The bottom line is that LTC (long term care) insurance has come a long way.  There are new types of LTC insurance and even a PA Partnership Care Plan.  We encourage our clients to talk to an agent to determine if it is right for them.  Specifically, we like the riders that keep our clients in their home and in an assisting living facility as long as possible.I am not a financial advisor, nor am I licensed to sell insurance, nor can I receive any commission from anyone who does. Thus, I have no incentive to say that I think long-term care policies are important; the reasons may be different than what you might expect.  I always hear the push-back that long-term care insurance is very expensive, and that, in many cases, if you dont use it, you lose it. Since approximately 2009 Pennsylvania has become a part of something called a partnership care plan.Essentially, for example, if you have $200,000 of long-term care insurance that pays out, the state will allow you to exempt an additional $200,000 of assets at the time that you enter a nursing home, and still qualify for Medicaid. When the plan first came out, the concern was that the state would take over long-term care insurance, but so far that has not occurred.I believe the reason is because these are still traditional long-term care policies that, if you dont use it during your lifetime, you lose its value at your death.However, more recently long-term care insurance companies have come out with what is called a hybrid policy, which is a life insurance policy that has a rider for long-term care insurance. The main reason that I like long-term care policies, specifically the ones that have riders to provide for care in the home or in the personal care home, is because more and more, people want to live at home as they age and until they die.  In all of my years of practice, no one has ever told me that they want to go into a nursing home. I often hear that they want to stay home, or they want to stay in a personal care home, but unfortunately, it is too expensive, or the assets will become completely depleted.Although I understand that long-term care insurance or a long-term care hybrid policy may seem expensive now, trust me, the peace of mind that it will provide later when you or a loved one wants, and is able, to stay home or go to a personal care home, the money spent on the policy which allows you to do so is small compared to the out-of-pocket cost of that care, and, at least as importantly, your peace of mind.  Although we are fortunate in the state of Pennsylvania to be able to assist people in crisis, we are not as easily able to help people to stay in their homes or in a personal care home.  Do yourself and your family a favor, and if at all possible secure your long-term care insurance now for peace of mind later; the earlier the better.  If you want to talk about this or any other estate planning matter your wanting more information about, contact us!  

As our parents age, the primary questions adult children face are (1) who is going to provide needed care, and (2) in what setting will mom or dad receive the needed care. Coming to such decisions does not always mean smooth sailing moving forward. Family members often view care issues very differently and conflicts can be further complicated when one of the siblings is the primary caregiver. Our team members find such conflicts to be quite common in their work with our clients and families. The situations are stressful and charged with emotion, worry, and exhaustionthe perfect storm for conflict and family duress.As I reflect on the meetings and consultations I have had with some of these families recently, I suspect that part of the problem is the fact that the aging parents failed to verbalizeearly and oftentheir wishes and desires related to the what if scenarios. Because their folks did not talk openly about their wishes and expectations, the adult children are often forced to guess what Mom and Dad would have wantedanother perfect storm for differences of opinion and sibling conflicts.If you have not already done so, commit to conversing with your adult children about the what ifs. Let them know your wishes and preferences. Consider the effort to be your conflict prevention plan, so that down the road, you and yours wont have to engage in conflict resolution. And be sure to have a formal caregiver agreement drafted if a family member becomes the paid caregiver. It is an important tool for many reasons, including clarifying the financial parameters of the care being provided. Doing so will prevent misunderstandings between those you love most. Open, honest communication is always the key, and we recommend it early and often in these situations.

More and more, as our population ages, many of us are taking care of aging spouses or parents. According to the Mayo Clinic, 33% of adults provide such care. Most caregivers feel an obligation to do so out of love.However, caregivers often find that providing that care is emotionally and physically, and often financially, draining. It is essential that caregivers know their limits. The danger is that the everyday stresses and challenges of providing such care often lead caregivers to forget about themselves, which can lead to depression, social isolation, financial difficulties, stress, fatigue, loss of interest in activities, frequent pain or headaches, and other effects.When we get on an airplane before we take off the flight attendants always instruct passengers that, if the oxygen masks drop down, be sure to place them on you before you help others. Why? If you pass out from lack of oxygen, you cannot help anyone else, so by taking care of yourself you are in a position to care for others. This is not selfishness it is a necessity. When Mary first came to see us, her husband of over 40 years had advanced Alzheimers and other physical conditions, and qualified for skilled nursing level care. Caring for him was a 24-hour job he would wander off at all hours of the day and night, and other behaviors andMary needed to dispense his medications throughout the day and evening. We immediately sensed that Mary was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but this was her husband, her love, to whom she had pledged herself in sickness and in health. She could not imagine abandoning her obligation to him by placing him in a nursing home, and, sadly, they did not qualify for Medicaid Waiver for in-home care.We worked hard to make her understand that caring for her husband was killing her. As we talked, it became ever clearer that she could not keep up her current pace. I asked Mary how caring for her husband was affecting her; she admitted that she was under constant stress, was depressed, didnt have any social life, and was generally wearing down. I then asked her what would happen if she were to wear down so much that she died from overwork while caring for her husband. She was startled she hadnt considered that. The answer was, there would be no alternative he would have to go to a nursing home.It took a couple of meetings with her, but she finally came to realize that in the long run, she was not doing her husband any favors by keeping him at home; her best course of action would be to find a great nursing home for him, and visit him frequently and get stronger physically and emotionally herself so she could continue to play an important role in her husbands life for a long time to come.If you are going to care for a loved one in the twilight of his/her life, then there are things which you should do to maintain your physical and mental health, such as:Seek and accept help from family and support groups, including online.Keep connected with family, friends, even clergy.Find out from your loved ones medical staff, or others, what resources are available to you and your loved one.Give yourself permission to spend me time to rejuvenate your physical and mental conditions then do it! Even a short time for yourself each day can make a huge difference.Maintain good, healthy habits.Exercise it improves your mood and reduces stress. You should consider all of your options, but always consider your needs as well as your loved ones. Remember, to be an effective resource for your loved one, you need to put the oxygen mask on first before you can help others!

Hearing aid technology is continuing to advance at rapid speeds.  These advances allow wearers to hear better in many situations where listening was previously difficult. Advancements have also been made in the compatibility of hearing aids and smart phones.  Many hearing aids can be linked with Apple and Android devices in order to give the wearer direct streaming between the aids and the phone.  Its important to remember though that the primary purpose of hearing aids is to assist you in hearing speech and other sounds in the environment that you are in.  The priority is not the streaming of audio from your phone.  While this capability is there, it is still far from perfected. There are many variables which can interfere with the connection between the aids and the phone.  One such interference is software updates.  Almost every time you take a software update on your cell phone, the pairing between the phone and the aids will be disconnected.  You will be required to re-pair the aids to the phone in this instance.  Other interferences can be caused by cell service interruptions, wi-fi interruptions, and even other Bluetooth devices that may be nearby.    In almost every situation, connectivity issues are caused by smart phones and not by hearing aids.  Hearing aids are always and will always be first and foremost medical devices and not just another cell phone accessory. This article was submitted by Ryan Oberholtzer, Hearing Instrument Specialist with Darrell M. Sipe Opticians and Hearing Aids.