"Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever during 2020-2021 to protect yourself and the people around you from flu, and to help reduce the strain on healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic," states the CDC website. The CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. This includes everyone six months and older (with very rare exceptions). If you’re not … [Read more...]
Review Your Medicare Coverage During Open Enrollment
Medicare’s Open Enrollment will be open from October 15th to December 7, 2021. This is the perfect opportunity to review your coverage and ensure you and your loved ones are on the right Medicare plan. To help you prepare for open enrollment, Medicare has put together five very helpful tips. Read them in their article “Get ready! Medicare’s Open Enrollment starts October 15”. What is Open … [Read more...]
Why Geriatric Care Managers are So Important – From the MIT Age Lab
"This is just one example of why GCMs (geriatric care managers) are so important, and perhaps one day will be indispensable. They represent the power of knowledge in a world where we live under the influence of large institutions and complex system(s) that are sometimes too big for us to grasp – just when we may need them the most and ourselves too little for them to notice." That's an excerpt … [Read more...]
How to Protect Your Elderly Loved One from Identity Theft
Thieves sometimes prey on the elderly by obtaining and using their personal information to open accounts or make purchases. You can help protect your elderly loved one from identity theft by helping them take simple precautions. The Federal Trade Commission addresses the issue in this video: https://youtu.be/j7UJ6oScjvU The FTC recommends these best practices for identity theft prevention … [Read more...]
HIPAA: Giving Your Advocate Access to Health Care Information
HIPAA is meant to protect your privacy, but misunderstandings about the law can cause unintended snags for you, your advocate, and your health care team. HIPAA stands for “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” of 1996, which includes the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The Rule was not designed to get in your way! But well-meaning staff in medical settings can sometimes keep medical … [Read more...]
How to Help Elders Avoid Home Improvement Scams
Unfortunately many elderly people fall victim to home improvement scams. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging has produced an excellent brochure giving practical tips about how to avoid these scams and how to report them if you or someone you know has fallen victim. The guide gives these tips about how to spot a scam artist, saying they sometimes: Work … [Read more...]
Everyday Miracles
Among the team at Care is There, we describe ourselves as miracle makers. Miracle makers? Isn’t that a little over-the-top? Sure, we help with all kinds of everyday things, but… miracles? We use powerful language intentionally. First of all, caregiving is difficult. Sometimes it’s a long slog of things that don’t seem very significant. It’s so easy to get discouraged and doubtful about the … [Read more...]