Hands to Help Seniors
Financial Elder Abuse Abounds Amidst Pandemic
by Richard Kuehn on 07/19/21
AARP The Magazine recently ran an article about financial elder abuse, which, unfortunately, is often done by a family member. Liz Loewy, former chief of the Elder Abuse Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and now chief operating officer of a financial-monitoring company EverSafe said these crimes are all too prevalent. Sadly, many cases go unreported. A study of New York residents found that only 1 in 44 elder abuse cases were reported to authorities. “They may start out helping a parent, with good intentions, and then, after the parent exhibits signs of diminished capacity, start diverting funds,” Lowey said. “It often starts small, then progresses into ‘I wrote a few checks to pay for Johnny’s college. I always said she wanted to help with tuition.’ Or beyond that, home improvement or a new car,” she said. If you believe that you are witnessing elder abuse, please call Adult Protective Services. Unfortunately, with the wealth on the Monterey Peninsula residents of Carmel, PG and Pebble Beach are often targeted.
Why Isn’t Dental Care Covered By Medicare?
by Richard Kuehn on 07/18/21
One of the great mysteries of the Medicare program is why they do not cover any dental work. Many seniors forgo having dental work done because they can’t afford it, which can have a serious domino effect on their health. The New York Times ran a story last month (June 13, page 8) about Ellen Phillips, who let a lot of teeth problems slide and eventually had to have all of her teeth extracted at a cost of $32,000. The work was necessary because she needed heart surgery, and having dental infection or gum disease can allow bacteria to get into the bloodstream, causing serios surgical complications. Some supplemental Medicare Advantage plans do offer a limited amount of dental coverage, but none would have covered the massive work that Ms. Phillips went through. President Biden has proposed adding dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare. I hope he is successful.
Monterey Coronavirus COVID-19 Cases Rising At A Rapid Rate
by Richard Kuehn on 03/22/20
The Monterey County Health Department announced that six
more people have tested positive for coronavirus, more than doubling the number
of cases from the day before. The total
is now at 11, with four travel related, 2 person-to-person transmission, 2
community transmission, and the other three from unknown causes. Family inHome Caregiving is still operating
if you need care and someone to run around and do errands like getting
groceries.
Oldest Man In The World Passes Away At 112
by Richard Kuehn on 02/26/20
Chitesu Watanabe from Japan passed away on Sunday at the age
of 112. The Guinness World Records
arrived at his nursing home in his hometown of Nigata Japan on February 12 to present
him with an award.
Alzheimer's A Sad Disease With No Cure
by Richard Kuehn on 12/05/19
According to researchers, roughly 6 million adults in the United
States and 50 million worldwide live with dementia. This number is expected to more than double
by 2060. Unfortunately, there is no one
test that can officially diagnose you with Alzheimer’s disease, this can only
be done via an autopsy after you are gone.
The National Institutes of Health Reports that Alzheimer’s disease is
the most common cause of dementia, resulting in about 60-80% of dementia cases. “Alzheimer’s dementia classically is a slow
decline. Usually short-term memory is
the first thing people have a problem with.
You can look back over a couple years, often, and see that decline,”
Costco member Dr. Jeffrey Landsman told Costo Connection (September 2019, page
90).
