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The Sandwich Generation
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Caroline Kruse: You are listening to Family Matters. I am Caroline.
Jacquie Chakirelis: And I am Jacquie. You know Caroline, we talk about many parenting issues here on Family Matters. But I ran into a friend of mine the other day and of course I was complaining to her about how busy the kids schedules are, and she has the same issues, but she is also has caring for her aging and ill parents as well, and she is really feeling overwhelmed.
Caroline: Your friend is not alone, Jacquie. As a matter of fact, over 10 million baby boomers are raising kids or supporting an adult child, who are providing financial support to an aging parent. Joining us is a woman who knows first hand about the challenges of the sandwich generation.
Connie Hill-Johnson is the owner and managing director of Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services, in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a network of franchised agencies throughout the United States and Canada. And Connie, welcome to Family Matters.
Connie Hill-Johnson: Thank you so much. Good morning.
Caroline: Good morning. Well, what are the benefits of home care?
Connie: Well, probably the main benefit is enabling our loved one, and that could be parent, grand-parent, extended family, the opportunity to stay in their primary home environment and not have to relocate.
Jacquie: What are some of the services that are included in home care?
Connie: Generally when you are talking about non-medical home care, personal hygiene assistance, meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, errands, transportation, medication reminders - those are the most common services provided in the home environment.
Caroline: Connie, what is it the typical cost of home care?
Connie: Well a lot is going to depend upon the state, the city, the locality that you live in, but across the nation you generally find hourly fees anywhere from $16 an hour up to $21-22 an hour.
Jacquie: And of course if you are a working person, you have to make sure that your parent is taken care of, but who are some of your typical clients?
Connie: Typical clients are typically ladies, folks like you and I, adult children who are working, perhaps raising their own children, but their parents are still alive, doing fairly well. But as we both know, folks are living longer now. So the typical call comes from generally a female who is calling on behalf of her parents or perhaps even her in-laws.
Caroline: How can one financially prepare for home care? Is this typically covered with Medicare? Is there typically an out-of-pocket expense?
Connie: Usually it is the latter. Non-medical home care right now is not a benefit covered by Medicare. Medicare generally only covers skilled services or those services offered by nursing or physical therapists. Non-medical home care is generally out of pocket.
Some families though do have long term care insurance, and I always encourage those in their 40s and 50s and 60s now, to being looking at long term care insurance policies, because that will cover in-home care if needed down the road.
Jacquie: Well that's good news. What are the benefits of home care versus alternatives?
Connie: The main one is again what I said before, is staying at home We get a lot of calls about, should I keep Mom or Dad at home or should I move them to an assisted living facility? And there are pros to both sides, but generally seniors are in their primary residence. Their home is likely paid for. They thrive better. They are more independent in their home environment.
Just avoiding the whole relocation process which can be tremendously strenuous for families, not to mention the seniors themselves, can be difficult. So being at home we are finding is so much more beneficial for the actual care recipient, being the senior.
Caroline: But do you need to make changes to your home in order to accommodate home care?
Connie: Absolutely. So many of our seniors, my Mom included, are still living in a home, where there are stairs, and she is going to the basement for the laundry, bedrooms are upstairs. So one of the things we always do is take a look at the home. If they are still able to take the stairs, we might want to recommend a chair for the shower or the bath.
We might want to put grab bars on the wall to prevent them from falling. We might want to remove rugs if the senior is using a walker or a cane. We may want to suggest some home modifications. Perhaps there is a first floor room that can be converted to a bedroom. Those are things that families should always look at, in addition to the provider, when they are recommending home care services.
Jacquie: But you have brothers and sisters involved. There is a possibility that all the adult children are not going to agree to the long term care needs of the parents. What do you do?
Connie: We see that so often, particularly with families being so displaced across the country. Many times all of the adult children aren't living in the same city, but even if they are, many many times one child thinks one thing for Mom or Dad, another one says something differently. A lot of times, it is good to bring in a third objective party, perhaps an elder care attorney who can give them counsel, perhaps a geriatric care manager.
Discussions need to take place over who is the financial power of attorney, who is the medical power of attorney. It can be very stressful and difficult when you are making those kinds of decisions on behalf of your parents. You want to present an unified front and you want to be in agreement about their long-term care needs, how they should be addressed.
Caroline: Well, Connie, there are a lot of services out there, but what does a person look for when selecting a home care provider?
Connie: A great question, and at Visiting Angels of course we think that we do an excellent job. But we do say the families ask the right questions, ask if the agencies utilize its employees or independent contractors. Of course ask what their hourly rate is. Ask if they provide an initial free home assessment. Ask them how they screen care their givers or their aides.
Ask about the type of background checks that are conducted. A sk about the type of employment reference checks that are performed. Ask about the work experience levels of their aides. Ask how often they come by and do scheduled and pop visits, to make sure that things are going well at the home and that Mom and Dad are being well cared for. Those are just some of the initial questions that consumers should ask when they are looking for services.
Jacquie: Connie, are there other resources or professionals that families should tap into or consider working with, in making long term care plans for their loved ones?
Connie: Absolutely, and I referenced two key ones before. Geriatric care managers, a growing profession. They are generally social workers who are very involved with seniors and tapping into additional resources and making recommendations. And also elder care attorney would be tremendously beneficial.
Caroline: Connie, thank you so much for joining us with this important information.
Connie: You are so welcome.
Jacquie: And if you want more information, you can visit the Your Worth section at FamilyMattersRadio.com at our website.
Your Worth has been brought to you by Genworth Financial. Visit them at Genworth.com.
Announcer: Your Worth is brought to you by GenWorth Financial. Visit them at genworth.com.
Caroline Kruse: You are listening to Family Matters. I am Caroline.
Jacquie Chakirelis: And I am Jacquie. You know Caroline, we talk about many parenting issues here on Family Matters. But I ran into a friend of mine the other day and of course I was complaining to her about how busy the kids schedules are, and she has the same issues, but she is also has caring for her aging and ill parents as well, and she is really feeling overwhelmed.
Caroline: Your friend is not alone, Jacquie. As a matter of fact, over 10 million baby boomers are raising kids or supporting an adult child, who are providing financial support to an aging parent. Joining us is a woman who knows first hand about the challenges of the sandwich generation.
Connie Hill-Johnson is the owner and managing director of Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services, in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a network of franchised agencies throughout the United States and Canada. And Connie, welcome to Family Matters.
Connie Hill-Johnson: Thank you so much. Good morning.
Caroline: Good morning. Well, what are the benefits of home care?
Connie: Well, probably the main benefit is enabling our loved one, and that could be parent, grand-parent, extended family, the opportunity to stay in their primary home environment and not have to relocate.
Jacquie: What are some of the services that are included in home care?
Connie: Generally when you are talking about non-medical home care, personal hygiene assistance, meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, errands, transportation, medication reminders - those are the most common services provided in the home environment.
Caroline: Connie, what is it the typical cost of home care?
Connie: Well a lot is going to depend upon the state, the city, the locality that you live in, but across the nation you generally find hourly fees anywhere from $16 an hour up to $21-22 an hour.
Jacquie: And of course if you are a working person, you have to make sure that your parent is taken care of, but who are some of your typical clients?
Connie: Typical clients are typically ladies, folks like you and I, adult children who are working, perhaps raising their own children, but their parents are still alive, doing fairly well. But as we both know, folks are living longer now. So the typical call comes from generally a female who is calling on behalf of her parents or perhaps even her in-laws.
Caroline: How can one financially prepare for home care? Is this typically covered with Medicare? Is there typically an out-of-pocket expense?
Connie: Usually it is the latter. Non-medical home care right now is not a benefit covered by Medicare. Medicare generally only covers skilled services or those services offered by nursing or physical therapists. Non-medical home care is generally out of pocket.
Some families though do have long term care insurance, and I always encourage those in their 40s and 50s and 60s now, to being looking at long term care insurance policies, because that will cover in-home care if needed down the road.
Jacquie: Well that's good news. What are the benefits of home care versus alternatives?
Connie: The main one is again what I said before, is staying at home We get a lot of calls about, should I keep Mom or Dad at home or should I move them to an assisted living facility? And there are pros to both sides, but generally seniors are in their primary residence. Their home is likely paid for. They thrive better. They are more independent in their home environment.
Just avoiding the whole relocation process which can be tremendously strenuous for families, not to mention the seniors themselves, can be difficult. So being at home we are finding is so much more beneficial for the actual care recipient, being the senior.
Caroline: But do you need to make changes to your home in order to accommodate home care?
Connie: Absolutely. So many of our seniors, my Mom included, are still living in a home, where there are stairs, and she is going to the basement for the laundry, bedrooms are upstairs. So one of the things we always do is take a look at the home. If they are still able to take the stairs, we might want to recommend a chair for the shower or the bath.
We might want to put grab bars on the wall to prevent them from falling. We might want to remove rugs if the senior is using a walker or a cane. We may want to suggest some home modifications. Perhaps there is a first floor room that can be converted to a bedroom. Those are things that families should always look at, in addition to the provider, when they are recommending home care services.
Jacquie: But you have brothers and sisters involved. There is a possibility that all the adult children are not going to agree to the long term care needs of the parents. What do you do?
Connie: We see that so often, particularly with families being so displaced across the country. Many times all of the adult children aren't living in the same city, but even if they are, many many times one child thinks one thing for Mom or Dad, another one says something differently. A lot of times, it is good to bring in a third objective party, perhaps an elder care attorney who can give them counsel, perhaps a geriatric care manager.
Discussions need to take place over who is the financial power of attorney, who is the medical power of attorney. It can be very stressful and difficult when you are making those kinds of decisions on behalf of your parents. You want to present an unified front and you want to be in agreement about their long-term care needs, how they should be addressed.
Caroline: Well, Connie, there are a lot of services out there, but what does a person look for when selecting a home care provider?
Connie: A great question, and at Visiting Angels of course we think that we do an excellent job. But we do say the families ask the right questions, ask if the agencies utilize its employees or independent contractors. Of course ask what their hourly rate is. Ask if they provide an initial free home assessment. Ask them how they screen care their givers or their aides.
Ask about the type of background checks that are conducted. A sk about the type of employment reference checks that are performed. Ask about the work experience levels of their aides. Ask how often they come by and do scheduled and pop visits, to make sure that things are going well at the home and that Mom and Dad are being well cared for. Those are just some of the initial questions that consumers should ask when they are looking for services.
Jacquie: Connie, are there other resources or professionals that families should tap into or consider working with, in making long term care plans for their loved ones?
Connie: Absolutely, and I referenced two key ones before. Geriatric care managers, a growing profession. They are generally social workers who are very involved with seniors and tapping into additional resources and making recommendations. And also elder care attorney would be tremendously beneficial.
Caroline: Connie, thank you so much for joining us with this important information.
Connie: You are so welcome.
Jacquie: And if you want more information, you can visit the Your Worth section at FamilyMattersRadio.com at our website.
Your Worth has been brought to you by Genworth Financial. Visit them at Genworth.com.
