Lynda Faye had always looked forward to retirement. Time for gardening and her backyard art studio in Amherst, MA. She wanted to spend time with her grandchildren. To catch up on her reading, to slow down and enjoy life at a slower pace. One thing she never put on her bucket list was caring for an elderly parent.

Faye is 75, and that frail elderly parent is her mother, 99

Yetta Meisel just turned 99. Faye now helps care for her mother, including preparing her meals. She picks up her meds, schedules home aides and transports a wheelchair for excursions. “We never expected her to live this long. She was never particularly healthy, but besides difficulty walking and some cognitive impairment, she is doing better than anyone could have ever expected! Our whole family makes an effort to spend time with her—even if it’s just an hour or so to check in and see how she’s feeling.”

Faye and her mother are part of a growing phenomenon: Seniors spending their retirement years caring for parents who are in their 90s and beyond. Because of longer life spans, many adult children and their parents are now “aging together,” said Kathrin Boerner, an associate professor of gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Faye has abandoned her own retirement dreams

Her mother’s longevity has taken a financial toll. Faye has dipped into her nest egg to pay for her mother’s expenses. She put her home with her fabulous garden and art studio on the market. She cares for her mother three days each week and pays for part of her mother’s care out of her own pension. As difficult as her responsibilities are, she considers herself lucky to have a mother with a good sense of humor who appreciates her efforts.

Study finds these senior caregivers suffering from failing health, stress and isolation

Dr. Boerner found that many of these late-life caregivers, typically daughters, suffer from their own failing health, which worsens with the stress, depression, physical tasks and isolation. The financial picture often becomes dire. The adult children spend resources meant for their own later lives. It gets worse when there were toxic relationships between parent and child. Old resentments bubble up, and the quality of caregiving suffers.

Getting exercise and taking much-needed personal time could depend on the family’s ability to pay for home aides, adult daycare and other respite programs.

There are resources that may provide help: 

• Medicaid picks up some costs for those with limited assets, but the number of hours varies.
• An accountant will calculate tax breaks for home care and other services.
• Local senior programs may offer guidance on free and reduced-cost programs.

But children who are draining their own retirement savings should consider a nursing home that accepts Medicaid, and then pay for restaurant outings and other extras.

Even when they do not pay for care, many older caregivers make financial sacrifices. In some cases, children, particularly women, are retiring earlier than they planned or are cutting back on their hours to care for their parents.

The growing problem of caring for our seniors

Most of us these days know someone who is caring for an aging family member. With 10,000 baby boomers turning 70 every day, caring for this demographic is a growing health care issue. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a political issue.

The need to prepare life-planning documents

If you or someone you know is caring for someone or are part of a caregiver team, it’s important to create a Living Trust. Our comprehensive Trust portfolio includes a Power of Attorney and an Advance Healthcare Directive. It’s important to sign these legal documents while someone still has testamentary capacity. With a Power of Attorney and Advance Healthcare Directive, you or a member of your team will be able to make important healthcare and financial decisions in the event your family member becomes incapacitated.

Our dedicated team has assisted hundreds of families in creating their Living Trusts

We’re responsive and available throughout the process. We’re helpful, compassionate and affordable. Schedule an appointment today at one of our three Bay Area offices.

Assisted Living Centers: A Largely Unregulated, Booming Industry

Living Trusts are an important service for California Document Preparers, and many of our clients are retired or thinking about it. As a result, discussions frequently surface about a range of life-planning topics such as social security, financial planning and hospice. A recent New York Times article about assisted-living facilities got our attention.

Federal investigators have discovered significant gaps in the way that assisted-living facilities are being regulated, potentially jeopardizing the care of the growing number of people who rely on these services from a booming, poorly regulated industry.

Assisted Living: Little accountability or regulation

According to the Government Accounting Office (GAO), the federal government lacks even basic information about the quality of assisted living services provided to low-income people on Medicaid. Billions of dollars in government spending are flowing to the industry, yet it has only vague standards and limited supervision. States reported spending more than $10 billion/year in federal and state funds for assisted living services for more than 330,000 Medicaid beneficiaries. That’s an average of more than $30,000 a person, with very little accountability.

Individual states are supposed to keep track of cases involving the abuse, neglect, exploitation or unexplained death of Medicaid beneficiaries in assisted living facilities.

• More than half of the states were unable to provide data about the details of those cases.
• Out of 50 states, only 22 were able to provide data on “critical incidents—those cases of potential or actual harm.” These states reported more than 22,900 incidents, including physical, emotional or sexual abuse of residents.
• Many of the people involved in these “incidents” are older, with physical or intellectual disabilities. More than a third of residents have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

The National Center for Assisted Living, a trade group for providers, said states already had “a robust oversight system” to ensure proper care for residents. According to this group, California, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia have adopted laws to enhance licensing requirements and penalties for poor performance of facilities.

The report, “Improved Federal Oversight of Beneficiary Health and Welfare Is Needed,” grew out of a two-year study requested by a bipartisan group of senators.

• The report concludes that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have provided “unclear guidance” and have done little to monitor the use of federal money that is being directed toward assisted living facilities.
• Without a clear process for evaluating and monitoring facilities, the committee has no way of knowing if states are meeting their commitments to protect the health and welfare of Medicaid beneficiaries in assisted-care facilities.

Standards for nursing homes

In 1987, Congress established standards for nursing home residents’ rights, imposed dozens of new requirements on homes, specifying the services they must provide. Yet assisted-living facilities have largely escaped scrutiny, even while the GAO says the demand is likely to increase with the aging baby-boomer population and increased life expectancy. Not surprising, the potential to make money off a needy population has attracted investors to an unregulated industry.

The report was commissioned by a bipartisan group of senators

Democrats and Republicans commissioned this report, and the Trump administration is recommending that federal officials should clarify the requirement for states to report on the abuse or neglect of people in assisted living facilities. The administration said it was studying whether additional reporting requirements might be needed.

Assisted living was not part of the original Medicaid program, but many states now cover it under waivers intended to encourage “home and community-based services” as an alternative to nursing homes and other institutions. The report said that assisted living could potentially save money for Medicaid because it generally costs less than nursing-home care.

Nothing in the report disputes the fact that there are many assisted living facilities that are doing an excellent job of providing high-quality, compassionate care for their residents.

The mission of assisted living facilities

Assisted-living communities can be a wonderful bridge between living at home and living in a nursing home. Residents live in apartments or houses; they have a high degree of independence but require help managing their medications and performing daily activities like bathing, dressing and eating.

Personal experience with assisted living

My own folks moved to a retirement community when their home became too much for them to manage. As their friends died, they also were becoming increasingly isolated. They  loved this busy new environment, the activities and the warm, friendly people. They lived happily in their own little unit for seven years.

When my stepfather had a stroke, my mother was too weak to care for him. As part of their contract with the community, they were able to move to assisted care when and if it became necessary. The stroke was the catalyst, and we moved both of my parents into assisted care. Before long, my stepfather moved into nursing care. Both of my parents died within six months. During this time, they were extremely well cared for by kind, generous caretakers to whom we were all very grateful.

We encourage everyone to create a Living Trust

But for those whose parents have been diagnosed with some form of dementia, the timing becomes much more critical. Our dedicated team is helpful, compassionate and affordable. Contact California Document Preparers at one of our three Bay Area offices today to schedule an appointment.