“How to Talk About Long-Term Care Planning Now,” by Margie Barrie, ThinkAdvisor “Margie Barrie, a veteran long-term care insurance (LTCI) agent, marketer and educator, has been writing articles about long-term care (LTC) planning and related issues for decades. Here she looks at the nuts and bolts of LTC planning communication. Q. I want to improve my client presentation by adding some new key phrases. What can you suggest? A. Here’s the lingo I heard recently, while attending a workshop hosted by OneAmerica. During the two days there, I compiled a list of phrases that I plan to use myself. Plus, I
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“New screening tool could help diagnose early cognitive decline in dementia from home,” Science Daily “An international team of scientists have developed a new way to screen for age-related cognitive decline at home using a test which asks people to detect sounds and flashes on their laptop or phone.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Early diagnosis is more critical than ever as behavioral modifications to reduce or reverse cognitive decline become more seriously considered. New screening tool could help diagnose early cognitive decline in dementia from home #dementia #goldencareagent
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“Help clients come to grips with long-term care,” by Charles Paikert, Financial Planning “Starting a conversation about planning for illness and decline in old age is difficult with any client. Those who fall into the high-net-worth category are no exception. Nearly 60% of financial advisors working with clients with $1 million or more in investable assets say fewer than a quarter of their clients have a long-term care plan, according to a new Key Private Bank study. So how can advisors persuade clients to start thinking about putting a plan in place? Ask them if they’ve had family experience with
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“The Low-Down on the Medicaid Spend-Down,” by Kara Gansmann, Wilmington Biz Insights Quote: “During a Medicaid spend-down, individuals and couples may consider spending money on these items: Updating the home. … A new vehicle. Use caution if purchasing a new luxury vehicle, however. Pre-paid irrevocable funeral plans. … Household goods or personal effects for either spouse. … Debt repayment. The key here is to make sure that the debts are repaid only after the Medicaid snapshot date has been established.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): This paid-content article in a local newspaper is typical
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“Walgreens and Humana are partnering to create senior health hubs,” by Angelica LaVeto, CNBC “Drugstore chain Walgreens is partnering with health insurer Humana to open senior-focused care centers. They plan to open two locations inside Walgreens stores this fall in the Kansas City, Missouri, area with primary care services, pharmacies and other services like a Humana representative to answer seniors’ Medicare questions. Humana will run the clinics through its Partners in Primary Care business. The unit already opened four independent centers in the area last year. The partnership is just the latest example of health insurers trying to become more
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“Despite not using long-term care, millennials have strong opinions on how it should be paid for,” by Marty Stempniak, McKnight’s LTC News “That’s one of the key takeaways from a AP/NORC survey of young individuals about LTC, highlighted by Forbes this week. As noted by AARP, about 1 in every 4 caregivers is between the ages of 18 and 34. They spend about 20 hours per week delivering care, which is only going to balloon as the population ages. … Some 62% are in favor of instituting tax breaks for purchasing long-term care insurance. And 60% said they would like
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“Second hospice employee pleads guilty in alleged $60 million kickback scheme involving assisted living communities,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living “A second former employee of a now-defunct hospice company has pleaded guilty for her role in an alleged $60 million Medicare fraud scheme that, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, paid assisted living communities and physicians in exchange for referring ineligible Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries, some of whom then were given excessive dosages of medication that injured or killed them.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):
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“Research shows that the prevalence of dementia has fallen in the United States,” by Judith Graham, Washington Post “New research about ‘cognitive life expectancy’ — how long older adults live with good vs. declining brain health — shows that after age 65, men and women spend more than a dozen years in good cognitive health, on average. And, over the past decade, that time span has been expanding. … Even when these conditions surface, many seniors retain an overall sense of well-being, according to new research presented in April at the Population Association of America’s annual meeting.” LTC Comment (from
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“Five myths about Alzheimer’s disease,” by Denise C. Park, The Washington Post “Fritz Gilbert knew in his 20s that he did not want to die at his desk. Gilbert, 55, who retired last week, started saving decades ago for what could be one of our most fraught decisions: When to retire? The question is deeply personal. It requires a brutal look at your life. Some people get a pit in the stomach when they think about saying goodbye to that paycheck. Or at the prospect of deconstructing a nest egg they spent decades building. They might worry about feeling irrelevant
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‘Dying at your desk is not a retirement plan,’” by Thomas Heath, The Washington Post “Fritz Gilbert knew in his 20s that he did not want to die at his desk. Gilbert, 55, who retired last week, started saving decades ago for what could be one of our most fraught decisions: When to retire? The question is deeply personal. It requires a brutal look at your life. Some people get a pit in the stomach when they think about saying goodbye to that paycheck. Or at the prospect of deconstructing a nest egg they spent decades building. They might worry
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