Are you an Elder Orphan?

[Jen]

Happy New Year everyone! 

Here is a new item we just posted last month. 

Did you know?

More than 1 in 5 Americans older than 65 are — or are at risk of becoming — elder orphans. And 23 percent of boomers will eventually be without family caretakers.

Read more HERE.

[k882519r]

I'm not an Elder Orphan, but I know many who are. If you anticipate that you may become one, I'd suggest you do a couple of things that weren't mentioned in the article. First, if it isn't too expensive for you, get a long term care policy. If you have one, get help to see if you can put it into use. My second suggestion is to call a Personal Care agency such as a Visiting Angels franchise. Many people are not aware that such companies exist. They help Elderly people who need assistance to care for their personal needs. Meal preparation, hygiene care, transportation to appointments, grocery shopping, companionship, dementia care. While many seniors end up needing home health care or spend some time in a rehab facility, a personal care company can add a layer of help that those companies can not do. You can have help in your home, assisted living or where ever you are that will fill in for you what a family member would do. Even people with families become fatigued and overwhelmed over time, so it is a good idea to keep in mind that there are very capable services you can hire to help. If you have a long term care policy most Personal Care agencies can help you start your claim and understand the benefits. Many people wait too long to get help from a policy they have paid on for years and years. 

[JaneCares]

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@k882519r wrote:

I'm not an Elder Orphan, but I know many who are. If you anticipate that you may become one, I'd suggest you do a couple of things that weren't mentioned in the article. First, if it isn't too expensive for you, get a long term care policy. If you have one, get help to see if you can put it into use. My second suggestion is to call a Personal Care agency such as a Visiting Angels franchise. Many people are not aware that such companies exist. They help Elderly people who need assistance to care for their personal needs. Meal preparation, hygiene care, transportation to appointments, grocery shopping, companionship, dementia care. While many seniors end up needing home health care or spend some time in a rehab facility, a personal care company can add a layer of help that those companies can not do. You can have help in your home, assisted living or where ever you are that will fill in for you what a family member would do. Even people with families become fatigued and overwhelmed over time, so it is a good idea to keep in mind that there are very capable services you can hire to help. If you have a long term care policy most Personal Care agencies can help you start your claim and understand the benefits. Many people wait too long to get help from a policy they have paid on for years and years. 

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Good ideas, newbie!  I'd also just add that many counties and cities have some of these services for free, like transportation and meals on wheels. Anyone can find out by putting in your zip code into www.eldercare.gov to see the agency that serves your area. Find out what's free first, then supplement! that's my philosophy anyway...

How did you gain your wisdom, newbie? I bet you have lots of experience.

Jane

[JaneCares]

If there is any way to reconcile with some family members, hard as that may sound, i think its worth the effort. But whether or not that is possible, i have seen friends of disabled clients step up and do the right thing: take care of legal and financial matters, choose a nursing home, etc. The thing that i feel most people miss about this is that saving enough money is not the most important task. I worked with a woman who had millions of dollars, spent close to 27,000 dollars PER MONTH for around the clock one to one care in the swankiest facility in Potomac Maryland, and if it wasn't for her one good friend, she'd have been surrounded by people who were paid to care for her, and a little bit about her, for a fee. The loneliness of that cannot be overstated.

jane

[Epster]

Well I'm not yet, but have a high chance of becoming an elder orphan in a couple decades. DH and I do not have children, my parents are long dead; and of roughly a billion step and half siblings (3 full-blooded ones) currently one is talking to me. She's older and her health is not good. So... yeah, looks like there's a need to make a plan, eh?

Thanks for the info.

[AnnaPlummer]

Yes, definitely start planning now, it's never to early to plan, you can always make changes to your plan in the future. These days, its tough to find people who truly care about fulfilling your wishes.

  I realized something, when caring for my friend in her late 90s, who had not made hardly any plans at all - even if she would have made plans for someone to be in charge of overseeing her well being, say, when she was in her 60s or 70s, that person might not be able to do the job that far into the future, maybe that person wouldnt even still be alive, 20 or 30 years later when the lady was in her 90s. It just turned out that most of the people who cared for her and handled her affairs were people she met in her early 90s, who she had not known for long. 

So many issues come up that are almost impossible to plan for. Thats one reason to make as many plans as possible now, to lighten the load later. 

Bless You

[Jen]

Epster,

I completely understand and will likely be in the same position since I don't have children, nor am I on speaking terms with my older brother. As unfortunate as that is, planning for my future is also in the cards sooner than later. 

Good luck and happy it was informative. 

Jen