MOST is an acronym for “medical orders for scope of treatment” and is specific to New Mexico. A MOST form is a great tool for outlining patients’ wishes for medical interventions and end-of-life care when individuals have a serious or…
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) proposed new regulations in 2015 regarding net worth, asset transfers, and income exclusions for needs-based VA benefits. These regulations have been finalized and are effective as of October 18, 2018. A couple of…
Generally speaking we don’t plan on spending a Saturday afternoon in the local Emergency Department. However, as parents age, we as their adult children find ourselves more and more in the care-taker role, which often means accompanying them to doctor’s…
Hospitals must now give Medicare recipients notice when they are in the hospital under observation status. The notice requirement is part of a law enacted in 2015 but that just took effect. Signed by President Obama in August 2015, the…
The Alzheimer’s Association released a report on March 7, 2017 with updated statistics related to the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s dementia and the growing cost and impact of the disease on families and the economy. Some startling findings: Unless…
Sometimes, what may be considered “best medical practices” is not in our elderly family members’ best interest. I’m not talking about the so-called “death panels” used to frighten the public about universal health care. Rather, I’m talking about the toll…
Posted on July 5, 2016 by The Arc. To read the original article, please click HERE. By Wendy H. Sheinberg, CELA written…
Organ donation can be a difficult subject to discuss with family members, and can be an even more difficult subject when family members are faced with the decision after a loved one’s death. However, donating an organ or even…
My cat Jaspurr stopped eating sometime in the fall of 2015. I did not notice this because the other cat was finishing up the left overs in all the dishes. But I finally did notice when he became emaciated to…
It’s that time of year – flu season! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend getting a flu shot annually. Please see the questions and answers below regarding flu vaccines and other vaccines. Q: Why do we need…
July 30, 1965, President Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965 into law. This law created not only Medicare, but also Medicaid. Medicaid is the joint state and federal health insurance program for low-income people and also allows seniors…
In his latest book – Being Mortal – Dr. Atul Gawande explores disability, diminished capacity and the onset of dementia, not as medical issues but as the natural processes of…
Realizing that a loved one has dementia is heartbreaking and overwhelming and most families find that there are many more questions than answers. One of the best initial steps families can take is to contact their local…
I really do not know the answer to this question. But now that I have your attention, let me talk about two articles that appeared recently. The first article is titled “With health care, like anything else, we get what…
We know about posses from watching western movies. The sheriff deputized a group of men by giving them badges, and then they rode off on their horses to catch the cattle thief. The posse was an organized group who were…
MAP