Maria Basso Lipani, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Caring.com Expert
Maria Basso Lipani writes the popular website www.geriatriccaremanagement.com, where she puts her expertise as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to good use answering care planning questions. Maria is a graduate of Columbia University School of Social Work and is licensed in California and New York. She worked with chronically ill older adults and their families for several years at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco before becoming the manager of a federally funded caregiver support program in New York City. Today Maria oversees a program to reduce preventable readmissions at a hospital.
Recently Published on Caring.com
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How do we find a better home health agency? — Oct 15, 2011If you're unhappy with the home health aides you can absolutely call the agency that sent them, explain the behaviors, and ask for different workers. Finding a better home ...
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An excellent and free resource to help you choose the right facility for your parents is A Place For Mom (www.aplaceformom.com). You can talk with an Elder Care Advisor wh... -
My mom is 88 and has been diagnosed with Dementia. What's next in taking care of her? — Jan 15, 2011There are several next steps after an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Many will vary from situation to situation, but the following five are ones that I believe are critical for al... -
Would a home health aide or assisted living facility be the most financially beneficial? — Jan 15, 2011Depending upon where your grandparents live, the cost for 12 hours per day of a home health aide and the cost of an assisted living facility for both grandparents may be ab... -
The middle stages of dementia, where it sounds to me your mother may be, are among the most challenging. Behaviors like the ones you are describing are the norm and can be... -
How can Mom keep her HUD apt without jeopardizing Medicare? — Aug 12, 2010This is an excellent question and one that may require a lot of action on your part in the next few days to find a resolution. If I were you here's what I would do: 1) Co... -
It is absolutely legal to call social services in any situation in which you are concerned about the health and/or well-being of another person. It is especially important... -
Being a caregiver for a parent with schizophrenia is especially challenging for all the reasons you shared. It can be considerably harder when that parent isn't taking medi... -
First off I have to commend you. Managing the care of a parent among several siblings is never easy and I’m contacted quite often by siblings who can’t get along and so ca... -
Is it common for rehab facilities to require residents to wear adult diapers for convenience? — Apr 05, 2010In a word - Yes. Hard to believe, I know. In fact, using adult diapers for convenience in a nursing facility is one of the most agregious practices I've seen. But you na... -
Should the nursing home tell Dad he should stay? — Apr 05, 2010In answer to your question, it's not the facility's responsibility to tell your father that he should remain in the nursing home. The physician may be willing to recommend... -
How Do We Deal with Mother with No Hope of Cooperation? — Mar 19, 2010In a situation like yours, the best you can do is to have your mother evaluated by a psychiatrist. If she does have dementia, it must be diagnosed. Then guardianship shoul... -
I think she needs more care, they say no. Help? — Feb 22, 2010What an ordeal! I'm so sorry that you and your mother are going through this and it does sound like "home" was the wrong discharge plan. There are a few ways to go about g... -
If my mom doesn't want assisted living, what should I do? — Feb 19, 2010I don't have any suggestions for getting her to stop self-transferring, but I do have a suggestion for determining the best setting for her: ask her where she wants to be. ... -
How do I know which type of home is more appropriate? — Feb 19, 2010Choosing between care homes can be tough, but the good news here is that you don't have to know which is better. Each facility has a set of criteria and will decide whethe... -
How do you go about finding a Geriatric Care Manager? — Feb 17, 2010There are three core services that I recommend family caregivers look for from a geriatric care manager and your question includes all three. They are: 1) A home visit or... -
Is there a law for assisted living room size? — Dec 21, 2009Title VII of the Older Americans Act requires that each state have an ombudsman program that functions solely to "investigate and resolve complaints made by or on beha... -
Probably the toughest part about caring for an aging parent (or caring for anyone for that matter) is that there is no handbook. Only you know your mom and her temperament... -
Mom needs to move in with me, but how do I proceed? — Nov 16, 2009I’m so sorry to hear about your father’s death. Sudden deaths are very traumatic and in this case even more so because the loss revealed something you didn’t know about yo... -
What housing options are available? — Oct 26, 2009What a nightmare!! What’s worse is that it’s hard to say whether the nursing home staff has tried everything possible to get a handle on things or whether... -
How do I find an elder care moving manager? — Oct 02, 2009What you described as an “elder care moving manager” is more commonly known as a “relocation specialist,” but the concept is exactly the same. In fact, an entire niche mar... -
Where do I find a companion for my dad? — Sep 25, 2009You have a few options for finding a companion for your elderly father. The first two no-cost thoughts I have are as follows: 1) Learn about any friendly visitor programs... -
How do we get Mom to move out? — Sep 24, 2009You and your wife have every right to have your home back if your mother-in-law’s behavior and sister-in-law’s interfering are intolerable. No one can force either of you ... -
The process of moving a person with dementia to a care home is one that's often left to the family or the person who has durable power of attorney (DPOA). If an older adult... -
How do we get Mom to see the need for longterm care? — Sep 13, 2009Depending upon whether your mother-in-law has early or middle stage dementia, moving her at this time could prove challenging. Not because it is her choice or something tha...
