Families Need to Plan for Long-Term Care

Parents Stricken with Alzheimer's Disease May Need Health Aides, Nursing Home

Sharon McIver spends a good part of her days stretching her 86-year-old mother's dollars as far as she can. In the morning, the Dallas woman looks for sales on personal items her mother needs. After lunch, she makes a call to dispute an unusually large medical bill. And by evening, she has searched for the highest interest rate for her mother's bank certificates.

"I feel as though I'm running two households," she explains. "It overwhelms me some days."

That's a common feeling among people who care for parents with Alzheimer's disease. Adult children like McIver shoulder many tasks as caregivers, but overseeing their parents' finances can be among the most difficult.

The bills are staggering -- they average $25,000 annually for home care and $50,000 per year for nursing homes. And financial resources often are limited -- Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care.

Alzheimer's Patients with Retirement Nest Eggs can Exhaust Their Savings Within Several Years.

After having her mother live with her, McIver moved her to an assisted-living center this spring.

"I just couldn't keep her with me anymore," she says. "Her dementia had become too severe."

McIver's mother pays for her $118-a-day room with her savings and Social Security check. Yet as hard as McIver tries to stretch those dollars, she expects her mother to run out of money within three years.

"After that," the daughter predicts, "her only option will be to go on Medicaid."

Managing the money of aging parents is always a big responsibility, but it's especially true of Alzheimer's patients. Sons and daughters can't talk finances with parents whose mental faculties have dimmed. A person with Alzheimer's lives an average of eight years and sometimes as long as 20 after the onset of symptoms.

Geriatric care manager Kay Paggi of Richardson, Texas, has found that families often don't understand the financial implications when a parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

"Every week I hear from sons or daughters who think Medicare will cover their parents' long-term care, " she says. "It's up to me to tell them the bad news -- Medicare will cover hospital stays but not extended care."

Long-Term Care Costly

Financial advisers agree that families who think early about how to pay for an aging parent's care will have more options.

``Money can be a touchy subject in any family -- children are afraid to pry, and parents value their privacy,'' says Kevin Pittman of American Express Financial Advisers in Addison, Texas. ``Still, I can't emphasize enough the importance of coming up with a financial plan as early as possible.''

Here are some points that experts say adult children should cover when they sit down with Mom or Dad to talk about their financial future and Alzheimer's care.

Be Tactful

Virginia Morris, author of How to Care for Aging Parents, advises treading gently when you raise the issue of managing your parent's money.

"Letting someone else take charge of your finances is a clear indication you're losing control of your life," she says. ``It can be demeaning and hurt your self-esteem. Children must be mindful of that and always act respectfully."

Put One Person In Charge

Elder law attorney Janet Boyanton of DeSoto, Texas, says your parent should execute a document known as a durable power of attorney, which gives an individual of your parent's choosing the legal authority to act on his or her behalf until death. An attorney can help with the paperwork.

Boyanton advises against delay. If your parent becomes mentally incapacitated, you may need to go through the cumbersome process of gaining legal guardianship to manage financial affairs.

Gather Important Documents and Study Them

Paggi says providing for your parent's care requires having a full understanding of the financial assets and liabilities.

That includes checking and savings accounts, Social Security income, certificates of deposit, stocks and bonds, real estate deeds, insurance policies and annuities, pension benefits, credit card debts, home mortgages and loans, and so forth. And don't forget your parent's legal documents, including wills and living wills.

Ask Some Basic Questions and Consider Consulting Professionals

Morris says most families try to keep a parent with Alzheimer's at home as long as possible, hiring home care aides to help. But for many, a nursing home eventually becomes necessary.

Is Your Parent Able to Pay for That Care?

Calling on a financial adviser or geriatric care manager may help in answering those questions and identifying community resources to defray the expenses.

hink Long and Hard Before Cracking Into your Own Nest Egg

Paggi says she often has clients who spend their own retirement nest eggs on their parents' care. ``There's no right or wrong choice -- everyone needs to make the decision that works best for him,'' she says.

Carefully Evaluate Nursing Home Options

Families should become familiar with Medicaid's limits on the income and assets someone can have and still qualify for assistance, Boyanton says.

Think About Long-Term Care Insurance for Yourself

Pittman says it may be too late to buy long-term coverage for a parent already diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but it's not too late for you.

The earlier you purchase such insurance, the lower the premiums will be (and the longer you'll pay them, of course). He says a policy will help guarantee good care for yourself, if you ever need it.

Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com 09-12-2004

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