eldercare

Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefits Can Help, But Process Difficult

Posted on 11/12/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Money & Savings | Your LifeWhen I first started investigating the Veterans Administration’s Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits program for my Dad, a decorated WWII Veteran who earned the Bronze Star while serving in Italy with the 10th Mountain Division, I was excited to learn that he might qualify for some financial assistance to help with the cost of his care. Aid and Attendance is an enhanced or special monthly pension program for certain veterans who require care. Dad has developed Alzheimer’s disease and …

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 …

The Goyers: Opting for Multigenerational Living

Posted on 07/18/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | RelationshipsI’ve had a strange obsession with watching The Waltons the past few months. I find myself DVRing every episode on three different channels. I watch 4 episodes a day. For some reason, I’ve been oddly attracted to their TV-land multigenerational family living and the connection to my childhood (when The Waltons was in its prime.) Now I know why. In the beginning of September my parents and I will be moving in together, forming our own version of 21st century …

Heat in Triple Digits? Keep Caregiver Cool

Posted on 06/28/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Personal HealthAs I write this post, the thermometer on our back porch here in Phoenix hits a sizzling 110 degrees. But it’s a dry heat, you say?! Indeed. Nevertheless, I just fried my toes walking to the mailbox and I think the cactus in my yard is about to pull up roots and head for a dunk in the pool! I shudder to think what it’s like in humid areas of the country as temps rise. No doubt about it: it’s oppressive. …

Eldercare Finally Recognized by Feds

Posted on 06/28/2012 by Sally Abrahms | Caregiving | Comments

CaregivingWahoo, eldercare has arrived! The latest federal survey, which tracks how much time people spent per day working, performing household tasks, engaging in leisure activities, and taking care of children in 2011, has a new category: Eldercare. This entry into the annual American Time Use Survey (ATUS), put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflects the deepening responsibilities Americans age 15+ have for providing unpaid care to someone over age 65–perhaps a parent, spouse, relative or friend. And just …

Where Dad Comes From

Posted on 06/17/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Relationships | Your LifeHe is from Indiana corn fields and blinking fireflies on cool-moist summer nights. He is from generations of adventurers, farmers and teachers. He is from Clarence Vespacian a.k.a. C.V. or Mike, and Genevieve Mae a.k.a. G.G. or Genny. He is from a passel of cousins with nicknames and games. He is from 100 years of family reunions with the sweetest of tea and juiciest cherry pie, and croquet wickets with balls whizzing by and uncles fiercely competing, with peals of …