Guest Blog: Why Seniors Need To Hire An Elder Law Attorney
Given the rather complex legal concerns that the elderly have to face, seniors or those who are helping them make decisions should work hand-in-hand with an elder law attorney.
Seniors have rather unique legal needs, and elder law attorneys use their expertise in the different fields of law that elder law encompasses to serve those needs.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the reasons seniors need the services of a lawyer who specializes in elder law.
Help With Medicaid
Seniors are going to need long-term care, and Medicaid is at the forefront of providing them with the necessary funding for it. However, Medicaid’s rules and regulations for eligibility can get rather complex.
By applying legal strategies properly, an elder law attorney can help seniors navigate those complexities and get the Medicaid coverage they need and deserve, and protect their money, property, or income at the same time.
Estate Planning
The elderly will also require assistance with their estate planning.
Many seniors have yet to create wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Others simply need to update and maintain their existing estate planning documents.
Elder law attorneys can help seniors with their estate planning to ensure that their assets are legally passed down without complication, and their wishes carried out to the letter.
Planning For Long-Term Care
It is a fact that health complications will eventually arise as people get older. For seniors, there is no better time to plan for long-term care than now, while they are still able to care for themselves.
Seniors will need to draft an advance health care directive, a document where they can specify the actions they want to be taken for their health in case they become incapacitated. They also need to plan for guardianship, so when they are no longer capable of caring for themselves, they can ensure that the court will appoint a guardian of their choosing. These are a couple of concerns that a skilled and experienced elder law attorney can help plan.
With an elder care attorney providing insight and expertise, seniors will be able to make sound legal decisions that will ensure that their future needs will be taken care of and help them get some much-needed peace of mind.
About the Author
Lauren Summers is the Content Marketing Strategist for Miller, Miller & Canby, one of the most respected law firms in Montgomery County, and the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The firm focuses on five core areas of practice: Land Development, Real Estate, Litigation, Business and Tax, and Trusts and Estates Law. In her spare time, she reads books and plays board games with her husband and two kids.
Guest Blog: Five Jobs For Seniors That Will Combat Loneliness
While many seniors enjoy leaving the workforce and retiring after years of hard work, some find the transition a difficult and lonely experience, especially those who live alone or far away from family members. It can be hard to get used to filling up the days without work — and co-workers — to help pass the time, and at times it’s equally difficult to create new friendships.
While it can be daunting at first, taking on a new job is a great way to form new bonds and friendships, stay active, and keep living a fulfilling life after a big change. Here are five great jobs for seniors who want to fill their days with people and activity.
Dog-walking
Chances are there are dozens of pet owners nearby who are in dire need of a responsible caretaker for their pets. Rover.com can help you find jobs in your area and will set you up with pet owners for a meet-and-greet. Once you find the job that’s right for you, the site will even handle the financial end of things. And for extra cuddle time with a sweet creature, you can also sign up to be a pet sitter.
Greeter/Hospitality
Restaurants, hotels, and retail stores are just three businesses that require greeters and hospitality, and while the duties vary, this can be a wonderful job for active seniors. It allows you to work with people while maintaining flexible hours, and many stores offer an employee discount on some of their items.
Tour Guide
Museums, hotels, and historical buildings are a few of the businesses that require tour guides, and these will likely offer flexible hours while still giving you the chance to socialize.
Tutor/Music Teacher
If you have experience in education, art, or music, you might consider tutoring or teaching lessons. Check Craigslist.org for job posts and consider advertising your services on social media, or even on a flier at your local supermarket.
Going through such a huge life change can be difficult at first, but there are plenty of jobs available for seniors who need flexible schedules and want to keep loneliness at bay.
Jenny Wise is a stay-at-home mom and home educator. She and her husband decided to homeschool when their oldest was four years old. During their journey, they’ve expanded their family and have faced many challenges. But they’re happy to have overcome each one. Jenny writes about her family’s experiences and homeschool, in general, on her new blog, SpecialHomeEducator.com.
Markham Smile Center: Best Ideas for Your Cosmetic Dental Smile Makeover
A smile is contagious and can uplift the mood of other people. Be it from simple things or bigger ones, we smile to show that we are glad about it. Sometimes we lose what we call spark in us. There are situations in our life that we lose our confidence to smile, not because we are unhappy, but because our teeth don’t look that good. Many people lose their self-confidence because of their teeth.
Thus, these problems could still be fixed with the help of experts. Bringing back the smile you once have will not be a problem anymore as Dental Makeovers are here to save your day. To address the specific problem, you have the Cosmetic Dental Smile Makeovers. It could help you with your teeth problems and bring back the best smile you’ve ever had.
Ideas for a Smile Makeover
- Teeth Whitening
People especially those who are into smoking, as well as those who have poor oral hygiene, are prone to tooth discoloration. Many individuals have undergone this problem. And, it truly affects their day-to-day interaction with others. Good thing, there’s a solution to confront this issue today. The teeth whitening solution is the answer for teeth discoloration. The process is mainly done with the guidance of the dentist. A solution is applied to your teeth that will penetrate and break the stains on your teeth surfaces. So, if you have a problem similar to this, you can visit your dentist and undergo a tooth whitening procedure.
- Dental Veneers
Aren’t you happy with how your teeth look? Well, these might be the solutions you’ve been looking for. This process is mainly the solution given for individuals who have an issue with their teeth appearance. Improving the way your teeth look with this procedure is helpful. It covers your tooth that changes its color, size, shape, and even length.
Dental Veneers are longer-lasting, which means you just need to visit your dentist from time to time. This is to keep them safe from any crack and damages. Thus, the cost of this solution is expensive yet if you can afford this, you can bring back the best smile you’ve ever had then.
- Tooth Implants
Tooth Implants or Dental Implants are the processes employed for patients who want to have an artificial tooth. This process replaces the old tooth you have by attaching a metal, screw-like one on your gums beneath the jaw or skull and covered with replacement or permanent teeth that will act as your tooth later on.
This may sound too painful and may take 1-2 weeks for its initial healing process for 3-6 months. The dentist attaches the implants to the jaw’s bone. Thus, the result will surely satisfy your need. Especially for some who lose their tooth due to decay, you can still bring back the tooth in its new and hefty capability.
- Enamel Shaping and Recontouring
It is often called cosmetic contouring or Enameloplasty. This process is done to help people with unequal shapes and with sharp-edged dental imperfections. This changes the form making it look perfect and free of any unbalance forms. The process goes where enamel (the hard-protecting layer of your tooth) is reshaped through drilling or laser. This process is often quick and painless. This event doesn’t require any recovery period. Visit your dentist to check whether these solutions are right for the problem you have.
- Teeth Alignment
This might be the most common dental procedure undergone by many today. Teeth alignment is the process where your teeth are arranged perfectly fit and straightened as well. This comes often under braces and clean teeth aligners where people who have imperfect tooth growth commonly choose.
Having your teeth aligned makes it more pleasing and healthier. It protects your gums especially those who have issues with separated teeth. Well, if you wish you have this procedure, there are some precautions you need to consider. Also, you need to visit your dentist to have it fixed when it becomes loose.
Benefits of Getting a Smile Makeover
Having a dental makeover gives us a lot of benefits. Because it could keep our teeth healthy, for some people who have lost or missing teeth, it could help them restore these. For people who have a misshapen or discolored tooth, a dental makeover could fix them in just a period.
These procedures being discussed give back the natural look of the patient’s teeth, smiling at them like they used to have.
Conclusion
It is important to take care of our teeth, especially when we are still young. As we grow older, we lose the elasticity of our teeth. And, this leads to some dental problems which eventually make us suffer. Thus, before we think of undergoing these solutions, as early as today we must be really careful.
By doing the most common way of protecting your teeth which is brushing you could protect them. Thus, for some who have this kind of issue when they are still young, they could still address the problem with these dental solutions.
If you wish to address this kind of issue, you can visit your nearest dental clinic and have them give you the best solution to your problem.
Guest Blog: The Importance of Early Rehabilitation for Injury Recovery
If you’ve ever been injured, you know how hard it can be to get back to your normal routine. You want to make sure that your injury heals properly, but you also need to stay active in order to rebuild strength and mobility. That’s why it’s so important to start early rehabilitation as soon as possible after an injury occurs—even if it means taking a few days off from work or training until the initial pain subsides.
Early Rehabilitation is the key to a successful recovery from injury
Early Rehabilitation is the key to a successful recovery from injury.
Early intervention is essential to ensure an optimal outcome following trauma or surgery, and can help you return to your previous level of function with minimal risk of developing chronic pain. Early rehabilitation helps reduce your risk of developing chronic pain and restores normal movement patterns, joint integrity and strength. Afterwards proteins must be consumed in your diet as it helps in many ways to cure injury.
Recovery from an injury doesn’t have to be stressful or frustrating.
Recovery from an injury doesn’t have to be stressful or frustrating. In fact, rehab can be a fun and rewarding experience if you’re willing to listen to your body and work with it as much as possible.
In the weeks following surgery or an acute injury, there are several things you can do to prepare yourself for the road ahead. It’s important that you don’t rush into activity–if anything hurts even slightly, take a break! Listen closely when doing any kind of physical activity; if there is any pain or discomfort at all (even slight), stop immediately and rest until the next day before trying again.
This may seem counterintuitive at first but allowing yourself plenty of time between sessions will allow tissues in need of healing time for proper recovery and repair without causing further damage by rushing through exercises too quickly or ignoring warning signs from your body telling you something isn’t quite right yet. For injuries with major marks scar treatment should be provided.
The longer you wait before starting your rehabilitation, the harder it will be to recover.
The longer you wait before starting your rehabilitation, the harder it will be to recover. The longer you wait, the more your body will change. Your muscles will atrophy and become weaker over time if they’re not being used regularly; if you have an injury that prevents physical activity (as many do), this can cause serious problems down the road.
The longer we delay getting back into our daily routines after an injury or surgery, the harder it gets for us to regain strength and range of motion in our joints as well as regain confidence in using them again–which means that even after rehabilitating ourselves properly once we start, we may still find ourselves struggling with mobility issues later on down the line!
Early intervention is key to a speedy recovery.
The earlier you begin rehabilitation, the better. In fact, research has shown that early intervention can help you return to your previous level of function and reduce your risk of developing chronic pain. Early intervention also helps restore normal movement patterns and joint integrity by focusing on gentle exercise that encourages movement without causing pain or further injury.
Early rehab is also a good way to prevent injuries in the first place: if you’re not working out after an injury or surgery, it’s easy for other parts of your body (like muscles) to weaken while they’re resting–and this can make them more susceptible to getting hurt again later on down the road.
Early rehabilitation can help you return to your previous level of function.
You may think that rehabilitation is a quick and easy fix. Unfortunately, it’s not.
Rehabilitation is a process that takes time and involves many steps. The goal is not to make you feel better or stronger in the short term; rather, it’s about helping you return to your previous level of function and independence as soon as possible so that you can resume normal activities without pain or limitations on your ability to do things like walk up stairs or pick up objects from the ground.
The best way for this process to work effectively? Start early!
Early rehab helps reduce your risk of developing chronic pain.
Early rehabilitation can help you recover from an injury faster and reduce the risk of developing chronic pain.
Early rehabilitation is important because it helps prevent chronic pain, which is often a result of inactivity and immobility after an injury. When you’re injured and can’t move, your muscles start to weaken over time. Without regular exercise or movement, these weakened muscles become even weaker–and more likely to cause injuries down the road as they try to carry out tasks that are too much for them! This process is known as muscle atrophy (loss of size) or weakness due to disuse atrophy (loss). In other words: if you don’t use it now…you might not be able to use it later on!
Another reason why early rehab matters so much? It may help keep surgery at bay! Studies have shown that people who participate in physical therapy following their injury have fewer surgeries than those who do not receive therapy services.* In addition, those who receive early intervention tend not only experience less pain but also return back into work sooner than those who do not receive any kind of treatment whatsoever.*
Early rehab helps you restore normal movement patterns and joint integrity.
The first step in the rehabilitation process is to restore normal movement patterns and joint integrity. When an injury occurs, there are often changes in the way you move, including muscle weakness and loss of mobility. Your physical therapist will help you regain these abilities by guiding you through a variety of exercises that focus on specific muscles and joints.
The goal of early rehab is to get you back to your previous level of activity as soon as possible while reducing the risk of further injury or pain caused by continued use without proper treatment (known as overuse).
It’s important to work with a doctor and physical therapist who understand the needs of athletes, and can help you stay on track with your recovery.
It’s important to work with a doctor and physical therapist who understand the needs of athletes, and can help you stay on track with your recovery. You also need to stay motivated and positive.
If your injury is severe enough to require surgery, there are some things that can be done in the early stages of rehabilitation before surgery:
- Prehabilitation exercises – these are exercises that help prepare muscles for activity after surgery or an injury (e.g., stretching)
- Postoperative care instructions from doctors or physical therapists
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand the importance of early rehabilitation, and how it can help you recover from injury. The longer you wait before starting your recovery plan, the harder it will be to get back to normal. It’s important to work with a doctor and physical therapist who understand the needs of athletes, so they can keep track of your progress throughout treatment.
Bladder Cancer Risk Factors and Treatment
Background
This type of cancer occurs mainly in older adults, with an average age at diagnosis of 73 years, with 9 out of 10 cases of bladder cancer diagnosed in persons over age 55. The American Cancer Society (ACS)(2012) reported that over 73,000 cases were diagnosed in 2012 and that this diagnosis rate has been relatively stable over the last 20 years. Men are three times as likely to get cancer of the bladder as women (American Foundation for Urologic Disease, 2008) and the incidence increases with age.
Risk Factors
Risk factors include chronic bladder irritation and cigarette smoking, the latter contributing to over half of cases. Male gender and age are also risk factors.
Warning signs
The classic symptom of bladder cancer is painless hematuria (blood in the urine). Older adults may attribute the bleeding to hemorrhoids or other causes and feel that because there is no pain, it must not be serious.
Diagnosis
Assessment begins with a thorough history and physical. Diagnosis may involve several tests including an intravenous pyelogram (IVP), urinalysis, and cystoscopy (in which the physician visualizes the bladder structures through a flexible fiber-optic scope). This is a highly treatable type of cancer when caught early. In fact, the ACS (2012a ) estimates that there were more than 500,000 survivors of this cancer in 2012.
Treatment
Once diagnosed, treatment depends on the invasiveness of the cancer. Treatments for bladder cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy (ACS, 2012). Specifically, a transurethral resection (TUR) may involve burning superficial lesions through a scope. Bladder cancer may be slow to spread, and less invasive treatments may continue for years before the cancer becomes invasive or metastatic, if ever. Certainly chemotherapy, radiation, and immune (biological) therapy are other treatment options, depending on the extent of the cancer.
Immune/biological therapy includes Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) wash, an immune stimulant that triggers the body to inhibit tumor growth. BCG treatment can also be done after TUR to inhibit cancer cells from re-growing. Treatments are administered by a physician directly into the bladder through a catheter for 2 hours once per week for 6 or more weeks (Mayo Clinic, 2012a). The patient may be asked to lay on his/her stomach, back, and or sides throughout the procedure. The patient should drink plenty of fluids after the procedure and be sure to empty the bladder frequently. In addition, because the BCG contains live bacteria, the patient should be taught that any urine passed in the first six 6 hours after treatment needs to be treated with bleach: One cup of undiluted bleach should be placed into the toilet with the urine and allowed to sit for 15 minutes before flushing (Mayo Clinic, 2012a).
If the cancer begins to invade the bladder muscle, then removal of the bladder (cystectomy) is indicated to prevent the cancer from spreading. Additional diagnostic tests will be performed if this is suspected, including CT scan or MRI. Chemotherapy and/or radiation may be used in combination with surgery. When the cancerous bladder is removed, the person will have a urostomy, a stoma from which urine drains into a collection bag on the outside of the body, much like a colostomy does. Bleeding and infection are two major complications after surgery, regardless of type, whether a TUR or cystectomy is performed. Significant education of the patient related to intake/output, ostomy care, appliances, and the like is also indicated.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/bladder/
Adapted from Mauk, K. L., Hanson, P., & Hain, D. (2014). Review of the management of common illnesses, diseases, or health conditions. In K. L.
Mauk’s (Ed.) Gerontological Nursing: Competencies for Care. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Used with permission.