Graying Of America Prompts New Caregiver Assessment and Geriatric Care Managers
Jul 2, 2013
Waxahachie, TX (Law Firm Newswire) July 1, 2013 – More than 10,000 American baby boomers are turning 65 every day. By the year 2030, 1 in 5 people in the U.S. will be 65 or older.
The increase in the elderly population in the U.S. means that more people will be caring for seniors in professional settings, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities. That also means than many adult children must make difficult decisions for their aging parents, or may be pressed into the role of caregiver.
“While having to assess and meet the care needs of elderly parents can be daunting, there are resources adult children can and should consider using to make it easier for everyone,” stated Dallas elder law attorney John Hale.
While caregiving can be emotionally satisfying, providing care and support can also leave the caregiver feeling physically and emotionally drained. A widely-suggested tool by social workers and professional care providers to help a caregiver determine if they need a break or additional support is a questionnaire called The Caregiver Burden Scale.
A caregiver looks at each statement and responds with a number from 0 (never) to 4 (nearly always) to determine the overall level of stress they are experiencing. The questions include statements such as: “My (loved one) needs help all the time;” “I don’t have enough time for myself;” and “Caregiving has affected my health.” Go to Understanding-dementia.com for the complete questionnaire.
For adult children unsure how to approach the complexities of caring for an elderly loved one, geriatric care managers can help. Independent geriatric care managers will, for a fee, assess the needs of a family’s elder loved one and suggest resources to help. A geriatric care manager typically charges between $200 and $400 to perform an assessment which generally examines the elder’s medical needs, diet, mental status and activities of living safety issues. Some geriatric care managers may run a shorter, more informal assessment for a lower fee.
For financial and legal issues, such as long-term care planning, advance care directives and other issues, family members should work directly with an experienced elder law attorney or estate planning attorney.
John Hale is a Dallas elder law attorney and Dallas estate planning lawyer with The Hale Law Firm. To learn more visit http://www.thehalelawfirm.com.
The Hale Law Firm
100 Executive Court, Suite 3
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Call: 888.425.3911
- Surgical Complications Can Mean Good Business for Many Hospitals
According to an article published this April in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), rather than lose money when things go wrong, hospitals typically profit from the medical mistakes they make, whether or not negligence is involved. Interestingly, hospitals are compensated by insurers when patients stay hospitalized longer and additional care is required to address surgical complications and post-surgical errors. The study, “Relationship Between Occurrence of Surgical Complications and Hospital Finance,” looked at the results of nearly 35, 000 surgical discharges, the most common surgical procedures and complications, and how those were handled by insurers. The researchers also examined […] - Better Workplace Regulations And Stricter Enforcement of Current Regulations Key to Workplace Safety
The recent fertilizer plant explosion which caused multiple fatalities and serious injury in West, Texas, has raised the public visibility of workplace safety issues. “Every worker should be able to feel that their safety and the safety of their coworkers is a priority,” stated Waxahachie personal injury attorney John Hale. “But unfortunately, workplace safety continues to be a major concern in Texas.” April 28, 2013 was Worker’s Memorial Day, during which a vigil was held for 56 workers fatally injured in 2012 in Houston workplace accidents and other Texas workers who had been killed. The spokesperson for United Support & Memorial […] - Calls From Concerned Citizens A Help In Combating Drunk Driving
Calls from passing motorists can help Texas police locate drunk drivers and get them off the road. Many of the calls emergency dispatchers receive must be transferred to other jurisdictions and the 911 callers may not be present to see the driver they suspected of driving while inebriated, but both Texas dispatchers and police have stated that passing motorists are a great help. The director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Jeff Miracle, says that he speaks to someone approximately once a month who feels they called 911 to report a potentially drunk driver, only to have to eventually give up […]
