Blog

Did you know that scam artists pay money for lists of names and telephone numbers, and then use slick sales people to try to get access to your bank account information? The New York Times reports that large corporations such as Wachovia bank and other banks do little or nothing…

You get a call from your frantic aging parent. He just opened the telephone bill to find enormous unauthorized charges on it for calls to a foreign country. A check bounces from an account that should have had plenty of money in it for Mom’s needs. She is panicked. It…

Most people seem to be somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of seeing a lawyer. But maybe it’s time for Mom or Dad to see one because the estate plan hasn’t been updated in thirty years, and things have changed. Maybe you’re worried that Mom or Dad’s affairs are not in…

Families who are attempting to attend to the needs of their elderly aging loved ones may find themselves in conflict over who will be in charge, how the available money of the elder will be spent, and who should take over when their loved one can no longer manage living…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently began a new rating system to help consumers compare nursing homes. It adds an additional feature to the Nursing Home Compare component on Medicare, rating nursing homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds according to five criteria, giving each one “stars”…

In our consulting practice, we often come across the problem of aging parents and elders who are losing capacity for decision-making, but are not completely incapacitated. We call this “the grey area” between perfectly normal and impaired. The frightening thing about having a loved one in “the grey area” is…

Your aging parent, and you need help. You’ve got someone coming into the home to shop for and bathe Dad twice a week. Grandma needs help with cooking, and your worker comes three days a week to do errands and prepare meals ahead of time. It’s a relief. But, in…

Conflict in any location where human beings congregate is inevitable. We are all evolutionarily programmed to defend ourselves when threatened, and to protect ourselves if we believe we are being wronged, even if the perceived attack is emotional rather than physical. Seniors and aging parents are no exception. When individuals…