Expenses

• Buying Guide - A Buyer's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance

  Find the best long-term care insurance policy for your needs. Understand their costs, benefits, extra perks, and the common loopholes to avoid.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - 10 Tips for Senior Care in a Rocky Economy

  Ten tips for caring for seniors in a tough economy.

• Blog Post - High Gas Prices May Encourage Older Drivers to Choose the Bus

  High gas prices may help older drivers give up their cars.

• Blog Post - When Money Is Tight, More People Cut Back on Healthcare

  During these rocky economic times, an increasing number of people are saving money by cutting back on spiraling health care costs.

• Blog Post - Reverse Mortgages: Time to Look at Other Options?

  If you're looking into a reverse mortgage for yourself or your parent, two new articles may give you pause.

• Blog Post - My brother won't share financial information about our dad's assets, and it's tearing the family apart.

  My brother has durable power of attorney for my dad...

• Blog Post - How Retirement Is Changing

  A rundown of emotional and financial issues facing current and future retirees.

• Blog Post - Medicare Hotline Leaves Callers Cold

  Medicare patients looking for help with the government health insurance program are told to first call 1-800-Medicare for help. But that may be the last place they should turn.

• Blog Post - Should I be responsible for my father's funeral bill when he never paid child support for me?

  My parents have been divorced for more than 20 years...

• Blog Post - New Screening Technology Catches Cancer Better Than Mammograms

  A new screening technology, molecular breast imaging or MBI, caught three times the number of cancers in women with dense breast tissue as mammography in a Mayo Clinic study.

• Blog Post - New Test Can Spare Breast Cancer Patients from Chemo

  The new test Oncotype DX spares many women with early stage breast cancer from chemo by revealing which cancers are low risk.

• Blog Post - Tough Times Can Turn Seniors into Bargain Hunters

  The tough economy is forcing more seniors than ever into bankruptcy, and leading many older people to find bargains available only to them.

• Blog Post - Weighty Matters: Diabetes Drugs Can Pack on the Pounds

  Some prescription drugs, it turns out, have an unintended side effect: They lead to weight gain.

Questions & Answers

• Question - From what money are final expenses paid first?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there a limit on how far back a person can seek reimbursement for expenses incurred while acting as attorney-in-fact?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - With no assets and cash, how can I pay for my own final expenses?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I cover my medical care expenses?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Can residental board and care be deducted as a medical expense?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can we pay for final expenses if there simply isn't any money to cover them?

  My 23 year old nephew died Thursday morning of O.D.. We did...

• Question - Where can I get financial assistance for monthly expenses we...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do we deal with the expenses associated with the cost of burying my mother when her life insurance policy doesn't cover everything?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there any software available to help track and organize yearly costs for a guardian taking care of a parent?

  The biggest challenge in tracking guardianship expenses may be to focus on the categories to include.

• Question - Will I be responsible for my father's burial expenses or outstanding debt after he passes away?

  Creditors are often entitled to estate property before the beneficiaries can be paid.

• Question - My mother is 58 and moving in with us. She is suffering...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - If I am named as having power of attorney over my father's affairs, is it legal for me to use his money to pay for my expenses incurred while caring for him?

  If you want to be paid for your duties when acting as another person's power of attorney, it is best to get it in writing.

• Question - Who is responsible for the final costs of my almost ex-husband?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What is my first step in administering my mother's will?

  The first step is usually the hardest: Finding and organizing the property your mothe owned at her death.

• Question - What help is available to pay for prescription drugs?

  Can your parent get financial help to pay for prescription drugs? Does Medicare cover drugs, or are there other ways to get help paying for prescriptions?

• Question - Can my grandmother pay me directly with her Medicaid "spend down" for services I provide?

  Can my grandmother pay me for some of her caregiving costs to spend down for Medicaid? Yes, some caregiving costs apply to Medicaid spend down.

• Question - How can I get my brother to help with Alzheimer's care?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - Are living trusts and living wills the same?

  When it comes to living wills and living trusts, only the names are similar. One concerns itself with controlling medical care; the other, passing title to property.

• Question - How do I set up a real estate trust?

  You may be able to set up a simple living trust on your own; other types of trusts may require some guidance from a legal expert.

• Question - What happens to an elderly person's credit card at death?

  When an elderly person dies, what happens to his credit card debt? Are his relatives responsible for the credit card debt upon his death?

• Question - How should my mother decide when to file for Social Security?

  Is it best to file for Social Security benefits early, at age 62, if a parent needs money or wait until 65 or 67 to file for Social Security benefits?

• Question - With both my parents in the hospital, how can I pay their bills?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How do I help remedy a sibling conflict about our dad's care?

  At a family meeting, one member was "beaten up" by 4 others....

• Question - Can my mother help pay for her grandchildren's education and still qualify for Medicaid?

  Will a parent risk Medicaid benefits by helping with grandchildren's education? It's essential to consider whether Medicaid will be lost this way.

• Question - Will Medicaid or Medicare help pay for my mother's long-term care?

  Will Medicaid or Medicare help pay for my mother's long term care? Medicare will cover 100 days in a nursing home if certain qualifications are met.

• Question - How can you divide up household and personal items when there is no will?

  When a person dies without a will, a probate court will get involved in overseeing how remaining property is divided.

• Question - What are annuities and do they make sense for someone over 80?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Am I responsible for the debts of the person for whom I have durable power of attorney ?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How should my father balance estate planning, tax planning, and Medicaid planning?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Since my parents own property in several states, how will their estate be administered?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What's the difference between a guardianship and a conservatorship?

  What's the difference between a guardianship and a conservatorship? I want to know because my elderly parent refuses to sign a power of attorney.

• Question - How do I apply for Medicaid?

  Medicaid provides broad coverage for medical care. You apply at your state's local Medicaid office, usually a county social services office.

• Question - Do You Have to Be Bankrupt to Get Medicaid?

  Do you have to be bankrupt to qualify for Medicare or Medicaid home care? Can Medicaid take your house? Medicaid does have very low limits for assets.

• Question - Financial Aid for Caregivers?

  I am caring for my parents and need to be home with them day to day. Is there any financial aid that I can get since I will have lost my income?

• Question - Can Coenzyme Q10 raise my mother's ejection fraction?

  Can CoQ10 raise my parent's ejection fraction if she has heart failure? CoQ10 has not been proven to benefit people with heart failure.

• Question - How do I get my husband signed up for Medicare Part D?

  Medicare Part D drug coverage is very inexpensive for people eligible for Medicaid and in nursing homes.

• Question - As a caregiver is there any kind of aid or tax breaks I can...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I pick an attorney and what should I expect to pay?

  How do I pick an estate planning attorney for my parents? When I'm picking an attorney, should I go to a large firm, and how much should I pay?

• Question - What are some fun activities for seniors who are confined to hospitals?

  What are some fun activities for seniors confined to hospitals or nursing home? The activities for seniors available where I work aren't all that fun.

• Question - Can I get medicare to pay for both a scooter and a wheelchair?

  Medicare can pay to rent or buy a power wheelchair or power scooter, if medically necessary, but not both at the same time.

• Question - What is the difference between a will and a trust?

  What's the difference between a will and a trust? One of the main differences between a will and a trust is that a will must go through probate.

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Continuing Care Tax Benefit

  If your parents move to a continuing care retirement...

• Tip - parent with dementia

  After caring for two elderly parents for several...

News

• News - Clinical Symptoms Enough to Switch Drug Regimens for HIV Patients

  THURSDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Decisions on...

• News - Health Insurance Premiums Skyrocket

  TUESDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- Employer-based...

• News - Costs Can Vary By $100 or More for Same Drugs

  MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Prices of prescription...

• News - Medicare Costs for Cancer Treatment Soar

  TUESDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Costs for treating...