by Retirement Homes Staff on November 3, 2010
Even though retirement homes are generally much nicer than they used to be, no one wants to think about the fact that someone may need to help them out with the basic, everyday activities of life. And yet, as we get older, we need to face the fact that the odds are not in our favor. A full 60% of Americans over the age of 65 will need some form of assisted living at some point during their lives.
Unfortunately, most people will put off thinking about this unpleasant subject until it’s too late. There’s nothing worse than seeing the sum total of your life’s work go down the drain paying for retirement homes with assisted living services, nursing homes, or hospice care. Fortunately, if you’re still healthy and willing to face the fact that you’re likely to need assistance at some point in your life, there is something you can do.
Most insurance agencies offer some form of long term care insurance. The basic idea behind this kind of coverage is that you pay your premiums now, while you are still healthy and your insurance will cover the costs of any long term care that you may need.
Most people who still have their faculties and are in reasonably good health can purchase long term care insurance. The average age of a person who buys long term care insurance coverage is 61, but it is becoming more and more common for people to purchase the policies while they are younger. The time to buy long term care insurance really is before you have a need to look into retirement homes.
The cost of long term care insurance varies widely depending on your circumstances. The main factors in determining the cost of your coverage are:
- Your health
- Your age
- Benefit amount . The amount that your insurance company agrees to pay per month or day when you are in an assisted living facility.
- Duration. The maximum amount of time your policy will continue to pay out benefits.
- Elimination period. This is like a deductible. Basically, it’s the number of days you need to pay for out of your resources before your insurance kicks in and pays for your assisted living expenses.
by Retirement Homes Staff on October 27, 2010
For many seniors, managing multiple medications is just a fact of life. It can be hard to keep track of all the dosing schedules, let alone side effects and drug interactions. That’s one reason it can be helpful to have the kind of medical support and staff that most retirement homes provide. Having someone keep record of medications as they are taken can help provide critical information in the case of an emergency, and may even help avoid such a situation.
According to the Maine Center on Aging, the risks of taking multiple medications can be serious, and include:
- Harmful drug interactions
- Increased risk of falls
- Increased risk of hospitalization
- Risk of taking more or less of a drug than needed which can lead to serious health problems or even death in extreme cases
To limit the risks inherent in taking multiple medications, there are some simple steps you can take. Doing these things once is not enough, however. The information must be kept up-to-date.
- Inform your doctors Make sure all of your healthcare providers are aware of all your current medications when prescribing new drugs.
- Keep it with you. Make a wallet-sized list of all your medications, the dosage amounts, and how often you take each dose. Update it as needed, and be sure to show it to your doctors and other providers any time a change is made.
- Get to know your pharmacist. Inform your pharmacist about other medications, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies you are taking and ask that they check for drug interactions.
- Ask questions. Whenever you get a new prescription from your doctor, ask if there are any side effects or drug interactions you need to be aware of. You can also ask your pharmacist the same question. You can often get more information by asking them both.
- Seek alternatives. Ask your prescribing doctors if there are other treatments that could reduce your need for medications.
- Stay organized. Use a timer on any digital device that can help you remember when it’s time to take medications. Use pill dispensers with separate repositories for each dose, rather than each day. Use a log to record each time you’ve taken your medication, and list each drug and its dosage. You may also find it useful to log an entry when side effects appear.
By asking questions and keeping track of prescription drug information, you can reduce the inherent risks of managing multiple medications. It takes a little bit of time and forethought up front, but it could prevent a disaster in the long run.
Even though retirement homes are generally much nicer than they used to be, no one wants to think about the fact that someone may need to help them out with the basic, everyday activities of life. And yet, as we get older, we need to face the fact that the odds are not in our favor. A full 60% of Americans over the age of 65 will need some form of assisted living at some point during their lives.
