“The Forgotten Middle”: Seniors Facing Housing, Care Crisis
Seniors who have an income above the Medicaid threshold but lack a high enough income to have substantial personal savings are considered “The Forgotten Middle.” These are elders who are more likely to struggle to afford long-term [...]
3 Reasons to Review Your Medicare Annual Notice of Change
Even if you are satisfied with your current Medicare coverage, it is still a good idea to review the Annual Notice of Change that Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plan members receive each September. In [...]
Researching Medicare or Medicaid? Google Wants to Help
Many people use Google to get information about health care services, including benefits programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Recently, Google announced changes to the search experience for users seeking information about Medicare and Medicaid eligibility and [...]
What Are Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts?
Medicaid imposes strict rules on how much money and assets an applicant can have. To qualify for Medicaid, you must fall under the asset limit, which is $2,000 in most states. Even with greater than [...]
Older Americans: Cancel Student Loan Debt
More than 8 million Americans aged 50 and older have billions in outstanding federal student loan debt. Whether you have taken out these loans for yourself or for your family members’ education, several programs are [...]
What Are Survivor Benefits?
The Social Security Administration provides four types of Social Security benefits: retirement, disability, dependents, and survivor benefits. Survivor benefits are available to the children and spouses of deceased individuals who qualify. If you qualify for [...]
What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?
Dementia is a general term that refers to severe memory loss and problems with thinking, behavior, and social skills that interfere with daily life. According to the National Institutes of Health, this neurological condition affects one [...]
What You Should Consider Before Scattering a Loved One’s Ashes
Saying goodbye to a loved one is heartbreaking. Making final arrangements can be overwhelming, and knowing what you are allowed to do to fulfill your loved one's wishes is important, but it can also be [...]
Alternatives to Traditional Funeral Arrangements
After losing a loved one, consider the best way to honor them and their life. Sometimes, a traditional funeral is not the best fit. Today, there are many alternatives to a traditional funeral service and [...]
Psychiatric Advance Directives: Plan Your Treatment Before a Mental Health Crisis
Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs), like advance directives for health care, let a person with a mental illness lay out in advance the mental health care they want during a crisis that may require hospitalization. Hospitals are [...]
How to Know If Your Aging Parents Need Home Care
As our parents get older, we must make tough decisions regarding their health care. It can be hard to know when to bring in professional support in the form of home care. Consider the following [...]
What Is Community Medicaid?
Medicaid is a federal program administered on a state-by-state basis. There are several types of Medicaid — including Community Medicaid. Community Medicaid covers care and medical services that enable a recipient to remain in their home or [...]
How Long Should I Hold on to Important Documents?
It is hard to know what documents to trash and when. Before you know it, your spare room, office, basement, or garage is overflowing with boxes of papers that all seem important. Trying to weed [...]
Estate Planning After Divorce
So, you’re officially divorced. In starting this new chapter of life, you should update your estate planning documents as soon as possible. You may no longer be legally married, but divorce does not automatically remove [...]
Better Access to Medicaid? Feds Seek to Simplify Enrollment
For nearly 60 years, Medicaid has helped support tens of millions of low-income Americans, including seniors and people with disabilities, with low-cost or free health coverage. Come 2023, a new set of rules proposed by [...]
Do Medicare or Medicaid Cover Senior Day Care Services?
Many seniors do not necessarily need the constant care of a nursing home but could benefit from participating in a senior day care program one or more days per week. Senior day care usually refers to the [...]