care settings (including your home) in your location. We stress median costs, as our experience as geriatric Care Managers is that LTC costs more than the median reflected in the surv...

This is a common scenario and often what brings families to Aging Wisdom for our expert guidance: The parent that refuses help, especially when it's clear they need it! In this conversation, Wendy Nathan , Certified Care Manager at Aging Wisdom , and Sandra Cook , Executive Consultant for GenCare Lifestyle , discuss some of the scenarios they've experienced working with adult children an...

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)/Nursing Home Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), also known as Nursing Homes, are for individuals that have ongoing physical or mental conditions that require constant care and supervision or need rehabilitation following a hospitalization.  Skilled nursing services focus on medical care.  These services typically include nursing care, 24-hour supervision, three meals...

Adult Family Homes (AFH) Adult Family Homes are residential homes licensed to care for up to six non-related residents. They provide room, board, laundry, necessary supervision, and necessary help with activities of daily living, personal care, and social services.  The adult family home model has created a space for people to get a high-level of care, but in a comfortable home-like setting. AFH a...

Cost of Assisted Living Some assisted living communities require a one-time community fee and that could be quite the range. A community fee for month-to-month assisted living is different than a buy-in fee or an entrance fee with a CCRC. This is a one-time fee. We typically see these as low as $3,000 and in some of the newer, higher-end buildings as high as $40,000 to $50,000.  In terms of the mo...

Memory care is specifically designed to provide a safe, supportive, and structured living environment, be it a stand-alone community or a separate unit within assisted living or a CCRC.  Staff provide support with activities of daily living, medication management, and meals, just like in assisted living, but are specially trained to support individuals living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia....

Assisted Living is housing designed for individuals who need support with various levels of personal and medical care. Assisted living can benefit those needing assistance with  transferring or functional mobility (transferring from bed to wheelchair, for example), showering or bathing, toileting, dressing, personal hygiene, and meal preparation, as well as medication management, housekeeping, lau...

In today's podcast and over the coming weeks, Nicole will provide a general overview of different housing options for long-term care: Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Adult Family Homes   Today she looks at Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), also known as Life Plan Communities.  As Nicole shares, "This is really an option for people w...

Focus on the true care needs of your parent, or your spouse, or yourself.  Look at what is needed in the short term, and also consider  how the situation may look and change over time. You need to factor in the finances too.  Starting with next week's podcast, we'll talk specifically about the different levels and types of care and what that means in terms of the services and supports th...

When we meet with families and start to talk about care and housing options, it's not unusual for them to ask if Medicare covers what we are recommending. Typically, the answer is no. Medicare covers very limited supports around long-term care and typically that's a short-term care stay, such as an inpatient rehabilitation usually following a hospitalization -- for example, when someone...