Resources for Seniors and Caregivers

April 13, 2020

The Money Talk: Why, When, and How

There is no perfect time to talk with your parents about their finances. No matter when you bring it up or how you broach the subject, it’s bound to be awkward for you—the adult child—and your parents. Be that as it may, having “The Money Talk” is a critical part of ensuring that everyone is prepared for whatever may come.

Right now, such conversations may seem almost inappropriate. The entire global population is dealing with the frightening and life-changing experience of living with a pandemic. Our minds are focused on day-to-day needs and the swiftly changing news, not long-term financial planning. On the other hand, the reality of the situation is drawing attention to places where we might want to ensure a little more certainty, including addressing big questions about estate planning and other money matters.

Why this is such an important conversation

April 2, 2020

Creative At-home Dining: 7 Top-notch Meal Kit Delivery Services

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

With most of the country under stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of the coronavirus, even the most reluctant among us are becoming better acquainted with our kitchens. As you burn through your culinary repertoires (and continue to avoid trips to the market and/or find that grocery delivery services are running weeks behind), you may be looking for creative ways to add a little variety and excitement to your meals.

Just maybe, a meal kit delivery service is just the thing you need.

These services come in a variety of styles, price points, and skill levels. They are great for people who are just learning to cook, for people who are too busy to do their own meal planning, and for folks who just want to bust themselves out of a cooking rut. They are also an especially appealing option in these days of self isolation and social distancing because they deliver everything you need right to your home.

March 21, 2020

Being a Healthcare Advocate: How to Best Engage with Healthcare Professionals

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

This is the final installment of our 3-part series on becoming your parent’s healthcare advocate. In the first part, Being a Healthcare Advocate: How to Get Started, we learned how to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition. In part two, Being a Healthcare Advocate: 9 Important Tips, we tackled how to manage documentation and record keeping. In this final piece, we address best practices for working effectively with healthcare professionals.

The first time you attend a doctor’s appointment as your parent’s healthcare advocate, you might feel a little awkward. That’s natural. You’re kind of like a third wheel, stepping into what was previously a very private and intimate conversation.

To prepare for this, it’s helpful to establish preferences and expectations with your parent up front. Does your parent want to take the lead and just have you present as an extra set of eyes and ears, or will you be taking a more active role in communicating with the doctor. Talk with your parent in advance so you are both on the same page with your game plan.

March 20, 2020

Love and Kindness in the Time of Coronavirus

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

We are living in some pretty surreal times right now. Things are changing so quickly that it’s almost impossible to keep up with the news. Our daily routines have been upended, and our daily conversations with friends and family are all focused on the same topic: the coronavirus.

Few among us have ever lived through a crisis so intense and so global in nature. It’s no wonder that our stress and anxiety levels are through the roof.

But humans are amazingly resilient and adaptable creatures. Even in the midst of all the uncertainty and chaos, people are finding beautiful ways to extend small kindnesses and create joy.

February 25, 2020

Being a Healthcare Advocate: 9 Important Tips

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

This is the second installment in our three-part series on becoming your parent’s healthcare advocate. In the first part, Being Your Parent’s Healthcare Advocate: How to Get Started, we learned how to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition. In part two, we tackle how to manage documentation and record keeping. In part 3, we explore how to Best Engage with Healthcare Professionals.

As you embark on your journey as a healthcare advocate for a loved one, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got as much information at your fingertips as possible.

Emergency can strike at any time, and you want to be prepared; but even simple routine care can require a high level of organization and knowledge. It’s best if you give yourself time (by starting early) to pull all the information together. Don’t wait until something happens.

February 20, 2020

Telemarketing Fraud: Tips for Staying Safe

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

According to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, American seniors lose almost $3 billion annually to financial scammers. The Federal Trade Commission puts the median amount stolen at between $600 to $1,000 (the lower figure for seniors aged 70 to 79, the higher figure for seniors over 80), but there are many cases where people lose much, much more—hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes their entire life’s savings.

The people who perpetrate these crimes are the worst kind of criminals—people who take advantage of peoples’ vulnerabilities in a most heinous example of “preying on the weak.”

The best way to stay safe from such financial predators is to get up to speed on what kinds of scams are out there, the kinds of language to look for, and how to handle the situation if you are targeted. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed.

February 13, 2020

Stay Healthy and Happy – Volunteer!

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

Over the course of our lives, we feel a sense of purpose and pride for a variety of reasons, but most of them have to do with helping others. Whether we are parenting children, caring for aging parents, serving in a professional role, or fulfilling a philanthropic mission, we feel good when we are actively engaged in doing good work out in the world.

As we get older, it can feel like our worlds become a lot smaller. Opportunities to feel productive and useful start to dwindle. Kids move out, parents pass on, and we retire. Piece by piece, whole areas of our life are reshaped in a way that can—if we’re not careful—lead to social isolation and loneliness.

Older adults who find themselves in this position are often at a much greater risk for a variety of serious mental and physical health issues, including anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system.

October 1, 2019

8 Long-Distance Caregiving Tips

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

Caring for an aging loved one can be a very challenging responsibility, even under the best of circumstances. But, when the caring must be done long distance, you add a whole other layer of complexity and difficulty.

Even an hour’s distance can increase hardship exponentially in the context of our always too-busy lives.

According to recent studies, long-distance caregivers represent more than 1 in 10 of the country’s estimated 53 million family caregivers. (Long-distance caregivers are those who live an hour or more from their care recipient.) And, as expected, long-distance caregivers tend to have a heavier financial and emotional burden than caregivers who are caring for loved ones who either live with them or live locally.

August 17, 2019

8 Signs of Caregiver Burnout and What You Can Do About It

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

If you’re a family caregiver, maybe you have light duty, like taking Mom to the doctor every few months, or checking in with Dad a couple of times a week by phone.

On the other end of the spectrum, you may be right in the trenches caring for a loved one with complex needs. You’re on call 24/7 with no relief in sight.

For those doing the heavy lifting – literally and figuratively – caregiver burnout can settle in like morning fog that won’t go away. Continue reading

August 13, 2019

How Therapy Pets Can Bring Joy, Comfort and Independence

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

The connection between humans and dogs is one that hearkens back to ancient and even prehistoric times. Archaeological evidence of canine domestication dates back some 15,000 years, and some experts believe our interspecies love affair may stretch as far back as 30,000 years ago.

While there is still some debate about just how long we humans have been vulnerable to the charms of big, sad puppy eyes and fluffy tummies, there is no question that our relationship with these animals has evolved greatly over the ages. In the earliest days, dogs helped with hunting and guarding in exchange for a share of the food and the comforts of life in a mixed-species pack.

Today, dogs are primarily cherished companions—four-legged family members. But there are still many who pull their weight by providing all kinds of valuable services to the humans they love.