Sunday, January 22, 2012

5.4 million Americans with Alzheimers

The Wisconsin State Journal Newspaper reports today there are 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease. The most easily recognized symptom of Alzheimer's and dementia is memory loss. In south central Wisconsin there are 20 thousand persons living with dementia.

The medical community categorizes the memory loss in approximately 3 stages. The medical provider refers to the condition as being in the early stage, at a middle stage, or in an advanced, end stage.

Throughout all stages of memory loss the caregiver is challenged to manage change. Balancing the risk of harm with self autonomy is essential to both quality of life, and maintaining financial reserve.

Fostering an interdependence between family and in home providers can enhance household safety and insure proper care.

Participating in ongoing planning that adjusts the tasks of in home care can best compensate for functional changes or a fluctuation in daily abilities.

Recognize how the familiar facilitates cooperation. A familiar care giver, a familiar environment, all carry a noticable value.

Assisting a senior with memory loss includes both face to face care and tasks to maintain the household.

Focus on strategies that seem to be the most productive when helping a senior with memory loss. This means moving from ways of doing thngs that no longer work, to ways that now seem to help.

Home Care Path www.homecarepath.com is a leader in providing senior care services to elders in south central Wisconsin. Choose from our senior care services:
-in home staffing for elders
-inpatient advocacy for safe successful hospital stays
-transitional counseling when more structured service is needed
-downsizing home contents when stuff matters
-temporary assistance with a day surgical procedure
-computer fun with facebook the social communication tool
Simply call 608-432-4286 to schedule an in home interview. Or email seniorcare@homecarepath.com Valueing home and human life. We can be there when you are working.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Seniors Selling Todays Collectables

Seniors today have a lot of options for selling the objects collected over the years. Seniors often sell duplicate objects in the collection as a way to down size and better manage space.

Technology affords sellers access to a global population of potential collectors. The local value of a rare object will be different than the global value.

Consider listing an object on an internet selling site as a way to generate interest in the collecting community. Remember a viewer of your listing may not buy immediately but tell a collector friend about the available object.

Practise good presentation with an adequate description of the object. Add to your description as you find new information.

Track on line sales of similar objects to get a sense of price, and varied explanations of the same object.

Offer an option to the take it all or leave it idea of selling a large collection. Allow the purchase of individual objects at an agreed upon value.

Take pictures of the object to visually communicate the detail to a potential buyer.

Selling household valuables today can involve more options to a patient and thoughtful collector.

Home Care Path http://www.homecarepath.com/ assists seniors with downsizing home contents when stuff matters. This service affords the senior and family a luxury of control that cannot be experienced in a one day long local auction. Simply call 608-432-4286 to schedule an in home interview. Email seniorcare@homecarepath.com Valueing home and human life!

Kovels reports soda and milk bottles, melamine, plastic, pyrex dishes, and cut glass down in price since 2008. Average about 12 percent less than 2008 values. Tips: restoration lowers resale price, signature on jewelry adds 30%. Repainting metal toys can lower the value up to 75%. These are trends, and trends change.

Monday, January 9, 2012

What Are Non Probate Assets

Probate is the court supervised process of locating and approximating the value of the assets owned in the individual name of a deceased person. This is a process for paying the dead persons final bills, estate taxes, inheritance tax, and distributing the remaining assets to the listed heirs.

Non probated assets are specifically assets that will not have to go through the court supervised process after the person dies. Typically the assets have a beneficiary named, who then receives the asset directly upon the death of the individual. If the listed beneficiary is deceased as well, the asset would flow in to the probate process.

Examples of non probate assets:

Assets owned by the deceased with a spouse or others with rights of survivorship

Assets owned by the deceased with a spouse as tenants by the entirety

Assets owned by the deceased in a revocable living trust

Assets owned by the deceased as payable on death accounts

Assets owned by the deceased as transfer on death accounts

Assets owned by the deceased as in trust for accounts

Assets owned by the deceased in Totten accounts

Assets owned by the deceased as life insurance policies

Assets owned by the deceased as IRA's, 401K's, or annuities

Assets owned by the deceased as health, medical savings accounts

This is a breif description of non probate assets. Home Care Path encourages families to consult an independent estate planning service for a better understanding of probate process. Home Care Path www.homecarepath.com is a leading senior care provider serving south central Wisconsin. Choose from our elder care services:

-in home staffing for seniors
-inpatient advocacy for safe successful hospital stays
-transitional counseling when more structured service is needed
-downsizing home contents when stuff matters
-computer fun with facebook the communication tool
Call 608-432-4286 to schedule an in home interview. Email seniorcare@homecarepath.com Valueing home and human life!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

WHO Respect and Inclusion Aging Communities

The World Health Organization ( WHO) has listed guidelines to assist community planners with making their community a place where people want to grow old. Below lists ideas for respect and inclusion.

Elders are regularly consulted by public, voluntary and commercial services on how to serve them better

Services and products to suit varying needs and preferences are provided by public and commercial services

Services and products are available to help serve seniors and families with varied levels of financial structure.

Service staff are courteous and helpful

Older people are visible in the local media, and are depicted positively and without stereotyping

Community wide settings, activities, and events attract all generations by accommodating age specific needs and preferences

Older people are specifically included in community activities for families

Schools provide opportunities to learn about ageing and older people, and involve older people in school activities

Older people are recognized by the community for their past as well as their present contributions

Older people who are less well off have good access to public, voluntary and private services

Home Care Path http://www.homecarepath.com/ is a leading provider of senior care services in south central Wisconsin. Choose from our elder care services:
-in home staffing for seniors
-inpatient advocacy for safe successful hospital stays
-transitional counseling when more structured service is needed
-downsizing home contents when stuff matters
-computer fun with facebook the social communication tool
Simply call 608-432-4286 to schedule an in home interview. Email seniorcare@homecarepath.com Valueing home and human life.