Answers
I'm caring for someone
You are managing someone else's care, paperwork, and money, often from a distance. There is a system for this. It is just rarely explained to families.
Answers
- I'm caring for someoneHome for the holidays — does Mom or Dad need more help?
The changes to look for on a holiday visit, and how to start the conversation about more help before a crisis forces it.
- I'm caring for someoneWhat should my parent sign now, while they still can?
The three documents a parent should sign while they still can: healthcare power of attorney, financial power of attorney and living will.
- I'm caring for someoneHow do I talk to their doctor when I'm not the patient?
How to get a parent's doctor to talk to you: a signed release, portal proxy access, and the words to use on the phone.
- I'm caring for someoneHow do I get my parent's medical records?
Why to talk with your parent first, what to send, who can ask, and how long a provider has to hand over a parent's medical records under HIPAA.
- I'm caring for someoneHow do I keep track of it all?
What to keep for a parent's care depends on what's happening: the few things almost everyone needs, when you need more, and how to avoid bringing too much.
- I'm caring for someoneWho pays for a nursing home?
Medicare pays only for short skilled care after a hospital stay. Long-term nursing home care is paid by your parent, then usually by Medicaid.
- I'm caring for someoneAssisted living, nursing home or home care — what's the difference?
Home care, assisted living and nursing home explained by who they suit, who pays, and the one question to ask before you choose.
- I'm caring for someoneWhen is it time to ask about hospice?
Hospice is for about six months or less of life expectancy, can be renewed, and asking early gives your family more support, not less care.
- I'm caring for someoneWhat is a care conference, and what should I ask?
What a care conference is, who should be in the room, the questions to send ahead, and the right that lets you be there.
- I'm caring for someoneCaring from far away: what should I do on my first visit?
A first-visit checklist for long-distance caregivers: what to look at, what to get signed and who to line up locally before you go home.
- I'm caring for someoneCan a nursing home make me pay my parent's bill?
Signing as your parent's representative is not the same as paying their bill yourself. What federal rules say, what to do if the bill comes in your name, and the many ways to get help paying.
- I'm caring for someoneWhat can we do when a parent turns down help or hospice?
Why a parent says no to help, how to make a smaller offer, who to ask instead of you, and when Adult Protective Services can step in.
- I'm caring for someoneHow do I find out if my parent can still live alone?
The visits Medicare covers to check memory and daily living, what to bring to the doctor, and why a court, not a diagnosis, decides who makes the decisions.
Related reading
- Article · Medicare · Home healthMedicare home health: the benefit most families never use
No copay, no limit on visits, no prior hospitalization required — the four qualifying criteria and why most families never use it.
- Article · Caring for a parentDoctors can tell family more than you think. Your parent decides.
Doctors can share more with family than most people think, but your parent has the final say. Here’s why the talk comes first.