Provinces trying to support more seniors to return home with supports CBC News Nov 29, 2012 On any given day about five per cent of acute hospital beds are occupied by "alternate level care" patients and 85 per cent of them are seniors. Seniors are clogging our hospitals because they have nowhere to go. There are not enough long term care beds nor rehab beds. There [...]
When your parents can’t take care of themselves A look at the basics of eldercare and how to pay for it The financially well-prepared senior A checklist of items that aging parents should discuss with their kids and a look at key documents to prepare Having ‘The Talk’ with aging parents How do you raise the topic of estate planning and wills, tactfully? Rob Carrick takes [...]
In Canada, "bed blockers" – older people stuck in hospital, ready for discharge, lacking the home support or alternate accommodation they require – occupy 5,000 hospital beds and consume $200 million annually. They clog emergency departments and expand wait times for others. Also known as ALC or alternate level of care patients, they languish in hospitals because there is in most cases nowhere else to send [...]
Home Care is "an array of services for people of all ages, provided in the home and community setting, that encompasses health promotion and teaching, curative intervention, end-of-life care, rehabilitation, support and maintenance, social adaptation and integration and support for the family caregiver." (Canadian Home Care Association, 2002.) Services delivered in the home can help people with minor health problems and disabilities as well as those [...]
Annual Home Care Costs 2010-2011 Ontario Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Nursing care – 2 hours / week $5695 $3298 $4992 Personal care (e.g. help with dressing, bathing) – 56 hours /week $69,888 $59,136 $50,814 Homemaking (meal preparation, laundry, housekeeping) – 17 hours/week $20,332 $17,952 $15,426 Total home care costs $95,915 $80,386 $71,232 24 Hour Live-in caregiver (Minimum wage) $89,790 $83,220 $84,534 Why am I writing about [...]
Senator Sharon Carstairs has thrown in the towel. The former Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister with Special Responsibility for Palliative Care, she has been a tireless advocate for palliative/end-of-life care for all Canadians for over 16 years but she can no longer see the light at the end of a dark and narrow health care tunnel. With still no firm budget or [...]
Seniors constitute the fastest growing population group in Canada; one in seven is a senior today. As the "baby boomers" (born between 1946 and 1965) age, the seniors population is expected to reach 6.7 million in 2021 and 9.2 million in 2041 (nearly one in four Canadians). Professional advisors can begin to take advantage of this opportunity and help their aging clientele by networking with those [...]
This is one of the best ways to increase your own knowledge and to provide resources for your clients. Consider setting aside a special bookcase in your office to house the books, magazines, pamphlets and other materials you collect - many of which are free of charge from the federal and provincial governments. When you visit clients at home, include some appropriate resources in your briefcase [...]
Long Term Care Planning Network product purchased: Critical Illness/Long Term Care Planner Karen: I have used the How to Care Binder, which I think you now call the Long Term Care Planner, several times. The most noteworthy was for my Mom. We realized after Dad was having problems looking after Mom that her behaviour was more than just Mom’s unique, and historically difficult, personality. It was [...]
“You have more than enough money to pay for long term care if you ever need it, so don’t waste your money buying long term care insurance!!” That is the advice that many financial advisors, CPAs, attorneys, and insurance agents give to their clients. So, is it the right advice? Let’s find out. Imagine that you have $3,000,000 in assets – your home, your 401k plan, [...]
Regardless of your net worth, a good estate plan should accomplish these essential goals: Caring for yourself by authorizing people to handle your affairs if you no longer can because of illness or disability Specifying who gets what after you pass away Providing for children who are minors or who have special needs. For more information: www.estateplanningsmarts.com. LifeTRUST Planning Since their inception in 1989, LifeTRUST Planning has [...]
Here are three frequent responses when the issue of long-term care planning comes up: It won’t happen to me (Get me that crystal ball and I’ll use it to pick stocks too!) I don’t want to think about it (Who does? But statistically it probably will happen) My children will take care of me. (Do they know?) So, here comes some new information that may alter [...]
