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Navigating the Financial Decisions Seniors Face After Becoming Widowed – And How Caregivers Can Help
Experiencing the loss of a spouse is a major change for anyone to deal with, but for seniors who have shared their life with one person for years, losing a spouse often brings about unexpected consequences. Besides dealing with grief, there are also financial issues to confront.
Seniors who are going through this loss often feel overwhelmed by the decisions they need to make and how those decisions will impact their future. This is where adult children or other caregivers can make a big difference by helping your loved one make sense of it all, so they can move forward with a solid financial plan.
Read on for some more thoughts from International Rehabilitation Consultants.
Knowing When and How to Help
As a caregiver of someone in this position, one thing you may be concerned about is whether your senior loved one should continue managing their own finances. Next Avenue points out that it’s important to address this concern openly before making any decisions. If you both feel like it’s a good idea for you to help, you will want to have your loved one sign a durable power of attorney, which will give you legal authority to access and manage accounts.
In some cases, your loved one may be able to manage their own accounts with a little assistance. Tech-savvy seniors should look into online banking, or as Bankrate recommends, consider trying apps that help, such as SilverBills or Ready, Set, Bank.
If your loved one wants to set up a nonprofit in their spouse’s memory and honor, you can help walk them through the process. Visit Zenbusiness to learn about legal requirements you need to tend to set up a nonprofit.
Health and Safety Concerns
Besides helping with the mundane financial tasks, you can also help by looking over your loved one’s financial statements to make sure their health needs are being met. This is especially important if your loved one is living alone because health and safety could become a concern.
One specific area to discuss is healthcare coverage. You can start by asking what kind of Medicare plan they have or if they get insurance through retirement benefits, either their own or through their spouse. This is a crucial question, as the death of a spouse may change your loved one’s eligibility for employer retirement benefits.
If your loved one has Medicare, you may want to look into whether a Medicare Advantage plan would be right for their financial situation. These plans are sold through popular companies like Aetna, and many seniors like the expanded benefits they provide, such as dental and vision care and prescription drug coverage.
Taking the Next Steps
Once you’ve looked at your loved one’s overall financial outlook, the next major question is “Where do we go from here?” Depending on your loved one’s income and savings, they may not need to make major changes. However, some seniors who become widowed are dealt a financial blow as a result of losing their spouse’s income.
In this case, it’s a good idea to seek advice from a financial advisor so that you don’t rush into decisions that could prove detrimental in the long term. For example, there are some tax implications of becoming widowed, including the decision to make early withdrawals from retirement savings. Doing this may seem like a good option for replacing a spouse’s lost income, but your loved one may lose out by having to pay additional taxes and penalties.
Another major consideration is whether your loved one will continue living at home. This is a personal decision, and finances are only part of the equation. If your loved one decides to sell their home, this is another issue where you want to do your research and consult with an expert, such as an attorney, who can guide you in the legal aspects of selling as a widow or widower.
Guest Post: Keeping Seniors Safe at Home
While there’s no 100% absolute way to ensure your elderly parent or loved one doesn’t fall,
there are things that can be done to help minimize the risk. I’ll give you a quick checklist of
five steps to a safer home for a senior. Likewise, click here for some alternative ways to
steer clear of falls.
1. Furniture, accessories, and narrow pathways:
Is there furniture crowding a room or creating narrow pathways? Are there inessential
items or decorations all over the house? None of us like to throw things away and we all
know seniors love to keep antiques and knick-knacks, but sometimes they can pose a
hazard to elderly home safety. That old rug underneath the coffee table can trip you easier
than you think. Make sure there is nothing impeding easy travel throughout the house. A
straight path is the easiest path so there should be no navigating around corners or edges.
2. Doorsills and steps:
Now, these two sound like obvious culprits, but you’d be surprised how often they’re
underestimated. A quick remedy is to paint doorsills a different color or buy reflective tape
for the edge as a reminder that they’re there. This goes for the edge of stairs as well.
Confirm that there’s no loose carpeting, unstable wood, or erosion of any kind on steps or
doorsills. Also, make sure any area with a step or uneven surface is very well lit.
3. Lighting:
This one is perhaps the easiest of all. Double-check that all areas of the house are well lit,
with bulbs at least 60 watts or higher in each socket. Remove all exposed cords and make
sure any lamp or light-switch is within easy reach. If the lamp closest to a favorite reading
chair is hard to reach while sitting, move it closer. Also, check that there is no risk of any
lamp falling or being tripped over. Again, lamps should remain within reach, but still out of
the way.
4. Telephones:
Keep a telephone, within easy reach, in each room. This prevents your elderly loved one
from feeling compelled to rush to a ringing phone. Not only can getting up too quickly cause
light-headedness or dizziness, but it can also cause an elderly person to lose focus on their
surroundings and mistakenly fall in an easily preventable situation.
5. Bathrooms:
Bathroom floors and shower tubs can get slippery, we know this. To combat slipping,
guarantee there are either bars affixed to the wall or a counter to grip while getting up and
down off the toilet and in and out of the shower. Also, purchase adhesive grip-tape for the
tub bottom and again, provide adequate lighting throughout the bathroom. Shower rugs
can also slip so place double-sided tape on the bottom of the rug to impede the rug’s
movement.
If you are worried about a loved one, these are very easy and painless steps to minimize the
risk of in-home falls. As mentioned before, however, there is no 100% way to prevent accidents so medical alert systems provide a great backup. Not only do they give you peace
of mind when you’re not around your loved one, but they make the wearer feel safe as well.
Jacob Edward is the manager of Senior Planning in Phoenix Arizona. Senior Planning is geared towards helping
seniors and the disabled with finding and arranging types of care, as well as applying for state and federal
benefits.
Guest Blog: The Future of Rehabilitation: Trends and Predictions
The Future of Rehabilitation: Trends and Predictions
The field of rehabilitation is evolving rapidly. New technologies are bringing about changes in how we practice and treat patients, and there are many ways OTs can be at the forefront of this shift. Here are predictions for what will change in the future of rehabilitation:
The growth of tele rehabilitation
Tele rehabilitation is an increasingly popular method of treating patients who have experienced a traumatic brain injury or stroke. It allows you to work with a therapist from home and can improve your quality of life while reducing costs for the healthcare system overall.
The expanding role of the occupational therapist
As rehabilitation expands, the role of the occupational therapist is also expanding. OTs are becoming more involved in the healthcare system, working with patients who have a variety of conditions and using technology to help them recover from injuries. Even skin specialists are also part of rehab as they give treatment to patients with chronic skin diseases.
As this information becomes more widely available, more people will become aware that they can benefit from occupational therapy services. As a result, we expect demand for occupational therapists to rise significantly over time–especially as baby boomers age and need assistance with daily activities such as cooking or bathing themselves.
The future of homecare
The future of homecare is a topic that has been discussed at length by occupational therapists. While there are many ways to approach this question, one thing is clear: homecare will continue to be an important part of rehabilitation and recovery processes for patients. They can be taken good care from the comfort of their homes by providing medicines, supplements on time and helping them with their recovery process.
Homecare is often characterized by its flexibility and accessibility for patients who need assistance with daily tasks but do not require hospitalization or other intensive treatment options. For example, homehealth services can provide medical equipment such as wheelchairs or mobility aids; occupational therapy services may include help with physical therapy exercises (such as stretching) or assistive technology devices like iPads for communication purposes; speech-language pathology services might include speech therapy exercises for those who have difficulty speaking due to injury or illness; social work services might offer support groups where people go through similar experiences together so they don’t feel alone in their struggles; etcetera! This combination of different types of care allows patients to maintain independence while being cared for by professionals who understand exactly how challenging day-to-day life can be after an injury or illness has affected someone’s ability
How technology will change the way we practice
The future of rehabilitation will be much more efficient and effective, thanks to technology. We’ll be able to diagnose and treat patients remotely, providing them with support whenever they need it. We’ll also be able to collect data on patient outcomes in order to provide better care in the future.
The use of technology to connect patients with their healthcare providers will increase.
As technology continues to advance and become more accessible, it’s likely that patients will have more opportunities to connect with their health care providers. This can help reduce the need for in-person visits, which can be costly for both insurers and patients alike.
The use of technology will also allow patients to receive instructions for exercises and diet plans remotely–which could save money by reducing the need for physical therapy visits or trips to the doctor’s office.
Telemedicine will become more popular, as well as mobile apps.
The use of telemedicine and mobile apps is growing rapidly, especially among people with disabilities.
Telemedicine is a way to get medical care remotely. Mobile apps can be used in the same way as telemedicine, but they’re also useful for things like monitoring your health data or getting reminders about your next appointment (among other things).
Both methods are growing in popularity because they give patients access to specialists who wouldn’t otherwise be available locally; this includes people living in rural areas without access to nearby hospitals or clinics.
Research on muscle stimulation and brain activity will advance.
As more research is conducted on the brain and how it works, new treatments will emerge. The same goes for muscle stimulation, which is a popular treatment option for stroke victims. Research on both has already led to new methods of rehabilitation; combining these two fields of study could lead us even further into the future of rehabilitation.
VR will be integrated into rehabilitation techniques.
Virtual reality (VR) is a great way to motivate patients and help them visualize their recovery. It can also be used to simulate real-world situations, such as walking through the grocery store or navigating crowded sidewalks.
With advancements in technology, VR will become even more immersive and interactive than it already is today. For example, if you’re recovering from surgery on your hip or knee joint and want to see what it would look like when healed properly, a virtual reality simulation could provide an accurate depiction of what that might look like–and show how much better life could be after rehabilitation!
Data analytics will help identify which patients are responding best to a particular treatment plan.
Data analytics will help identify which patients are responding best to a particular treatment plan.
By tracking data from individual patients, doctors can better understand how each person responds to certain medications or therapies, as well as their overall health status. This information is invaluable for improving patient care and ensuring that everyone gets the best possible treatment options based on their specific needs. For example, if you have diabetes and you’re taking medication to manage it, your doctor may want to monitor how much sugar is in your blood at different times throughout the day (or night). If this number creeps up too high or too low without any apparent reason–for example, if you’ve forgotten about taking your pill–the doctor can adjust dosage accordingly so it doesn’t happen again.
An increasing number of people who have been in car accidents or had strokes will seek online support groups from others who have experienced similar injuries.
As more people are able to connect with others who have been through similar experiences, they will be able to find support groups online.
Support groups provide a great way to talk about your feelings and learn from other people who have experienced the same injuries as you. For example, if you were in an accident or had a stroke, you could join an online support group where people who have been through those things can share their stories with each other. It’s easier for most people to open up about personal issues online rather than face-to-face because there’s no pressure or judgment involved when communicating via social media platforms like Facebook Messenger or Reddit threads (or even text messages).
These trends hold great promise for people who need physical therapy and other types of rehabilitation
As technology becomes more and more integral to our lives, it’s no surprise that it will affect the way we practice rehabilitation. Here are some of the most significant trends:
- More patients will be able to connect with their healthcare providers via video chat and other forms of telemedicine. This means that you can meet with your physical therapist or other health professional in person less often, which saves both time and money for both parties involved.
- Mobile apps that make therapy easier to access may become more popular among patients looking for alternatives to traditional treatment options like physical therapy or occupational therapy (OT). These apps allow users to track their progress at home or on-the-go by inputting data into their phones’ sensors–which could lead those who need rehab services but don’t have time for regular appointments with professionals like us here at Fitness & Wellness Center!
Rehab is evolving, and there are lots of opportunities for OTs to be at the forefront.
OTs will be in a good position to help patients get back to their day-to-day lives.
The future of rehabilitation is evolving, and there are lots of opportunities for OTs to be at the forefront. You can help patients recover from injuries or illnesses by helping them get back into their daily routines–whether that’s working out, cooking dinner or just sitting down on the couch with their family after work. This can also include helping them set up home gym equipment or find ways around obstacles if they’re having trouble walking up stairs.
Conclusion
We can’t predict the future, but we can prepare for it. If you’re an OT or PT who’s interested in working with technology, I encourage you to explore these areas and see how they might apply to your practice. You may not be able to use every one of these technologies right away–after all, not everyone has access to VR equipment or telemedicine programs–but they are important tools that can help people recover faster from injuries and illnesses.