Many people mistakenly think that Medicare will help cover these costs, but Medicare does not pay for assisted living. On the other hand, Medicaid does cover certain types of long-term care services. Specific programs vary by state, but most state Medicaid programs offer some sort of financial assistance with the costs of assisted living. However, Medicaid uses strict eligibility guidelines that also vary by state. For more information on qualifying for Medicaid, contact your local Area Agency on Aging or your state’s department of health and human services or department of social services.

The reality is that when it comes to assisted living, most families pay out of pocket. If the adult children have the resources, they will often contribute to their parents’ care if Mom and Dad don’t have sufficient funds. This, of course, can cause issues within the family, especially if some siblings are wealthier than others. How do families decide whether the children should financially contribute to their parents’ care, and, if they do, who pays how much? For those who are less well off, don’t ignore the option of payday loans as sometimes they can be a great way to help you organise your cash flow, and they could allow you to contribute to your parents’ welfare which is one of the most important things you’ll ever have to do. Just make sure you read some advice first that explains what you should look for in a payday lender, as they’re all very different.

Family meetings can help move things along. Sometimes that means siblings must grow up enough to put aside sibling rivalries and old family dynamics for the benefit of their parent(s), but if that can be done, a collaborative plan can be devised.

There are options other than splitting the cost evenly. One sibling may have a substantial income but live far away from their parents. This sibling could contribute more financially, while another sibling who lives closer and has a more limited income can take on a larger part of the hands-on care that may, in turn, keep down some of the costs. A third sibling may do a little of each.

Unfortunately, some siblings just plain don’t get along and issues with parent care often bring out the worst in their relationships. In particularly difficult scenarios like these, a mediator can assist families in finding an elder care plan that everyone approves of. Having a neutral party present to weigh in during family meetings can help siblings put aside personal differences, find compassion (or at least tolerance) for one another and concentrate on the wellbeing of their parents.

Another less popular option is deciding not to contribute. Not every adult child is in a position to help their parents financially. You’d like to see Mom and Dad get top-of-the-line care, but you may all have to agree that more humble surroundings are all the family can afford. After all, your parents have had their whole lives to save and spend wisely. Whatever money they have set aside should be used for their care. Not only is making major contributions difficult for an adult child to budget for in the first place, but it also results in less savings for their own children, their retirement and their long-term care.

Rather than making financial contributions, offer your parents emotional and logistical support. Help them research long-term care options, financial assistance, and other federal, state, and local programs. Help them plan to spend down their assets and apply for Medicaid. Having your emotional support is often more important to your parents than having your fleeting financial support.

There is no telling how long Mom and Dad may reside in assisted living or how much their care needs may increase. Many adult children agree to help cover costs only to realize that they’ve committed to paying for long-term care for many, many years. This can be a financially devastating decision that is difficult to back out of, especially if the children have signed binding contracts with a facility regarding payment.

The Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support Group and Abbott are pleased to host UCLA neurology and neurosurgery specialists Adrienne Keener, MD, and Ausaf A. Bari, MD, PhD, on Wednesday, June 12th from 1:00-3:00PM at the Four Points Sheraton in Ventura. Members of the public are also welcome to attend this special presentation by Dr. Keener and Dr. Bari that includes an overview of Parkinson’s Disease and treatments including Deep Brain Stimulation.

Dr. Adrienne Keener has extensive fellowship training as a movement disorder specialist at UCLA. In addition to an overview of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Dr. Keener will also discuss conventional and recently developed medications for treating PD. Dr. Ausaf A. Bari is one of Southern California’s neurological experts who specializes in the neurosurgical repair and restoration of brain and nerve function. Dr. Bari has extensive clinical and research experience in the use of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of both movement and psychiatric disorders. DBS may be an option for certain people with neurological problems when medicines don’t work as well or when side effects of the medicines interfere with daily activities.

Following his neurosurgery residency training at UCLA, Dr. Bari was awarded the prestigious William P. Van Wagenen Fellowship to train at the world-renowned functional neurosurgery program at the University of Toronto. A native of California, Dr. Bari completed his neurosurgery residency training at UCLA after receiving his MD and PhD degrees from Boston University. He completed his undergraduate training at UC Berkeley in the field of neurobiology. His clinical practice includes DBS surgery for Parkinson’s disease, tremor, dystonia, depression and OCD. In addition, his clinical practice includes neurosurgery for brain tumors, pain, and peripheral nerve disorders.

The Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support Group welcomes our members, their care-partners and new friends who find themselves navigating the challenges of Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological conditions along with the public to join us at this special presentation on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, from 1PM-3PM at the Four Points by Sheraton, Ventura Harbor Resort; 1050 Schooner Drive, Ventura. We thank Abbott for sponsoring this important and informative meeting.

Directions to the Four Points Sheraton: from the 101 take the Seaward off Ramp and go south on Harbor Boulevard to Schooner Drive where you will then turn right and park in the lot to your left. There will be signs indicating where to find the meeting once you enter the Sheraton lobby. To RSVP and for more information call Patty at 805-766-6070.

by Esther Cole

As if it isn’t enough punishment to get old. It’s much worse to get old and sick. And it’s terrible to be old and unwary. Innocent, actually.

To be unaware of all the mean-hearted, crooks, young people, who would make victims out of the old, and elderly, and ill, and unwary folk. living alone, and, believing, that all telephone calls must be answered, politely. Or answered. Period.

There is a recurrent scam, afoot, that targets the elderly female. It begins, when you answer the phone, and say, “hello.”

The response you get is “Hi, gramma.”

“Gramma” answers, “Who is this?”

“Your grandson.”

“Which one?”

“The oldest”

“Oh, how are you, dear?”

“Oh, gramma, I’m in big trouble.”

What gramma would not want to jump in and rescue her

grandson?

‘Grandson’ now starts to sniff, and his voice begins to sound teary.

“Oh, gramms, I’m in jail. I was driving and I got hit — I’m OK — but the police said I was responsible. They arrested me. I can’t leave without putting up bail. Please, gramma, can you help me?”

What gramma would be so cold-hearted to ignore a needy grandson?

Grammas just don’t grow that way. Grammas are relatives that are there for their grandsons.

When you read this introduction, it may seem too simple, and most

grammas would understand this is a scam. I believe they do. But there are enough loving grammas, that are taken in, and then, take the money to Western Union, to send to their needy grandson.

My friend Carin’s mother had money in hand at Western Union to send to this “grandson.” The clerk explained the scam and saved her all that money.

I thought that scam was over, until last night, when I answered the phone, and heard this sweet, young male voice say, “Hello, Gramma..”

I answered, “What kind of trouble are you in now?”

That felt pretty good, because this “gramma” had a chance to scam the scammer. And I did. I asked for “grandson” to send me money. I needed a lot of money. Funny, my “grandson” was no longer on the other end of the telephone.

I know, there are dozens of other scams, and scammers, ready to take advantage of people who are kind and generous. Too bad we live in this kind of world, but we do.

So “gramma” be kind to your kin but keep your generosity in your bank account.

More power to the elderly.

It’s well established that having a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s increases a person’s risk of developing the disease. A new, NIA-supported study shows that even in the absence of close family members with Alzheimer’s, having extended family members with the disease increased a person’s risk. The findings, published April 9 in Neurology, could have implications for assessing risk using a broader view of family history.

A team of researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University mined the Utah Population Database. This record of Utah founders from the 1800s and their descendants, was used to identify individuals with genealogy data for at least 12 ancestors in the last three generations. The resulting pool of more than 270,000 individuals included 4,436 with Alzheimer’s as the primary or contributing cause of death.

To measure relative risk, the researchers compared the actual number of people who had Alzheimer’s with the expected number of Alzheimer’s cases based on various family histories of the disease. The analysis included first-degree relatives (parents, children, and siblings), second-degree relatives (grandparents, grandchildren, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews), and third-degree relatives (great-grandparents, great-grandchildren, grand nieces, grand nephews, great aunts and uncles, and first cousins).

In line with previous studies, the researchers found that having one or more first-degree relatives with Alzheimer’s put people at significantly higher risk for the disease. People with one first-degree relative with Alzheimer’s were 1.73 times more likely to develop the disease. Looking further into the family tree, people with two first-degree relatives with Alzheimer’s were nearly four times more likely to develop the disease. Those with three first-degree relatives were nearly two-and-half more times likely, and those with four were almost 15 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

But even people whose parents or siblings did not have Alzheimer’s were at higher risk in most cases if they had second- or third-degree relatives with the disease, the researchers found. For example, people with three or four second-degree relatives who had Alzheimer’s were more than twice as likely to develop the disease. People who had only third-degree relatives with Alzheimer’s had a 43 percent increased risk when they had three or more such relatives with the disease.

People at the lowest risk had no relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or only one or two third-degree relatives with Alzheimer’s.

A family history of Alzheimer’s does not mean that a person will develop the disease, and a lower risk does not mean a person won’t get the disease. Rather, an individualized assessment of risk based on one’s extended-family history might help identify people who may benefit from monitoring for early signs of disease and steps that might help prevent dementia, the authors wrote.

It’s important to note that estimates in this study are based on the Utah study population and may not apply to other populations. The study also did not incorporate genetic influences or other risk factors into the calculations of relative risk, which is an area the researchers are now beginning to explore.

This study was supported by NIA grant RF1AG054052.

Reference: Cannon-Albright LA, et al. Relative risk for Alzheimer disease based on complete family history. Neurology. 2019;92(15):e1745-e1753.