"I have never met anyone who didn’t ask, with shock and dismay, “What do you mean Medicare doesn’t pay for it?” They assume, as I did, that.. {elders} have universal health care . Alas, Medicare covers only medical or surgical procedures. If what an old person needs, as most will after the age of 85, is custodial care, they, and their children, are on their own. [There are]... traps in choosing a long-term-care insurance policy, a residential facility, a home health aide or in applying for Medicaid when their funds are exhausted, among other complicated decisions."
"...at the hub of the wheel is public policy, which fails to reckon with the fact that those 85 and older are our fastest-growing population group, and that a vast majority will require more than two years of custodial care; that 77 million baby boomers are heading toward old age and frailty themselves; and that America is unprepared for what many consider a public health emergency. One can’t navigate this system on behalf of a parent, or prepare for one’s own future, without understanding that..." Jane Gross, author of “A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents — and Ourselves” New York Yimes, June 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews said the following about A Bittersweet Season" in a review on March 15, 2011
"A New York Times reporter helps readers face a final, difficult journey."
"Americans are living longer than ever before, and most senior citizens will eventually become dependent on others for care. Gross offers advice for those already caring for their aging and dying parents and issues a wake-up call to those who think they are prepared should the time come. Her tone is straightforward, but not cold or clinical, when she shares the heartbreaking story of her aging mother, who died in a nursing home. With well-written and researched prose, Gross debunks misconceptions about assisted-living facilities and offers eye-opening anecdotes about Medicare and Medicaid, including how her own upper-middle-class mother ended up on Medicaid and virtually penniless due to health-care costs. The author also gives gentle guidance for understanding the biology and psychology of aging and ways the adult child can best help the parent. For some readers, the most uncomfortable part of the book will be Gross' mother’s choice to die by refusing to eat or drink. This may be controversial, but the subject is not treated lightly, and many conversations occurred beforehand. With a poignant, honest voice, the author recalls her mother’s suffering. This book will remind readers that quality-of-life issues are important, and will hopefully prompt those types of discussions. There are no easy answers here, because there are none."
A thought-provoking resource for end-of-life care.
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/non-fiction/jane-gross/bittersweet-season/
You can purchase the book at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Bittersweet-Season-Caring-Parents---Ourselves/dp/030727182X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307983639&sr=1-1
bob@elderlifeplanning.com
No comments:
Post a Comment