If you are one of a growing number of adults taking care of your parents, chances are the emotional and financial stress is keeping you up at night. The facts are overwhelming, but Care Concierge NY is here to help.
The eye-popping facts:
-40% of family caregivers report their relationship with their spouse/partner/siblings was negatively impacted and 70% reported losing time at work. (Genworth’s Beyond Dollars Study/2018)
-Adult caregiver children with full-time jobs lose, on average, $303,880 in lost income and benefits due to time taken off to care for a parent. (AARP/2015)
-70% of Americans turning age 65 today will require long-term care with an average duration of 3 years (US Department of Health & Human Services/2017)
-The average cost of 3-years of full time (24/7) home aides hired via an agency in New York City is more than $600,000.
Real life solutions for managing mom & dad’s care
Turn to professional help. A client on Long Island sensed that his mother wasn’t eating properly or paying her bills and contacted us for help. We sent in one of our Geriatric Care Managers who assessed whether mom was able to manage daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating and getting in and out of bed. In this case the son was right. Mom wasn’t taking her medicine, keeping up with the bills, eating well, or walking the dog regularly.
We sent over three Elite Home Aides who met our standards and Mom’s needs: FBI background checked, trained to work with patients with memory loss, French speaking, dog lover, computer literate and card player. Our client and his mom interviewed the Aides and chose the one that best suited Mom. “A huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders” our client said. “Now I know mom is well taken care of and I can keep up with my responsibilities at work.”
In addition, this client’s mom had a long-term care policy. One of our Certified Financial Planners was able to explain the insurance speak and manage the claims process from forms submission to the home assessment by the insurance company’s nurse. As a result, the policy now pays for mom’s Home Aides and she is getting quality care.
Maintain family harmony. Divide and conquer. One client in Manhattan stands out as a shining example of this concept. As is usually the case, the adult children were responsible for their mom and dad’s care. To maintain family harmony, our Geriatric Care Manager created a Plan of Care where the adult children divided up care responsibilities by expertise. The eldest was a physician, so she oversaw medical care and explained doctors’ reports to the family. The son was in finance, so he managed payroll for the home aides, budgeting and bill payments. And the youngest daughter was an organizational whiz, so she made sure her parents’ kitchen was well-stocked and the household wasn’t overrun by papers, etc.
If you or someone you know needs assistance with a loved one’s care, please contact us at 631-938-6230 or at aaron@careconciergeny.com.