dementia Archives - Long Term Care Insurance Expert | Honey Leveen

The High Cost of Avoidance and Denial

January 20, 2020 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

Over the years, I’ve written multiple blogs posts about the importance of creating a solid long term care plan to address your late life wishes. Make the plan and share it with your family. And yet, time after time, I read horror stories about unnecessary suffering, neglect and even death because they never had “the conversation”. As if avoiding this important discussion gives them some artificial sense of control and safety. There is a cost of avoidance and it’s very high.

“I’d rather die than talk about this.”

The truth is that once chronic health problems arise, your ability to make good decisions often decreases. This is partly because your brain may have reduced cognitive powers. And also because making good choices becomes harder when you’re feeling panicked with fewer options. It’s really hard to see the big picture when it feels like your world is getting smaller.

Mr. & Mrs. Shaver Paid the Cost of Avoidance

As reported in the New York Times (Dec 2019), their love story is the thing movies are made of. A romantic courtship and a loving marriage of 60 years. Unfortunately, his wife starting showing signs of dementia. Even though his children encouraged hiring home care help, Mr. Shaver refused any discussion. “Mind your own business. I’m taking care of it.”

He had ample savings for their retirement, so we know the cost of hiring help was not the issue. As the sole caregiver to his wife, he was obviously aware of her declining state of mind. However, he was unwilling to make any move that would improve their environment.

It must have broken his heart to see the love of his life disappear from his life. She no longer recognized him or their daughters. One day, while she was asleep, her loving husband laid down in bed next to her and shot his wife. And then shot himself.

The Time to Plan is Now

I’ve been helping people create these plans for 30 years. One thing I’ve learned is that having such a plan in place provides a peace of mind and increases quality of living. Without the comfort of a strategy, the fear of aging only grows over the years. As you age, the concerns over injury (falling in the shower, tripping over furniture, dizziness from medications) can contribute to mounting fears.

Once the fear takes hold, it becomes harder to make clear and thoughtful decisions. I’ve done several blogs on age-related brain loss and cognitive decline.

For most of us, whether we’re middle class or more affluent, owning long term care insurance (LTCi) is critical for ensuring dignity, options, and access to quality long term care. But it’s not enough. You must have ongoing, difficult conversations with your family so everyone understands the outcome you desire.

Click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own LTCi coverage. Your family will thank you.

Preventing Dementia? Walk Away From Those Apps

December 3, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

There’s been a lot written about the value of “brain games” to help reduce the risks of dementia and other loss of cognitive sharpness. In today’s technology-centric world, we have spent almost $2 billion on various brain training apps in 2018. This is four times the amount spent 2012, so they are really gaining popularity.

But are they working?

The most recent research shows mixed results. Sarah Lenz Lock is executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health. A respected expert in her field, Lock cautions, “Cognitive training has shown some promise, but people shouldn’t expect it to be a magic bullet.”

In fact, studies are now recommending a diversified approach combining brain training, healthy diet and exercise.

Reducing Risks of Dementia – A Walk In the Park

According to the New York Times, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new data on reducing risks of dementia. They found that these brain training apps do not show significant, consistent or long term improvement over time. Their recommendation is to focus on moving your body for 150 minutes each week. That’s about 30 minutes a day, taking off for weekends. This is completely manageable, isn’t it?

They emphasize that this activity must begin before signs of cognitive decline appear. Remember: this is about prevention, not cure.

The mind-body connection isn’t new and the evidence continues to build. Research finds that physical activity promotes growth and maintenance of neurons in seniors. And the benefits are much higher for those who enjoy cardio-based exercise instead of simple stretching.

So step to it! And enjoy the benefits of your activity for years to come.

Before you step away from your computer, consider another useful tool for your long term planning. Of course, I’m talking about long term care insurance (LTCi). Affordable premiums today can create a world of difference in the level of care you receive in the future. Click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own LTCi coverage.

LTC Insurance is Still Useful While Living in a CCRC

October 16, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

As a resident at Shell Point Retirement Community (SPRC), I have had a number of interesting, eye-opening conversations with my neighbors. Many of them believe that living in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is an opportunity stop paying for their long term care insurance (LTCi), now that their care is provided by the facility. On the contrary, there are plenty of reasons you’ll want to continue maintaining your LTC insurance in a CCRC.

Before you make this potentially dangerous decision for yourself or your parents, take a moment to review the following list of expenses that can by paid for by LTC insurance. Without the benefit of LTCi, these costs will be paid out-of-pocket by the resident or family.

1. Paying for Home Care

Sally’s mother lived in SPRC for 26 years. Although she needed care, her mother did not own long term care insurance (LTCi), since she believed the CCRC would cover the costs of her needs. Over the years, Sally’s mother was unwilling to accept the fact that her health was deteriorating and that she needed additional care. Ideally, she would have moved to the on-site assisted living facility or elected for home care. She would not admit this.

The majority of CCRC’s pay for assisted living or nursing home care, but they don’t pay for home care.

As you’ll hear in Sally’s video testimony below, her mother was unwilling to pay for home care, even though she could afford it. She wanted to preserve her estate for the benefit of her children. Her situation got so dangerous that Sally had to enlist intervention by a professional to “force” her mother into better care. Sally realizes now that the entire situation could have been avoided if her mother had been covered by a LTCi policy.

2. One More Story About Needing Home Care

When Hugh and his wife moved here to SPRC, they assumed that they no longer needed their LTC insurance in a CCRC, since the cost of assisted living and nursing care was included. So they stopped paying their monthly LTCi premiums and let their policies lapse.

In her last months, Hugh’s wife became extremely disabled, needing care above and beyond what the assisted living facility could legally provide. Hugh was advised to move his wife to the on-site nursing home so she could receive the care she needed.

While life in the assisted living center provides a cheery, home-like atmosphere, the nursing home is more sterile and institutional. Hugh just couldn’t bear moving his wife into the nursing home. So he chose to keep her in the assisted living facility and supplement her care with 24 hour a day caregivers.

Hugh had to pay for his wife’s caregivers out of his own pocket. As he shared his story with me, I told him about my work. He recognized how much he regretted giving up their long term care insurance. He knows that if they’d kept their policies active, the cost needed for his wife’s additional care would have been covered.

3. Visiting Your Hairdresser

We often see wheelchair or walker-bound residents in our beauty salons, restaurants, walkways, or swimming pool. These are typically assisted living residents. They’re accompanied by scrub-clad caregivers. The cost of this personalized care is paid out-of-pocket and can really add up over time. With proper planning, LTCi can often help pay for these costs.

4. Meals Aren’t Free

You had to eat before, and you continue to need to eat when you reside in an assisted living facility. Eating is not part of long term care. Your high quality care is paid by the CCRC, but meals are not included. In my community, for example, there is an additional charge of approximately $1,000/month to cover meals. LTCi can help pay for this.

5. Apartment Space

At our CCRC, if you live in a fairly small home, you’ll be assigned a smaller assisted living apartment. If, however, you want to upgrade and move into a larger apartment, LTC insurance can often pay for the additional cost of a larger assisted living apartment at the CCRC. That’s right! Your long term care insurance payments could help cover the extra charges for more spacious living or a better view.

6. The Unexpected Need for an Off-site Facility

Nancy’s husband was stricken with Lewy Body Dementia. If this sounds familiar, this is the same illness that actor Robin Williams suffered from. This form of dementia can damage thinking and alertness. Symptoms can include physical stiffness, hallucinations and even violence.

As a result of his condition, Nancy’s husband became physically violent and needed more care than SPRC could safely provide. Despite their best efforts, SPRC was unable to keep him on-site. Nancy was forced to find an off-site facility that could properly care for her husband. Those unexpected costs (paid without the benefit of LTCi coverage) nearly demolished her savings.

Hold On to Your LTCi

Moving to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) does not mean it’s time to end your long term care insurance policy. In fact, this may be the time you most want that peace of mind.

Now is the time to start planning for your future needs. Click here to receive a free, no-obligation quote for your own LTCi policy.

Bringing Joy to Dementia

July 17, 2019 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

Dr. Patricia (Tia) Powell has a new book, “Dementia Reimagined“. In this refreshing piece of work, Dr. Powell, director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics, shares her experiences with dementia as both caregiver to her mother and physician to her aging patients. Abundantly qualified and credentialed, she finds herself in the unique position to discuss the possibility of joy, dignity and hope while dealing with dementia.

Terry Gross, host of the NPR podcast Fresh Air, had an excellent conversation with Powell. They delve into Powell’s experiences and her outlook for the future of treating dementia patients. You can listen to the podcast yourself (or read the transcript) here.

“Figuring out how to communicate better, how to listen better to people with dementia while they can speak and even potentially afterward to figure out, what could I do? What actually would be helpful, not from my point of view but from yours? What actually would make things better?”

In this poignant interview, they discuss the various tolls that dementia takes on the person. It’s not just memory loss. It can also include depression or anxiety. It’s a disease of the brain, so it also involves loss of “executive function”. That means that making the simplest decisions or even organizing the natural flow of tasks can be daunting. And frustrating.

Managing Dementia With Joy

Dr. Powell views caregiving and dementia through both a medical and a personal lens. My relationship with dementia patients is as their insurance agent, helping them manage their long term care. It’s reassuring that Dr. Powell and I share perspectives on how to optimize the patient’s experience.

During her interview, Dr. Powell offers sound advice on how families can make the most out of a dementia diagnosis. She often uses music as a real comfort to many of her patients. For some reason, the memories we hold from certain songs manages to hold up over time, even in the throes of dementia.

ProTip: Many professionals recommend making a playlist of your favorite songs NOW, while you can think of those chestnuts that light up your heart and bring a smile to your face. They’ll be such a source of joy for you in your later years.

She also suggests other hobbies like gardening might hold the key to reconnecting the patient to activities they once enjoyed.

Powell also shares her thoughts on why keeping the dementia patient at home is not always the best choice. Followers of this blog know that I’ve written about this often over the years. It’s always affirming to hear the experts supporting my views!

At about the 30-minute mark of the podcast, Dr. Powell does a great job explaining what Medicare and Medicaid pays for, and why neither will pay for the type of long term care a dementia patient requires. If you’re like most Americans, her description will clear up many confusing questions you might have.

Manage the Fear with Planning

Dr. Powell stated people are more fearful of getting Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias than they are about getting cancer. I have to agree with this.

While there is no cure for dementia, we can take steps to plan for the best possible care if and when we need it. Make your playlist. Tell your children about your love of gardening or old movies. And click here to receive your free, no-obligation quote for long term care insurance.

Curing Alzheimer’s – Part 2 (See It. Acknowledge It.)

June 14, 2018 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

In my last blog post, I shared insights on the current challenges in funding research to support curing Alzheimer’s disease. You’d think that funding would be the biggest step in the treatment process. It’s not.

In order to develop and properly test potential cures, scientists need a viable population of test subjects to study. As Karen Ellen Foley wrote (Quartz, May 20, 2018), it’s incredibly hard to gather these patients. Once a patient appears to have the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, they have usually passed the stage where it can be treated. The damage to the neurons is irreversible and not suitable for testing new cures.

Recognizing Symptoms is Critical to Curing Alzheimer’s

In addition to the late timing of symptoms, there is another complication to the diagnosis process. Not only is it hard to recognize the slow shift in behavior, but patients are often surrounded by family and friends who would rather not admit that their loved one is in need of medical care.

Foley describes a gentleman whose early Alzheimer’s symptoms started in the mid-2000’s. He knew something was wrong because fixing things around the house became difficult and names of friends slipped his mind. He couldn’t remember how to cut his wife’s hair, which he’d been doing throughout their marriage. This man and his wife saw he was having problems and refused to admit it could be serious.

Ten years later, his behavior finally got extreme enough that his wife insisted he see a doctor. For ten years, he was allowed to ignore his medical condition. For ten years, he avoided treatment. And why? They were both afraid how the diagnosis would change their lives. The disease didn’t care. It continued to escalate, with or without their acceptance.

The great majority of my clients refuse to acknowledge how incapacitated they are by dementia, and their families often go out of their way to continue the ruse and deny the obvious.

We have had several dementia sufferers among the members of my Rotary club. Even with my vast experience with my clients who are cognitively impaired, I don’t always notice every case. Alzheimer’s disease is easy to cover up, at least in early-to-mid stages.

Know the Signs

A tell-tell sign of dementia is sometimes a vacuous or a scowling expression. I sometimes misinterpret their mood as, “I don’t want to talk with you”. Message received. I leave them alone. Only later, when I learn of their diagnosis, I can connect the dots. Withdrawal is a classic sign of dementia.

I’ve attended enough Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presentations to know that faulty business decisions are another primary indicator of AD. I’ve had more than one client who insisted they were able to manage their business affairs. When they fall behind in paying their bills, it looks like simple forgetfulness. When one of those bills is their Long Term Care insurance (LTCi) premium, the results are catastrophic.

The Enabling Spouse

In an attempt to keep things feeling “normal”, the spouse will often avoid stepping in to help their loved one. They don’t take over the paying of bills. They make excuses and pretend nothing is wrong.

They still allow their spouse to drive!

The thought of this is terrifying to me. I have a friend who has a dementia diagnosis. She is still highly functional, and still driving, despite the fact that she’s already had a couple of accidents!

I’ve blogged about age-related, normal cognitive decline. This is not what I’m describing, yet this is what people want to believe is happening.

Admitting you have dementia is difficult and requires an honest conversation. Maybe multiple conversations. It creates the possibility for earlier intervention and a life of more grace and dignity. It will allow for more open relationships with friends and family members and reduce stress for the patient and family.

Advance planning for long term care (LTC) is the best way to ensure dignity, options, choices, grace. When you’re ready to explore your options, click here for your personal quote.

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