Hospitals

• Article - Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance): A Beginner's Guide

  Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance): A Beginner's Guide. Who's eligible for Medicare Part A and what hospital care is covered by Medicare Part A?

• Article - Enrolling in Medicare Programs

  A concise guide to how and when to enroll in Medicare based on your parent's particular circumstances.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Are You Worried Sick About Your Parent's Heart Disease?

  Caring for someone with heart disease may increase your risk of heart disease and depression. Consider these tips for better heart health.

• Blog Post - Exciting News For Heart and Stroke Patients

  Two-drug combination blood pressure therapy lowers cardiovascular risk in patients with high blood pressure.

• Blog Post - Insurance Coverage: Denied!

  What do you do when your parent's insurance company denies coverage for the care that his doctor has ordered?

• Blog Post - It Takes a Neighborhood (Pt. 1)

  Neighbors pitch in to help an isolated elderly neighbor so he can stay in his own home.

• Blog Post - Doctors Don't Seem to Care for Medicare

  Although the vast majority of doctors accept Medicare, many place limits on how many Medicare patients they'll take in their practice because the government reimburses them at a relatively low rate.

• Blog Post - Music Hits the Right Note for Stroke Patients

  New research shows that listening to music for a couple of hours a day can help patients recover from stroke.

• Blog Post - In Case of Stroke, Better Call a Neurologist

  New research suggests that stroke patients treated by neurologists have better outcomes.

• Blog Post - A Promising New Lung Cancer Vaccine

  This week brought welcome news for people with non-small cell lung cancer: Long-term results from a clinical trial showed that a new immune-boosting treatment worked as well or better than chemotherapy at reducing relapse.

• Blog Post - Questions I Wish I'd Asked Mom

  Reflections on a first motherless Mother's Day.

• Blog Post - Will You Act F.A.S.T. or Give Me 5 For Stroke?

  Controversy about which campaign for remembering stroke symptoms is better, Act F.A.S.T. or Give Me 5 for Stroke.

• Blog Post - My mother has asked not to be resuscitated if she has a medical crisis, but my siblings disagree on what constitutes a medical crisis.

  Before she showed signs of dementia, my mother decided...

• Blog Post - My mother gave power of attorney to her new husband, who is putting her life in danger. How can we get it away from him?

  My mother's new husband has power of attorney for her, but I feel he puts her life in danger. How can we get her to reappoint power of attorney?

Questions & Answers

• Question - How can I make a hospital stay easier for my mother with dementia?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can my dad get help to pay for shots after chemo?

  Medicare pays little of outpatient hospital charges. A hospital that accepts Medicare amounts, or care in the doctor's office, saves a bundle.

• Question - Will Medicare cover hospitalization if my mother had only been discharged for one day?

  Medicare Part A covers inpatient costs for up to 150 days in any one benefit period.

• Question - Can my parents access a nursing home without a hospital stay?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I handle my mother's erratic behavior in the hospital after her surgical procedure?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What are some fun activities for seniors who are confined to hospitals?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is hospitalization or a clinic better for lymphedema treatment?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can we keep from selling my mother's home to pay for her final expenses?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - My parents are 81 & 82, my father was in a bad car accident...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

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

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - If a loved one suddenly takes ill or even dies at home which...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Since her cancer diagnosis, my mother has seemed very depressed. Does she need professional help?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother has been depressed since her cancer diagnosis; how can I persuade her to see a therapist?

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

• Question - With both my parents in the hospital, how can I pay their bills?

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

• Question - How can I tell if my mother's having an angina episode or a heart attack?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Does my mother have to sign a home lien for short-term nursing home care?

  Medicare or Medicaid can cover all or most of short-term nursing home costs, but a nursing home might want a home lien from a private-paying patient.

• Question - How can I convince my mother and sister to step back without hurting their feelings?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Will my Medicare cover a deviated septum?

  Medicare can cover treatment of a deviated septum if the treatment is "medically necessary."

• Question - What is meant by "medically neccessary" or under what circumstances will Medicare pay for long-term care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• 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 - 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 - 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 - How can I help my parent control nausea while he's on chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I prescreen assisted-living facilities so I don't have to tour every one?

  When you're looking for assisted living, how do you narrow down the choices? Here are tips for screening assisted living facilities ahead of time.

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

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Will Medicaid or Medicare help pay for my mother's long-term care?

  Will Medicaid or Medicare help pay for my mother's long term care? Medicare will cover 100 days in a nursing home if certain qualifications are met.

• Question - How can I tell whether my father's incontinence after his stroke is temporary?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My father has colon cancer. What's the best way to deal with his angry outbursts?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What does "end stage" congestive heart failure mean for my mother?

  End stage congestive heart failure doesn't mean someone is dying. End stage congestive heart failure is serious, but some patients live for years.

• Question - How can we persuade my mother, who's caring for my dying father, to bring in hospice help?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do we deal with my father who has heart failure who wants to travel and expects only family to care for him?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I resolve a family conflict so I can visit my mother?

  My sister lives with my mother, and is making it hard to visit Mom and make sure she is okay.

• Question - How can I convince my stubborn father to see a doctor about his diabetes?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I enroll a terminal cancer patient in hospice?

  Finding hospice services and learning their requirements is easy. Getting the best fit might take a little more work.

• Question - What are some tips for a long distance caregiver to a dad with pancreatic cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there a resource to find a nurse who will travel to rural areas?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Where can I find a support group for caregivers of people with non-Alzheimer's dementia?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I convince my mother's doctor to keep her out of a rehab facility?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is a large bruise from a stent closure be cause for concern?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I get my mom to agree to wear adult diapers?

  My parent refuses to wear diapers. She has moved in with us, and she needs to wear adult diapers, but we haven't been able to persuade her to do it.

• Question - Why is my mother's platelet count dropping so drastically?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I obtain the forms required for a free living will or advance directive?

  Advance directive forms are fairly easy to come by; it's completing them that can be the tricky part.

• Question - Is there a medication I can take for my arthritis that won't cause a skin rash?

  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 - What is a sheath and can it be fixed or does your port have to be removed?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do we keep our family home, that is in my mum's name and she has dementia?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Beware of Hospital Outpatient Bills Under Medicare

  Under Medicare, hospitals can charge much more than doctors or labs. Taking some basic steps can help you avoid paying too much.

• Tip - Time Hospital Visits to Coincide With Meal Times

  If your parent is in the hospital or a skilled nursing...

• Reflection - What I Wish I'd Known: Tamara Jenkins

  The Academy Award-nominee on what she'd change about her father's death.

News

• News - Weight Gain May Spell Trouble for Heart Failure Patients

  TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Short-term weight...

• News - Hospitals' Primary Care Docs Boost Outcomes

  TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Being cared for...

• News - Do Blacks Have Genetic Weakness to Asthma?

  SUNDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans...

• News - Women Less Likely to Get Heart Defibrillators

  TUESDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Women are less...

• News - Flu Vaccine Does Protect Older People

  WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- If you're over...

• News - Pneumonia Shot Can Save Lives

  TUESDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients...

• News - America's Top Hospitals Are Real Lifesavers

  MONDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Patients in the...

• News - Studies Examine Life After Weight-Loss Surgery

  MONDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Coronary heart...

• News - U.S. Medical Schools, Drug Makers Share Strong Ties

  TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- More than half...

• News - Drug-Resistant Staph a Widespread Threat

  TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Potentially deadly...