Sally Abrahms

Biography: I’m a long-time contributor to AARP with both a personal and professional interest in caregiving. For the last twelve years, I have cared for my father, then my mother and now my 93-year-old mother-in-law. I cover aging and boomers and have written for TIME, Newsweek, the New York Times, USA Today and the Huffington Post, among others.

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Sally Abrahms 'sPosts

What Long-Term Care Costs (A Lot!)

Posted on 11/15/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & FamilyIf you’re considering long-term care, expect to pay more for nursing homes, assisted living communities and homemakers/companions, MetLife Mature Market Institute’s annual 2012 survey reveals. Good news: the study of average national long-term care costs shows they’ve stayed the same for adult day services and home health aides. Of course, rates and services vary by state and area; those differences are included in the survey. Take a look at national average costs: A private room in a nursing home is $248/day, …

Alzheimer’s Registry Aims to Wipe Out Disease

Posted on 11/14/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Personal HealthWhat if you could play a part in preventing Alzheimer’s disease? Maybe you can. The Phoenix-based Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) has established an online registry for those at risk of developing a disease affecting more than 5.4 million Americans. Many signing on are adult sons and daughters involved in the caregiving of a parent with Alzheimer’s. The ultra user-friendly Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry is a national initiative that connects would-be sufferers with researchers. Participants learn the latest developments in the field …

4 Must-Know Facts About Medicare Enrollment & Hurricane Sandy

Posted on 11/8/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

Bulletin Today | Caregiving | Personal HealthMedicare beneficiaries: If you’ve been impacted by Hurricane Sandy and can’t meet the Dec. 7 annual open enrollment period deadline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering other options. The best scenario is to select the Medicare plan you want for 2013 in time to ensure your health and prescription drug coverage kicks in by Jan. 1, 2013. But what if you can’t? If you can’t select a plan by Dec. 7 you can still enroll in …

Five Avoidable Caregiver Mistakes

Posted on 11/7/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

CaregivingTrend alert or rather, trend-to-be alert. I recently heard of a new concept that sounds like a caregiver’s dream: a team of professionals from various disciplines (i.e. legal, financial, caregiving) who specialize in aging issues. Someone on the team steers you to other experts you need — and may not even realize you need. These pros confer to make sure all your bases are covered. Rod Chamberlin, a financial planner in Irvine, California, has one such team. Besides a financial …

Caregivers: Program to Target At-Home Care to Cut Back on Repeat Hospitalizations

Posted on 10/31/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

CaregivingIt’s hard to find a more stunning statistic: Nearly 45 percent of hospitalizations among nursing home residents enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid are avoidable. Because of their complex and chronic health care needs, annual spending for their care is more than $300 billion. The total 2011 costs for avoidable hospitalizations for this group are $7 billion to $8 billion. Now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a plan to stanch the hemorrhaging of money and unnecessary hospital …

Face the Facts: Family Caregivers Work

Posted on 10/24/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | WorkHere we go again. More black-and-white confirmation that elder responsibilities often negatively impact both employees and companies. A new fact sheet out from the AARP Public Policy Institute, in chilling percentages, shows the enormity of the issue and the need to implement or enhance workplace programs. Let me lay it out. Here are the statistics I found particularly revealing: 61 percent of family caregivers age 50-plus work either full-time (50 percent) or part-time (11 percent). 42 percent of U.S. employees have …