Article Category General Articles Page 19

  Last Updated: 12/20/2008 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled a one- to five-star rating system for nursing homes to help consumers evaluate a nursing home’s quality when selecting a facility. The ratings appear on the agency’s Nursing Home Compare Web site. A five-star designation means the facility ranks “much above Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 12/5/2008 Conseco Inc., a major long-term care insurer, has transferred more than 140,000 of its policies to an independent trust set up by Pennsylvania, putting the policyholders at risk. Conseco moved its Senior Health Insurance Co. long-term-care policies, which were underpriced, to a new state-supervised nonprofit trust, Senior Health Insurance Co. of Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/26/2009 We all know we are supposed to do estate planning, but not all of us get around to it. (If you are among the many who haven’t gotten around to it, see our current home page survey.) So what happens if you don’t have a will when you die? Your estate Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/2/2009 A new Supreme Court decision illustrates the importance of making sure your beneficiary designations are up-to-date. The Court has unanimously ruled that an employer must distribute a deceased employee’s retirement benefits to his ex-wife even though she had renounced the benefits in their divorce. Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for DuPont Sav. Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 1/29/2009 Gilah Silber, M.D. Living and Dying in a Long-Term Care Facility: Notes From a Nursing Home Doctor. BookSurge Publishing, 2007. 179 pages. $14.95 from Amazon (click on book to order). As the population ages, more and more people are entering nursing homes. But what is life like in these often-dreaded facilities? Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/26/2009 Taking care of an elderly loved one, whether due to dementia or illness, can be exhausting and stressful. Often due to the lack of outside help, a devotion to the person needing care, or the tunnel vision that can accompany exhaustion, caretakers don’t take care of themselves. But they must. Failure Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 1/17/2009 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued guidance to financial institutions clarifying the new law that allows seniors to avoid making required withdrawals from depleted retirement accounts in 2009. Taxpayers over 70 1/2 years old generally must begin withdrawing a certain percentage of the balance of retirement accounts like IRAs and Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 4/20/2009 The financial crisis, coupled with possible changes in the estate tax law, make now a good time to review your estate plan. The future of the estate tax will likely be up for debate in Congress soon because one of the priorities of the Obama administration is making the estate tax Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 3/6/2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the $787 billion stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed into law February 17, 2009, includes a number of provisions that help the elderly in need as well as the economy. Here are the highlights: A one-time payment of $250 in the form Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 3/26/2009 Anthony Cirillo. “Who Moved My Dentures?” 13 False (Teeth) Truths About Long-Term Care and Aging in America. Warren Publishing. Cornelius, NC. 2003. 164 pages. $14.95 from Amazon (click on book to order). The general perception of long-term care facilities is of places to be avoided at all costs. This book is Read Full Article