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SENIOR CARE
Plan Ahead for Care Needs	Karl Karch
March 2010 SENIOR CARE By Karl Karch Plan Ahead for Care Needs Over the years our company worldwide has provided care to millions of people. Last year alone, Home Instead Senior Care provided more than 40 million hours of care throughout 15 countries. This experience, combined with the results of a study recently commissioned, led to the conclusion that today’s seniors could be a generation at risk. There are millions of seniors with millions more coming soon, real people with real needs who are living longer. Seniors and their families need reliable information about nearly every aspect of senior care with challenges falling into three areas. First, they just don’t know the care options or the cost of care. A survey found roughly two-thirds of seniors and their adult children could only name two unaided senior care options, skilled nursing homes or assisted living centers. Most are unaware of numerous other options that have evolved over the last 15 years. Second, they don’t know who pays for what. Survey responses here were equally discouraging. Most seniors and adult children still think Social Security, Medicare or their parents’ retirement accounts will cover the cost. Unfortunately, that’s not true. They don’t have a realistic grasp of care costs. Third, planning for senior care just isn’t a priority for them. Our study was a real shocker. 73 percent of adult children haven’t planned for or even thought about care in their older age. Only half of the seniors themselves have given any thought to developing a plan for their own care. Fortunately, we now have more good choices and options than ever before that can provide the “continuum of care” for seniors. Throughout this continuum are options that address various stages of need as they relate to aging. Unfortunately, most people don’t understand the options until they have struggled through senior care with a loved one and it’s too late. Many have told us “I wish I knew earlier. Things could have been so much better”. One of the challenges for family caregivers and seniors themselves is to recognize the time when help is needed. At Home Instead, we’ve identified “Ten Signs of Trouble”. Warning signs like bills piling up, a reluctance to go out of the house, a loss of interest in meals, a decline in personal hygiene, decline in driving skills, scorched pots and pans, signs of depression, missed appointments, house not clean, and losing track of medications. If these signs are present, someone needs to come regularly to help, which is often a family member. Paul and Lori Hogan, founders of Home Instead, have written a book, Stages of Senior Care. This step-by-step guide to making the best decisions is in bookstores and libraries. It’s rapidly becoming an excellent resource for learning about the aging process and options available, including advantages, drawbacks, and financial consequences. Because it is such an excellent resource, I will provide a free copy to the first 10 people requesting one. Also, check out www.stagesofseniorcare.com. Be proactive and plan ahead for your stages of care needs. Karl Karch is a local franchise owner of Home Instead Senior Care, a licensed home care organization providing personal care, companionship and home-helper services. Go to www.homeinstead.com/FredericksburgVA
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