Information on Advance Medical Directives
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) provides advance medical directives (also referred to as living wills) for every state. To order go to: www.nhpco.org/i4a/forms/form.cfm?id=88 or call (800) 658-8898.
Five Wishes is a document that helps someone express how they want to be treated in the event that they become seriously ill and unable to speak for themselves. To order go to: www.agingwithdig nity.org/5wishes.html or call (888) 5-WISHES.
The American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging provides a useful and free downloadable publication, 10 Legal Myths About Advance Medical Directives. Find online at: www.abanet.org/aging/myths.html.
New Report about Adult Children Caring for Aging Parents
A new report from The Center on an Aging Society at Georgetown University, Adult Children: The Likelihood of Providing Care for an Older Parent was released in May 2005. This report uses national data to describe a multitude of characteristics of adult children caregivers caring for a parent. To view the report visit http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pdfs/CAREGIVERS2.pdf or call (202) 687-9840.
Financial Planning for Women Caregivers
The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) now offers Financial Steps for Caregivers: What You Need to Know About Money and Retirement. The booklet is designed to help caregivers identify financial decisions they may face in their caregiving role. Information includes the basics about budgeting, retirement planning and employment decisions. To view the report go to: www.aoa.gov/prof/aoaprog/caregiver/WISER.pdf or call (202) 393-5452.
New Fact Sheets on Medicare
The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued new and updated fact sheets highlighting key facts about the Medicare program. The fact sheets provide an overview of the Medicare program, the new Medicare drug benefit, the program’s financing and the role of private health plans in the program. See www.kff.org/medicare/factsheets.cfm. Fact sheets inlcude: Medicare at a Glance, The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Medicare Spending and Financing, Medicare Advantage.
New Guide to Choosing an Assisted Living Residence
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) has published an assisted living guide that defines the typical assisted living residence and what consumers can expect from an assisted living community. Included are suggestions for locating a community, as well as a valuable checklist to use when visiting and evaluating a potential new home for yourself or for a loved one. See www.alfa.org/public/articles/ALFAchecklist.pdf or call (703) 691-8100.
Resources for Elders and Caregivers
The California Nursing Home Search provides detailed information on 834 home health agencies and 172 licensed hospice programs, in addition to extensive quality information on the state’s 1,400 nursing homes. To learn more go to: www.CalNHS.org.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new web site, Hospital Compare, that provides consumers information on how well hospitals care for adult patients and compare the quality of care provided. To learn more go to: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
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