Consider the possible hefty caregiving needs and costs over an adult’s lifetime: Early child care and education runs nearly $10,000 annually for the parent of a toddler, on average. Family caregivers spend roughly $7,000 on caregiving costs, on average… Continue reading
My dad was a smart guy, but not so smart as to avoid being hoodwinked by those who drafted the contract for my mom’s long-term care insurance policy. When my father died in 2013, he went to his grave imagining that my mother, then an Alzheimer’s patien… Continue reading
Massaging elderly residents’ hands is one of the favorite parts of Kathy Hehl Curran’s job at Filosa’s Hancock Hall, a nursing home in Danbury, Conn. The registered nurse says it makes her charges feel relaxed, and sometimes they’ll confide their worri… Continue reading
(This edited, abridged transcript appeared previously on PBS NewsHour.) Providing for the elderly has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with about 29,000 residential care facilities (run by entrepreneurs who’ve turned single-family homes into assi… Continue reading
(This article appeared previously in Kaiser Health News.) For the first time, the federal government is shining a spotlight on the quality of rehabilitation care at nursing homes — services used by nearly 2 million older adults each year. Medicare’s Nu… Continue reading
The advent of major economic change is sometimes obvious, like the 1973 OPEC oil shock. More often, change accumulates with little fanfare until it’s recognized that something big has happened. The legendary financier Leon Levy called these incremental… Continue reading
(This article appeared previously in Kaiser Health News. This is an abridged version of the story. Click here to see the entire story.) When Larry Anders moved into the Bay at Burlington nursing home in late 2017, he wasn’t supposed to be there long. A… Continue reading
(This piece was originally published by the Association of Health Care Journalists and is being republished with permission. It is an abridged version. Click here to see the entire story.) Compelling, heartbreaking stories of abuse and neglect from the… Continue reading
Most of us believe there will always be enough time to plan for long-term care. Then, life happens, and all of our hopeful expectations are dashed, including for our loved ones. When all is well, it’s difficult to convince mom, dad, a partner or other … Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on The Bay Area Reporter. It is an abridged version. Click here to see the entire story.) While enjoying her seventh decade on the planet, Donna Personna knows her remaining days are numbered. Yet the pros… Continue reading