Senior Q & A_January 2016

Senior Q & A:
Answers to Common Questions about Senior Living

 

Q.  What’s the most commonly prescribed medication in America?
A.   No, it’s not Prozac. It’s Synthroid, a medication used to treat underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

Nearly 30 million Americans — most of them women — have been diagnosed with either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). People with hypothyroidism tend to experience weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, slow heart rate, muscle aches, constipation, voice changes and the loss of body hair. People with hyperthyroidism tend to experience weight loss, irregular menstrual cycles, rapid heart rate, emotional instability, and increased nervousness and anxiety. Synthroid (levothyroxine) is a replacement for a hormone normally produced by a person’s thyroid gland to regulate the body’s energy and metabolism. Levothyroxine is given when the thyroid does not produce enough of this hormone on its own. Synthroid treats hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). Synthroid is also used to treat or prevent goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which can be caused by hormone imbalances, radiation treatment, surgery, or cancer. If you or a loved one has thyroid concerns, it’s important to talk to your doctor.

 

Q.  What is senior guardianship?
A.   A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty) to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward.

Guardians are typically used in three situations: guardianship for an incapacitated senior (due to old age or infirmity), guardianship for a minor, and guardianship for developmentally disabled adults.

A guardianship for an incapacitated senior will typically arise where someone determines that a senior has become unable to care for their own person or property. Usually there’s a belief that the senior is being financially exploited or about to be exploited. Other times the person will become unable to care for him or herself and is not able to properly engage in the activities of daily living without assistance. There will typically be a precipitating incident that causes a professional, family member, health care worker or clergyman to initiate guardianship proceedings.

In most states, the process will start with a determination whether the alleged incapacitated person is actually incapacitated. There will often be an evidentiary hearing. Only if a finding of incapacity is made will the next step take place — whether a guardian is necessary, and if so, who should be the guardian. The determination of whether a guardianship is necessary may consider a number of factors, including whether there’s a lesser restrictive alternative, such as the use of an already existing power of attorney and health care proxy. In some cases, a guardianship dispute can become quite contentious, and can result in litigation between a parent and adult children or between different siblings against each other in what is essentially a pre-probate dispute over a parent’s wealth. Stopping the guardianship is often pursued in such cases as well.

 

Q.  How do I come up with funds to pay for assisted living?
A.   According to Genworth’s 2015 Cost of Care Survey, the national average rate for assisted living is $3,600 per month.

No matter what your socio-economic status, make sure you’re taking advantage of all the means available to you to help pay for assisted living. Most families pay for assisted living out of their own pockets using a combination of Social Security, pensions, Veterans’ benefits, home equity, and savings. But there’s also long-term care insurance, which is a policy that’s purchased through a private insurance company. Similar to health insurance policies, the price varies greatly depending on factors such as the person’s health, age, and amount of coverage. Also, check into Medicare and Medicaid. A life settlement may also be an option. A life settlement, or life insurance settlement, converts life insurance into money that can be used to pay for long-term care. The company that issued the policy buys the policy back for 50 to 75 percent of its face value. The settlement company pays the premiums until the policyholder dies, at which point the company, not the policy’s original beneficiaries, receives the money.

Q.  Who can I call with questions about senior living arrangements for a senior with Alzheimer’s?
A.  The friendly Senior Specialists at Alternatives for Seniors are a phone call away.

Simply call (888) WE-ASSIST (888-932-7747) and a Senior Specialist will be happy to answer your questions about finding the perfect home for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s.

 

 

BLOG Date: Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Writer: Ryan Allen