Upcoming Speaking Engagements

December 19, 2007- There will be a variety of speakers at this event...Including me and an attorney, home health care, financial advisors and a funeral planner. You will have an opportunity to listen to many areas of concern for those with aging parents. It will be at Mallard Ridge Senior Apartments on Bass Lake Road and County Road 81. More details to follow...

Aging parents: 5 warning signs of health problems

You can use this guide to help you gauge how your parents are doing. Find out what to do if you notice anything that might indicate a health problem.

If your parents are getting older, you may want to make sure they're taking care of themselves and staying healthy. But it's difficult to monitor the health of your aging parents from miles away. Use your next visit with your parents to ask about their health and find out if there's anything you can do to help them maintain their independence.

Sometimes your parents won't admit they need help around the house. Other times they may not realize they need help. Here are five things to look for on your next trip home to help you gauge if your aging parents could use some help.

1. Have your aging parents lost weight?

Many people think that being thin is healthy, but losing weight without trying is a sign that something's wrong. Weight loss could indicate a significant health problem in your aging parents, such as:

• Cancer
• Dementia
• Depression
• Heart failure
• Malnutrition

Talk to your parent about scheduling a doctor's visit if you think his or her weight loss may be a sign of illness. Keep in mind, though, that the reason behind your parent's weight loss isn't always disease related. Your parent could be having difficulty finding the energy to cook, grasping the tools necessary to cook, or reading labels or directions on food products. Age-related changes to your parent's body could mean that nothing tastes as good as it used to. Talk to your parent about your concerns. Together you can find ways to make cooking easier or to make food more appealing.

2. Are your aging parents safe in their home?

Take a look around your parents' home, keeping an eye out for any red flags that might mean they're having trouble maintaining their home. Are the lights working? Is the heat on? Has the well-maintained yard become overgrown? Are there dirty dishes in the sink? Is their home cluttered with piles of newspapers and magazines?

Think in terms of safety. Do your parents have difficulty navigating the narrow stairway? Have your parents mentioned any recent falls or injuries? Note any changes in your parents' hearing and vision. Difficulty reading directions on prescription medications or hearing a doctor's advice could pose safety threats.

Any big changes in the way your parents do things around the house could provide clues to their health. Scorched pots could mean a parent with dementia is forgetting about dinner cooking on the stove. Neglected housework could mean depression is robbing your parent of the motivation to take care of the home. Light bulbs that haven't been replaced could indicate that physical impairments make it impossible for your parents to keep up with the regular maintenance around the house.

Point out potential safety issues to your parents. Together you may be able to devise a plan to fix these problems.

3. Are your aging parents taking care of themselves?

Pay attention to your parents' appearance. Notice if they're keeping up with their usual personal hygiene routines. Are your parents' clothes clean? Do your parents appear to be taking good care of themselves?

Failure to keep up with daily routines, such as bathing, tooth brushing and other basic grooming, could indicate health problems. Dementia, depression or physical impairments could be to blame, and are among the most common reasons why older people move to an assisted living center.

4. How are your aging parents' spirits?

Note your parents' moods. Everyone has good and bad days, but a drastically different mood or outlook could be a sign of depression or other health concern. Ask your parents how they're feeling. Do they seem withdrawn or blue?

Talk to your parents about their activities. Are they still connecting with friends? Have they lost interest in hobbies and other daily activities? Are they involved in social organizations or clubs? If they're religious, do they attend regular services?

Tell your parents if you think they seem down or depressed. Encourage your parents to see their doctor and talk about their feelings.

5. Are your aging parents having difficulty getting around?

If your parents have any health conditions that make it difficult to get around, they may have difficulty caring for themselves. For instance, your parents may experience muscle weakness, joint problems and other age-related changes that make it difficult to move around.

Pay attention to how your parents are walking. Are they reluctant or unable to walk usual distances? Is knee or hip arthritis making it difficult to get around the house? Does your parent need a cane or walker? Talk to your parents about ways to make getting around easier.

If your parents are unsteady on their feet, they may be at risk of falling. Falls can cause major injuries and even death in older adults. The good news is that you can help your parents prevent falls by making their home safer and helping them stay active.

What to do if you have concerns about your aging parents

Talk with your parents if you have any concerns about their health and safety. Knowing that you're concerned about their health may be all the motivation your parents need to see their doctor. Some parents may need a little more encouragement, so let them know that you care about them and that you're worried. Consider including other people who care about your parents in the conversation, such as other relatives, close friends or clergy.

Together you and your parents can come up with solutions to problems around the home. Perhaps your parents could use assistive devices to help them reach items off shelves or to help them stay steady on their feet.

In talking with your parents, you might decide that it's time for them to get some help around the house. Home care service workers can help with small tasks, such as errands and cleaning. Or it may be time to consider a long term care facility, such as an assisted living center.

If your parents aren't willing to listen to your concerns or if they dismiss your claims, you can take other measures. Call your parents' doctor for guidance. Some signs of medical problems aren't easily spotted in a doctor's office, and your concerns may help the doctor understand what to look for in your parents on their next visit. Your parents' doctor won't discuss private information with you unless your parents have given the doctor permission to discuss their care with you. However, their doctor or health care provider may be glad to hear your insights. Your parents' doctor may also want to make sure he or she is allowed to speak with you regarding your parents' care. In the United States, patient privacy is governed by rules often referred to as HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

HIPAA does not prevent a doctor, nurse or health plan employee from discussing your parent's care with you if it's in the best interest of your parent. For example, if discussing your parent's care would help a doctor take care of your parent, that's considered in your parent's best interest. You may have to fill out a form stating that you can discuss your parents' medical information with their doctor or doctor's staff.

You can also seek help from local agencies. For instance, the county in which your parents live may have social workers who can evaluate your parents' needs and put them in touch with pertinent services, such as home care workers and help with meals and transportation. Your local agency on aging — which you can find using the Eldercare Locator on the Department of Health and Human Services Web site — can connect you with services in your parents' area.

This is a reprint of an article in a Mayo Clinic newsletter.

Upcoming Events

Speaking Engagements:

What is a daily money manager?

Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 1:30 p.m.- Edendale Residence in Eden Prairie


Monday, November 19, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. - Hopkins Senior Center

Posting to my Blog

For those of you that I asked to visit my website and to link to this Blog... I found out today that you cannot contribute, as I requested, unless you have a Google account. There is no cost for that but you will have to decide whether or not you want to create one.

I appreciate each and every one of my business associates and friends who have viewed these sites and given me feedback. Please send me an email if you wish to be added as a resource on my website. When I update it again, I will add your name and website or address for email.

NEW MEDICARE PREMIUMS 2008

Here are all the new Medicare figures:

· Part B premium: $96.40/month (was $93.50)

· Part B deductible: $135 (was $131)

· Part A deductible: $1,024 (was $992)

· Co-payment for hospital stay days 61-90: $256/day (was $248)

· Co-payment for hospital stay days 91 and beyond: $512/day (was $496)

· Skilled nursing facility co-payment, days 21-100: $128/day (was $124)

As directed by the 2003 Medicare law, for the first time, higher income beneficiaries will pay higher Part B premiums. Following are the higher premium rates:

· Individuals with annual incomes between $82,000 and $102,000 and married couples with annual incomes between $164,000 and $204,000 in 2008 will pay a monthly premium of $122.20.

· Individuals with annual incomes between $102,000 and $153,000 and married couples with annual incomes between $204,000 and $306,000 in 2008 will pay a monthly premium of $160.90.

· Individuals with annual incomes between $153,000 and $205,000 and married couples with annual incomes between $306,000 and $410,000 in 2008 will pay a monthly premium of $199.70.

· Individuals with annual incomes of $205,000 or more and married couples with annual incomes of $410,000 or more in 2008 will pay a monthly premium of $238.40.

Rates differ for beneficiaries who are married but file a separate tax return from their spouse:

· Those with incomes between $82,000 and $123,000 will pay a monthly premium of $199.70.

· Those with incomes greater than $123,000 will pay a monthly premium of $238.40.

Just how much should we do for our parents?

"Parents' demands can trigger elemental fears-the looming specter of their mortality, the scary knowledge that a parent's decline brings us closer to our own old age. But only by facing fears can we defuse them and put ourselves back in control."

When parents need our help, often their demands can seem burdensome and overwhelming. After all, don't our spouses and children need us too? It's not easy to say no to our parents, especially since they raised us and always had time for our little mishaps and maybe even bailed us out when times were hard. Don't be afraid to say no, but do it gently.

Many people mistake quantity for quality when it comes to spending time with their parents. I think it is better to spend less time with them and make sure those hours are truly satisfying. Plan activities that will bring you closer together, not just chores and errands. You can hire caregivers for those chores and leave the quality time for more meaningful interactions.

Don't use this time to settle old scores with your parents. "No matter how cruel or neglectful your parents were when you were a child, this is not the time for payback. Showing them compassion and respect, whether or not you feel they deserve it, is a mark of adulthood and depth of character."

Too often people believe that the parent-child role gets reversed as our parents age. "Care giving should not be confused with parenting. Preserving your parents' independence and dignity is perhaps the most important job you will have at this stage in their lives." Giving them something they can do for others is a great way to make them feel productive. It can be as simple as having them help your children with their homework.

"Family dynamics tend to build to a fever pitch when the care of an aging parent is involved." It's true that some siblings are more suited to the task than others. Don't be resentful or shirk your share of the work just because they can't or won't pitch in. And remember, there is plenty you can do from afar... researching a medical issue on the internet or monitoring their accounts online are simple ways to help your parents. Subsidizing their home care and sending care packages are another way to help.

However, don't mistake sending money with caring. "People who confuse the two often come from families in which money was a defining issue." Often mom or dad would rather just spend quality time with their families and let someone else assist them with day-to-day money management.

And so here is the plug: A daily money manager can assist your parents with those day-to-day money issues. Timely bill payment, balancing check books, organizing documents and even application for government benefits can be handled by a daily money manager. This allows you to spend quality time with your parents.

What should you ask before hiring a Daily Money Manager?

• What are the costs and how do they bill (hourly or flat fee)?
• Do they have professional liability insurance?
• Can you check their references?
• Do they have a confidentiality agreement as part of their retainer?

If you want to know more, please feel free to call me at (612) 385-6446 or visit my website at www.alonglifespath.com

The quoted portions were reprinted from an article entitled "Setting Limits: Just How Much Should We Do for Our Parents?" published in AARP magazine in June 2005 by Dale Atkins.

A Web Site at Last!!

If you have found this page, you most likely have logged on to my website. Perhaps not... but I hope that you will visit my updated website at www.alonglifespath.com My thanks to Dana for getting the job done and I am very happy with the results. I would appreciate your feedback.

Soon, I will be posting articles and upcoming events on this blog. I have a few items that I want to post now for the month of October:

Fall Aging Conference at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Park will be on Friday, October 27, 2007. This is a great opportunity to hear many exciting speakers and to peruse the booths of many worthwhile vendors pertaining to senior housing, health care and long term care issues. There is still time to register, so don't miss out.

On October 23, 2007 at 7 p.m. - Becca Olson of AND Law Firm and myself will be speaking at Calvary Cooperative in Golden Valley. She will be speaking on estate planning issues and I will be talking on "Daily Money Managers, What can they do for you?" I believe it will be open to the public.

I also have several speaking engagements scheduled this month at "The Heathers", "Sunrise of Minnetonka" and "St. Therese Northridge" during the week of October 15th. My thanks to the Resident Services Coordinators for the opportunity.

Stay tuned for further events and articles to come. Welcome to all my new clients and those interested in the services of a Daily Money Manager.

My computer is back up and running

Well, after considerable stress, anxiety and grief, my computer is back up and running. I really was fearful that I would have to buy a new computer. Thankfully, that is not the case.

I am busy networking with many business owners to find as many referral resources as possible. Today I met with Jennifer DeKok, an Arbonne distributor, who hooked me up with two networking groups. They meet at different times but both early a.m. So, we will see how motivated I really am.

If anyone reading this blog has other referral resources they would be willing to share to make my business grow and thrive, I would appreciate you posting it or call me on my cell phone.

Make it a great day!

Welcome to my Blog

Well, this is a first for me. I have a blog! Me, Barb Grimm. Who would have thought?
In any case, I hope that you will check my blog from time to time because I will periodically post thoughts, comments and articles about helping your parents, grand-parents, siblings, (whomever) maintain their independence with the help of a daily money manager or other resources that may be helpful.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on my blog. Give me feedback or tell me to take a long walk off a short pier. I will be happy to hear from you.