Page 35 - Healthcare News July-August 2020

Memory
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frontotemporal lobe dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or the 97 other types, and often they are concurrent. If you feel like this could be you, contact a neurologist, or a neuropsychologist, or the Alzheimer’s Assoc. at (413) 787-1113.
Today, there is no cure, but there are medications that can slow down the progression of the disease. Diet, exercise, genetics, and co-morbidities all play
a part in the diagnosis, and it is said that those physiological changes could be forming in the brain 10 to 20 years before the actual symptoms start to show.
There is no shame in asking for help if you feel you may have increased symptoms or you suspect them in a loved one.
On a side note, worth mentioning is that COVID-19 has wreaked havoc with the senior population, and the virus could be a new type of dementia. It has many side effects consistent with dementia if the virus has traveled to the brain. People are experiencing physiological and neurological changes within
the brain, causing confusion, seizures, emotional dysregulation, and strokes that are having long-term effects. n
Beth Cardillo, M.Ed., LSW, CDP is a licensed social worker, certified dementia practitioner, and executive director of Armbrook Village, and has worked in the dementia field for more than 20 years. Previous to working with dementia, she opened the nation’s
first state-funded traumatic brain injury program in Westfield. She was named Western New England Social Worker of the Year in 2016, and was the 2019 Friends of the Alzheimer’s Assoc. Honoree of the Year; bcardillo@sir-usa.com
Signs
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assistance. One way to help better prepare for any emergencies is to monitor your loved one’s physical and mental abilities and start researching care options before you need them. Greater Springfield Senior Services is your local resource to find help, support, and care for your loved one.
Call our office Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and ask to speak with one of our highly trained information and referral specialists to find out more. Knowledge is power, and we are here to help. n
Brenda Labbe is the caregiver specialist at Greater Springfield Senior Services
and specializes in assisting caregivers in accessing respite and support services for their loved ones.
Transition
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preparing for a move, it’s important to:
• Consolidate possessions. Is your loved one downsizing? Can you help them sell or donate any items?
• Plan and coordinate the move. Are you hiring a company or helping on your own? Set up a schedule and plan to ensure the move goes smoothly to alleviate stress.
• Gather and manage legal documents. Locate medical documents, tax returns, or any important information your parents may need. Make sure they’re in a safe place so they don’t get lost or
Wills
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beneficiary designation form says they go to Jane, the proceeds go to Jane. It is important to understand that the will only deals with your probate assets.
Why is a will helpful?
• It is easier to sell real estate from your probate estate if you have a will.
• You may not want your assets to go
Hospice
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• It prevents or reduces trips to the emergency room for aggressive care that you might not want. Although you still might go to the hospital for tests or treatments, hospice allows you and your loved ones to remain in control of your care.
• Members of the hospice team can clean, cook, or do other chores, giving your loved ones a chance to run errands, go out to dinner, take a walk, or nap.
• Hospice programs offer bereavement counseling for your loved ones, often for up to a year.
Hospice care may not be appropriate if you are seeking treatments intended to cure your illness. Whether receiving hospice or palliative care, you should make a plan to live well so that your wishes for care and living are known.
Myths
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have a will; rather, it is based upon how your assets are owned when you die. If you leave probate assets, then in order for your will to ‘speak,’ a probate estate must be opened. To avoid probate, you would need to have all assets held jointly or in a trust or with a designated beneficiary.
Although the above myths remain popular, they are not accurate. The best estate-planning legal advice comes from a qualified estate-planning attorney, who will explain the options that best suit your unique situation and help you choose the best option for you based on correct information. n
Gina M. Barry is a partner with the regional law firm Bacon Wilson, P.C. She is a member of the National Assoc. of Elder Law Attorneys, the Estate Planning Council, and the Western Massachusetts Elder Care Professionals Assoc. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate and asset protection planning, probate administration and litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, and residential real estate; (413) 781-0560; gbarry@baconwilson.com
misplaced during the move.
Bottom Line
Whether your parents are choosing the community themselves, or you’re helping decide for a parent, the above steps should help ensure everyone
in your family feels good about the assisted-living facility selection. When possible, have conversations with your parents, discuss the pros and cons of each option, and try to come to a consensus together. n
Merritt Whitely is an editor at A Place for Mom.
the way that state law directs. In Google Maps talk, state law provides directions to Boston, and you are thinking more about Alaska, with stops in Ohio and California along the way...
• You may not want the person state law prescribes as your ‘driver’ (the personal representative); perhaps you love your spouse dearly, but your sister is much more organized and would be
Long-term
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Scott Olson, an insurance agent and co-owner of LTCShop.com in Camano Island, Wash. With hybrids, you’re paying extra just for the guarantee of getting money back.
A hybrid policy may make the most sense if your alternative is to use your savings, or if you have another whole- life policy with a large cash value.
5. Speed and smart shopping pay off. If you want insurance, start looking in your 50s or early 60s, before premiums rise sharply or worsening health rules out robust coverage. “Every year you delay, it will be more expensive,” Olson
much better at following directions.
• You want to name your neighbors
to serve as guardians for your children if your spouse is unable to do so, because it is important that they stay in the neighborhood and stay in their current schools through high school.
• It provides certainty among those you leave behind that the map you have drawn is going to direct your heirs to
said. Initial premiums at age 65, for example, are 8% to 10% higher than those for new customers who are 64.
As for where to shop, seek out an independent agent who sells policies from multiple companies rather than a single insurer. For extra expertise and a wider choice of policies, Olson suggests looking for agents able to sell what are known as long-term- care partnership policies — part of a national program that has continuing- education requirements for insurance professionals. n
Ellen Stark, a former deputy editor
of Money, has written about personal finance for more than 20 years.
where you want your assets to go, with the driver you have selected. It provides you, as well as your family, with certainty. And certainty, in this COVID- 19 era, is a very nice thing. n
Liz Sillin is an estate-planning specialist with the law firm Bulkley Richardson; (413) 272-6200.
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