Health Care

• Article - Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills: A Beginner's Guide

  A living will or advance health care directive lets medical providers know a person's preferences when they're unable to do so independently.

• Article - Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills: A Step-by-Step Guide

  How to set up a living will or health care directive. How to figure out what your parent wants and make sure it's reflected in the documents.

• Checklist - 10 Essential Diabetes Resources on the Web

  Ten trustworthy and invaluable websites that offer education and support for people with type 2 diabetes.

• Buying Guide - A Buyer's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance

  Find the best long-term care insurance policy for your needs. Understand their costs, benefits, extra perks, and the common loopholes to avoid.

• Checklist - 7 Important Instructions to Include in a Health Care Directive

  Know the 7 crucial medical-care instructions your parents should put in their advance health care directives.

• Checklist - 8 Things to Look for in a Nursing Home Agreement

  Nursing home agreements affect your parent's care in a nursing home. Here's what to look for in a nursing home agreement.

• Article - Conservatorship and Adult Guardianship: A Beginner's Guide

  When and how to appoint a conservator, or adult guardian, for your parent if she can't make important health and financial decisions for herself.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Fighting for Breath: A Mother's Last Weeks of Life

  Laura Juel had to advocate for her mother during her final days to help her get pain relief.

• Blog Post - Yelling and Nagging: Not the Way to Keep Someone With Diabetes on Track

  Practical advice on how to help your parent or partner with diabetes comply with health recommendations.

• Blog Post - Caregiving: Does it Have to Be This Hard?

  A summary of caregiving in the U.S. in 2008: some statistics and how it got this way

• Blog Post - Could You Have Diabetes -- And Not Know It?

  Find out if you're at risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Risk Test.

• Blog Post - In Men With Type 2 Diabetes, Bedroom Blues May Signal a Broken Heart

  In men with type 2 diabetes, erectile dysfunction may be a warning sign for serious heart trouble, including heart attack and death.

• Blog Post - When Money Is Tight, More People Cut Back on Healthcare

  During these rocky economic times, an increasing number of people are saving money by cutting back on spiraling health care costs.

Questions & Answers

• Question - Who is responsible for paying for my mother's care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother is 58 and moving in with us. She is suffering...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What is my liability for my father's medical bills incurred during visit to the US?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I get my dad to share the responsibility of making decisions about my mother's healthcare with me?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can my parent give durable power of attorney for healthcare to one child, and durable power of attorney for finance to another?

  Can my parents give one child durable power of attorney for healthcare and one durable power of attorney for finances? Power of attorney can be split.

• Question - What rights do I have as a healthcare agent?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother is a veteran's widow. What kind of rights does she have in choosing a home health aide?

  This question has been answered by two Caring.com Experts

• Question - Can a parent revise or revoke a durable power of attorney for healthcare or finances?

  Can my parent revise or revoke his durable power of attorney for healthcare? He can revise his durable power of attorney if he's of sound mind.

• Question - How can I cover my medical care expenses?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - What is the best way for my five brothers and me to contribute toward paying for my mother's care?

  Family planning for health care costs that may have tax consequences can get complicated in a hurry. It's one of those situations in which it may be best to call in expert help.

• Question - I need healthcare but have no insurance. What can I do?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Is home healthcare part of the Medicaid waiver program SOURCE?

  The SOURCE program includes home health care as part of an overall care plan to keep frail seniors out of nursing homes.

• Question - Will my grandmother lose Medicare benefits if she is checked out of a rehab center without a doctor's approval?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can a Medicare-friendly doctor demand payment in full first?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I help my father decide which Medigap plan is right for him?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What do I need to know before I sign a nursing home contract?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does an advanced directive for health care agents supersede a durable power of attorney for medical decisions, if you have both?

  When an advance directive and durable power of attorney conflict, the most recent document generally controls.

• Question - I am a home health care aide. Where are the best resources...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I get my abusive father removed as my mother's health care surrogate?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Will Medicare pay for a physical trainer, physical therapy and massage therapy for Parkinson's?

  Can Medicare pay for massage, physical therapy, and a trainer for a Parkinson's patient? It may pay for a therapist who can do massage or training.

• Question - What kind of legal action can I take to care for my mother, who has got cognitive issues?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I gain access to my parent's health records without a durable power of attorney for health care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does medicare cover Chiropractic care and services?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I do about my mother, who is being verbally abusive due to a stroke?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I get my mother the help she needs?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What's the difference between a guardianship and a conservatorship?

  What's the difference between a guardianship and a conservatorship? I want to know because my elderly parent refuses to sign a power of attorney.

• Question - What are the moral and legal obligations for adult children in caring for a parent with early Alzheimer's/memory loss?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Does the Veterans Administration have any claim on my parent’s estate?

  Does the VA or our state have any claim on my parent’s estate?

• Question - My father fell in a nursing home and I'm wondering if the nursing home should have liability insurance to cover his medical costs?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What's the emergency procedure for obtaining durable power of attorney for finance or health care?

  What's the emergency procedure for obtaining durable power of attorney for finance or health care? Get answers on obtaining durable power of attorney.

• Question - Are online estate planning documents legal?

  When looking for an online product to help product your estate planning documents, shop carefully.

• Question - What legal rights to do grandchildren have in determining whether grandma is fit to live alone?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I make sure my mother's personal information travels with her?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can I be held responsible for my mother's medical bills?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Are living trusts and living wills the same?

  When it comes to living wills and living trusts, only the names are similar. One concerns itself with controlling medical care; the other, passing title to property.

• Question - The nursing home wants my father to leave because he's hard to manage; what are my options?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Do You Have to Be Bankrupt to Get Medicaid?

  Do you have to be bankrupt to qualify for Medicare or Medicaid home care? Can Medicaid take your house? Medicaid does have very low limits for assets.

• Question - Will healthcare directives from one state be honored in another?

  When it comes to healthcare directives, some states are more welcoming than others.

• Question - What's the best way to catch my 91-year-old mother when she falls?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Does stress affect my parent's blood sugar levels?

  My mom is diabetic and has a tendency to get upset and anxious. Does stress have an impact on her blood sugar level, and if so, what can I do to help?

• Question - Should I interfere in my mother's social life if she has Alzheimer's?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does self-help software produce legal documents?

  Some self-help law products produce perfectly legal documents. The key is to shop wisely -- and you can always use a lawyer as a backup.

• Question - How can I help my parent figure out when her blood sugar is too high?

  Blood sugar needs to be monitored often when someone has type 2 diabetes. How do you help a person with diabetes keep track of glucose levels?

• Question - How long does a legal guardianship last, and how can I get access to my mother's medical records?

  After a legal guardianship or conservatorship ends, medical privacy laws can make it tough to find out information about procedures you suspect went wrong.

• Question - Can a new diabetes drug also help my mother lose weight?

  A type 2 diabetes drug called exenatide or Byetta has helped some people lose weight, although weight loss isn't the primary purpose of the drug.

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - A Do-It-Yourself Advance Directive

  If your parents have been putting off preparing a living...

News

• News - Web Site Demystifies Lab Tests

  FRIDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- For many Americans...

• News - Medicare Web Site Confounds Many Seniors

  TUESDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A majority of...

• News - 79 Million Americans Struggle to Pay Medical Bills

  WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Working-age...

• News - Spanish Speakers Have Difficulty Accessing Health Care in U.S.

  WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Spanish-speaking...

Links

• External Link - Choosing A Health Care Agent

  From our partner, AOL Health.