65.7 million caregivers make up 29% of the U.S. adult population providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged. 

Alzheimer’s, Memory Care and Caregiver Resources.

In Texas, the costs of care giving are staggering. In 2012, approximately 1.3 million caregivers provided 1.5 billion hours of unpaid care for a total cost of $18.2 billion. 

Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s provide care for a longer time, on average, than do caregivers of older adults with other conditions.

Forty-three percent of caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s provide care for one to four years compared with 33 percent of caregivers of people without dementia. 

Click here for a great list of useful links, articles and resources for caregivers with aging parents.

The post Being a Caregiver for Someone with Alzheimer’s. appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Our “Personal Touch Program” was created to instill significance in every interaction.

Imagine your loved one thriving at Meadowbrook Memory Care Community where they will be treated like family. Warmth, respect and compassion abound in our beautiful and secured environment in Arlington.

By providing personalized memory care, we enhance the lives of our seniors, and provide peace of mind for their families.

Koelsch Senior Communities is one of the nation’s few assisted living communities specifically licensed as a freestanding dementia care community. Our memory care program also leads the industry by training and employing a licensed nurse onsite 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a registered nurse serving as a full-time director.

The clinical nurses are involved with every aspect of resident care, including assessing health needs and directly communicating with doctors, therapists and families. Koelsch Senior Communities has also developed the Personal Touch Program, which was created to instill significance in every interaction.

At Koelsch Senior Communities, we continue to operate under our family’s founding principles and strive to serve our seniors with respect and dignity.

Meadowbrook Memory Care in Arlington, TX offers an abundance of amenities and services designed to keep our seniors healthy and happy in a beautifully appointed, secured environment. These amenities and services are included in our monthly rent:

• 24-hour on-site licensed nurses
• Secure homestyle living
• Complete Medication Service
• Specially trained dementia caregivers
• Diabetic Management Program
• Three nutritious meals served family style
• Foods available on the go
• Refreshments available 24 hours a day
• Activities and exercise programs seven days a week
• Scheduled social outings on our wheelchair accessible bus
• Personal laundry services
• Housekeeping and linen service
• Scheduled transportation to appointments & escorts available
• Hourly and Respite Care

Meadowbrook Memory Care offers an abundance of amenities and services designed to keep our seniors healthy and happy in a beautifully appointed, secured environment. Click here to learn more about Meadowbrook Memory Care!

The post Meadowbrook Memory Care Community Arlington, TX appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Arbor Hills “Personal Touch Program” was created to instill significance in every interaction.

Warmth, respect and compassion abound in our beautiful and secured environment in Plano, Texas.

By providing personalized memory care, we enhance the lives of our seniors, and provide peace of mind for their families. 

Koelsch Senior Communities is one of the nation’s few assisted living communities specifically licensed as a freestanding dementia care community.

Our memory care program also leads the industry by training and employing a licensed nurse onsite 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a registered nurse serving as a full-time director. The clinical nurses are involved with every aspect of resident care, including assessing health needs and directly communicating with doctors, therapists and families. 

Koelsch Senior Communities has also developed the Personal Touch Program, which was created to instill significance in every interaction. At Koelsch Senior Communities, we continue to operate under our family’s founding principles and strive to serve our seniors with respect and dignity.

Arbor Hills Memory Care offers an abundance of amenities and services designed to keep our seniors healthy and happy in a beautifully appointed, secured environment. These amenities and services are included in our monthly rent:

• 24-hour on-site licensed nurses
• Secure homestyle living
• Complete Medication Service
• Specially trained dementia caregivers
• Diabetic Management Program
• Three nutritious meals served family style
• Foods available on the go
• Refreshments available 24 hours a day
• Activities and exercise programs seven days a week
• Scheduled social outings on our wheelchair accessible bus
• Personal laundry services
• Housekeeping and linen service
• Scheduled transportation to appointments & escorts available
• Hourly and Respite Care

Arbor Hills is enhanced with beautiful features, specifically designed for our residents and families well being and enjoyment. {CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE}

The post Arbor Hills Memory Care Plano TX appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Therapeutic massage is gaining acceptance as a legitimate way to relieve a person’s aches and pains, both physical and mental. Massage therapy can be especially beneficial to seniors, from those with arthritis, diabetes, circulatory problems and high blood pressure to those with headaches, stiff joints and sore backs.

In Your Home Senior Massage (serving the Austin area) grew out of Mary Duval’s (LMT, MTI) outcall massage business in Sun City in Georgetown, TX. She had the opportunity to take over an existing business from another therapist who was leaving the area.

Massage offers many therapeutic benefits particularly for seniors and the elderly who suffer from aches and pains associated with aging.

A ready-made business was certainly a draw to this business, but once she started working with the seniors in Sun City, she realized she had found a wonderful opportunity, not just in business, but in meeting wonderful people.

A ready-made business was certainly a draw to this business, but once she started working with the seniors in Sun City, she realized she had found a wonderful opportunity, not just in business, but in meeting wonderful people.

Many of Mary’s clients were pretty healthy and active, but as she became more established, she started coming across more seniors who were moving more into the elderly and geriatric stages of life.She realized these clients could benefit just as much from her work tailored to their health and needsas her more active clients. The world of who she could help just grew and expanded.

Then, she realized, there were a LOT more seniors in the greater Austin area who could use the help of a good massage therapist. She had heard some stories from other seniors who had gone to therapists who hurt them and did not listen to their needs. It was time to take what she had learned (and was still learning every day) and apply it to a larger client base.

So, she decided to start In Your Home Senior Massage. She looked for just the right therapists who would not only be reliable and dependable, but who would also listen to and work within the needs of his or her senior client. In Your Home Senior Massage operates with seniors in mind. Our job is to make you happy and feel better. If you’re happy, we’re happy!

Click here to continue and learn about the many health benefits massage therapy offers seniors.

The post Massage Therapy for Seniors appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

When your loved one needs assisted living, how will you pay for it?

Families typically use a combination of Social Security, Veterans and other pensions as well as their savings. 

Another common approach is to use their home’s value either through a rental, a sale or a reverse mortgage to pay for assisted living (though a reverse mortgage will require one spouse to remain in the home). 

A small number of families are fortunate enough to have long term care insurance, perhaps 5% of American seniors.  These individuals use those financial benefits to help with the cost of assisted living.

Medicare and Assisted Living

Medicare does not pay for assisted living, room and board, or personal care. However, medical expenses incurred at an assisted living residence may be covered by Medicare just as they would if the medical procedures occurred in a doctor’s office, hospital or at one’s home.

Medicaid and Assisted Living

As of April 2012, Medicaid pays for some assisted living fees by way of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers in 42 states. In some states, Medicaid pays for only personal care services provided in assisted living and in other states, they also pay for room and board

Financial Assistance for Assisted Living

Excluding Medicaid options, it is beneficial to think of financial assistance for assisted living coming in three forms.

• The first form includes non-Medicaid federal and state programs that offer financial assistance. 
• The second form includes options or tactics that reduce the cost of living and care for the senior or their family so that those additional funds can be allocated to an assisted living residence. 
• The third form involves the liquidation or conversion of other assets so those resources can be applied towards the cost of care.

Developing a Financial Plan for Assisted Living

Since many families pay for assisted living from their savings, they are in a state of continuously diminishing resources.  Many assistance programs determine eligibility based on an individual’s resources. Therefore, the assistance available to an individual is constantly changing.  In other words, usually the longer a person resides (or is projected to reside) in assisted living, the more assistance that becomes available to them.

For this reason (and others), it is advantageous to develop a long-term financial plan when considering assisted living. Doing so has the dual benefit of ensuring a comfortable and consistent aging process for your loved one while at the same time maximizing your family’s assets and resources. 

The creation of financial plan for assisted living is a complicated process and one that must accommodate various health scenarios.

Fortunately, there are resources available to help families with financial planning for assisted living and each has its pros and cons.

• Public Benefits Counselors – local agencies such as Area Agencies on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Centers have benefits counselors on staff that often can help with financial planning. While they typically do not charge for their assistance, they are often under-staffed and unable to provide adequate long term planning. They also tend to be very well-versed in local programs but may not have larger financial planning experience. Find your local Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center.
• Geriatric Care Managers – GCMs help families create and implement long term care plans and as a part of that some will help with the financial side.  Since GCMs are typically paid for out-of-pocket, one can expect a higher level of attention than one might receive from a public benefits counselor.  Families tend to contact GCMs only after the need for care has become apparent and therefore GCMs are not in the best position to do long term planning.  Often GCMs come from nursing or public health backgrounds and do not have extension financial experience. 
• Eldercare Financial Planners – Financial planners have the highest level of professional experience and are the most expensive option. They are very knowledgeable with long term planning but may be less aware of local programs and short term options. {Continue Article}

Source: www.payingforseniorcare.com

The post Paying for Assisted Living appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Technology is paving the way for prolonged independence and the ability for seniors to remain at home longer.

Project Independence was conceived because technology is paving the way for prolonged independence and the ability to remain at home by choice.

Our parents are getting older, and at some point they will have to rely on us to provide for them, in the same way they provided for us in our early years. As we grow older we will all rely on family members and others for some of our daily needs. Some of these needs can simply be frequent communication, checking in and day-to-day companionship.

But in today’s world, we can’t always be there to ‘personally check in’ and provide the companionship they desire. Statistics show that most elderly are able to take care of themselves and perform the basic needs of everyday life. They also desire to stay in their home.

What if you could keep your parents or senior loved ones in their own home longer to ‘age in place’ where they want to be with a better quality of life, while at the same time, see first hand how they are doing? 

Let us show you how to be proactive in planning for your family’s security and well being before problems can arise using today’s technology.

By creating a ’virtual coffee table’ Project Independence makes it possible to check in with your parents, see how their doing, even having a cup of coffee with them. In addition to you checking in on them, they will also be able to communicate with friends on a daily basis making arrangements for carpooling,bridge games, outing, and more…all through the virtual coffee table system!

Imagine every morning she/he wakes up and turns on (Skype or Google +) and has a coffee with her/his 3 closest friends…or you while you’re away on vacation?

Or, its Saturday morning and you need to catch up with Mom/Dad over the past week, pour yourself a coffee, and video conference live with your parent(s). This is a perfect way for your elder parent(s) to have companionship if unable (or desire not to) leave the house.

Our services also include the following:

• Background Check of Care-giver Criminal and Credit (if requested)
• Back Ground Check of Professional References (if possible visit last References)
• Cameras strategically placed in home (install cameras and software for family)
• Camera recordings retained for 3 days from real time.
• Be Present upon initial meeting of Care-giver and family if requested to explain Elder’s home prepared.
• Provide and install Medical Alert Device (LifeFone) into Elder’s home.
• Present Cost of Retirement Homes (provided)
• Provide a Virtual “Coffee Table” for Client with Secure Cloud Based communication software
• Explain in detail the Pro-Active Plan for a better and safer life for the Elder
• Explain the cost savings of keeping an Elder in their own home where they feel more comfortable and secure.
• Provide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Family, Elder and Caregiver.
• Domestic Human Technical Support 8 – 5 Monday thru Friday (except holidays) for 1st 30 days.
• Provide waivers and disclaimers for the Family in regards to Project Independence.
• 30 minute relaxed orientation and training of use of PC for the Elder.
• Provide documentation of Best Practices for proper house preparation for long term residence.
• Provide and install Desktop or Laptop, UPS, Monitors and wireless cameras and all essentials to be able to monitor 24/7 Elder for the Family.
• No Charge Tech Support for desktops or laptops and cameras at client site (for 30 days) $150.00 per visit after 30 days. OEM to cover Hardware for balance of warranty
• Provide LoJack (GPS vehicle tracking) for 1 vehicle (if requested – highly suggested if Caregivers uses Elder vehicle for errands)
• Best Practices Documentation to Family on how to video Record (Inventory) personal items and effects of Elder.
• Provide upgraded or new installation of Internet Access by local or available Provider (Standard monthly charges and technical support provided by Internet Provider)
• Provide documentation of proper installation of camera access for supported Iphones and Smart Phones and other technology (Phone support provided by applicable Provider Technical Support)

Let us show you how to be proactive in planning for your family’s security and well being before problems can arise. For more information please call (512) 800-7140 or click here to complete our Request for Information form.

The post Aging in Place Senior Technology by Project Independence. appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Think you’ll never need long term care? Studies show that more than 60% of people over 65 will need some type of long term care. 

Kim Beckham, CLTC
LCT Insurance Specialist –   Texas Partnership Certified
TX Lic# 1060128

Think your private health insurance or Medicare will cover it? 

Most long term care services aren’t covered by your health insurance, and Medicare only pays for very specific, limited care. Medicaid requires you to spend down nearly all of your assets to qualify for assistance.

Long term care planning can mean the difference between making care decisions based on quality and personal preference or based on costs. 

Without proper planning, loved ones taking on the role of caregiver can be faced with financial, emotional and physical stresses that can greatly impact their daily lives.

Kim Beckham is a leading Texas long term care insurance agent with LTC Financial Partners, one of the nation’s largest long term care insurance agencies serving consumers, organizations, and businesses seeking long term care solutions for their  employees. 

To continue with the article, or for more information about Kim Beckham and Texas Long Term Care Insurance, please click here.

The post Texas Long Term Care Insurance appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

The mission at Texas Reverse Mortgage is to set the highest standard in the Reverse Mortgage industry and be the best informed professionals in reverse mortgages.

Learn If a Texas Reverse Mortgage is Right For You!

By only providing Reverse Mortgages we are focused on our common goal – to obtain the best program at the best rate that fits your needs. We will always adhere to the highest degree of integrity in all of our business dealings.  Being eligible myself for a Reverse Mortgage gives me a unique perspective as to our customers’ needs.

NEW!!! We now offer a new HECM  ”SAVER” with NO SERVICING FEE and A GREATLY REDUCED MORTGAGE INSURANCE REVERSE MORTGAGE. 

The Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) is FHA’s reverse mortgage program, which enables you to withdraw some of the equity in your home.

When it comes to Texas Reverse Mortgages, Education is the key. Our pledge to you, is to complete the education process, so you are able to make an informed decision. We always encourage prospective clients to invite family members to be a part of the discussion with us during the education process.

We provide Reverse Mortgages only in TEXAS.  By this approach we are able to keep current with market conditions and values in most Texas cities and also in rural areas.  This also allows us to know and select the best support professionals in Texas. Texas Reverse Mortgage is not a CPA firm.

FIND THE TEXAS REVERSE MORTGAGE OPTION TO FIT YOUR NEEDS:

Reverse Mortgages

A Texas reverse mortgage is a home loan that lets homeowners convert a portion of the equity in their home into cash. The equity built up over years of mortgage payments can be paid to you. Unlike a traditional home equity loan or second mortgage, no repayment is required until the borrower(s) no longer use the home as their principal residence.

Click here to learn more or to find out if you’re eligible for a Texas Reverse Mortgage!

The post About Texas Reverse Mortgage appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Encompass Home Health – A Texas Medicare Certified Agency With Several Locations in Texas.

Home health aids and personal care services are provided
ONLY when combined with skilled nursing care services.

Encompass Home Health, with several home health agency locations throughout Texas, is a Medicare-certified home health care agency offering a revolutionary approach and has established a better way to care.

We offer:

• First-class patient care
• Leading technology
• Proven processes
• Unwavering commitment to regulatory compliance
• Corporate stability
• Local administrators and clinical staff

Our home health aids and personal care services are provided ONLY when combined with skilled nursing care services.

Encompass Home Health proudly serves the following Texas regions:

West Texas: Amarillo, Lubbock, Eastland, Abilene, Sweetwater, Big Spring, El Paso, Midland, Coleman, Brownwood and San Angelo.
Central Texas: Fredericksburg, Marble Falls, Temple, San Antonio, San Marcos, Austin, Bastrop and Corpus Christi.
North, East & SE Texas:
Granbury, Weatherford, Gainsville, Denton, Southlake, McKinney, Commerce, Texarkana, Dallas, Fort Worth, Longview, Tyler, Duncanville, Nacogdoches, Jasper, Palestine, Livingston, Beaumont, Burleson, Baytown, Conroe, Houston, Richmond, Hillsboro and Cleburne.

Encompass Home Health -
A Better Way to Care

Skilled Nursing

The quality of our nurses, coupled with our state-of-the-art technology, ensures that our patients receive the most comprehensive care available. It’s all done in the comfort of patients’ homes so they can stay out of long-term recovery facilities and gain independence at home. Medicare-covered skilled nursing services may include, but are not limited to:

• Diabetes care and management
• Infection prevention
• Observation and assessment
• Education and training activities
• Wound care
• Pain management
• Medication administration per Medicare guidelines
• Evaluation of need for special devices and equipment for more mobility
• Foley catheter care and management

Physical Therapy

Our Encompass Home Health skilled therapists work with patients and physicians to develop and implement individualized therapy programs to improve quality of life for our patients. Whether it’s improving our patients’ mobility or helping them communicate better, we’ve got it covered.

Physical therapy offers:

• Restored balance
• Improved mobility
• Reduced risk of falling

Occupational therapy provides:

• Improvement in daily tasks and essential activities of daily living
• Recommendations and fittings of self-help orthotic devices
• Creation of a safe and secure home environment

Speech therapy includes:

• Help with cognitive abilities
• Improved ability to communicate
• Improved ability to swallow safely

Personal Care

Encompass Provides Personal Care Too.

Total care requires more than just medicine. Our medical social workers assist with community services and short-term counseling for families and patients receiving in-home health care.

Our home health aids and personal care services are provided ONLY when combined with skilled nursing care services. Each experience should be personal. Our home health aides take care of each patient in a professional and respectful manner.

Encompass Cares Foundation

Encompass Cares Foundation supports participants who travel overseas to help the medically under served populations of the world. Encompass Cares also provides aide to elderly members of our community that are in need of minor assistance with the cost of home adaptation, food, medical equipment, and household supplies.

To learn more about Encompass Home Health, or to arrange home health services, please click here: 

The post Texas Home Health – Encompass, a Medicare Certified Home Health Agency. appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.

Learn about donating your body to science.
Your donation, your legacy.

Welcome to BioEthical Anatomics

The option of whole body donation programs at death gives individuals a real way to support medical advances that impact the lives of future generations. People want alternatives to the traditional burial or cremation options. BioEthical Anatomics has the answers you need if you live in Texas and are interested in donating your body to science.

Your selfless act of donation can help stop the destruction of lives and families from such diseases as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s just to name a few. 

You have a chance to help keep a young child’s mother around to watch him grow or to help keep the love of someone’s life around to grow old together. You can make a difference with one single act of kindness.

Not everyone is eligible to donate his or her tissue for transplant but that does not mean you cannot donate for research and medical education. This, too, is just as important. It does not save just one or two or three lives, it can help save millions.

It is our mission at BioEthical Anatomics to fulfill the willing donor’s wishes of contributing his or her body for use in medical research and education through the procurement and placement of the non-transplantable organs and tissues with ethical research and medical facilities.

Learn more about whole body donation in Texas.

About BioEthical Anatomics
BioEthical Anatomics is a pillar of excellence in the industry of body donation and responsible use of human tissue designated for research. We are a privately held whole body donation company headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Most, but not all, states have passed a version of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act that governs donations. We accept donations from any state that has passed a version of the Revised Uniform Anatomic Gift Act.*

In Texas, headquarters for BioEthical Anatomics, donations are governed by Texas Health and Safety Code § 692A. Purchasing or selling human bodies or human anatomical parts is against the law. BioEthical Anatomics does not participate in or condone such acts. We work with legal counsel to ensure that we comply with applicable state and federal laws governing your generous gift.

To continue with the article, for more information about BioEthical Anatomics or to learn how to become a donor, please click here.

The post Donating Your Body to Science in Texas appeared first on Elder Options of Texas.