My name is Christopher Jenkins.
I own a Home Care Agency in Waltham, Massachusetts. This site covers practical information about caring
for an elderly parent in Massachusetts. Much of the information on this site is also applicable to other states. I
am happy to answer senior care questions or provide referrals to other industry experts. My direct office line is 781-314-0161
9am to 5pm. My website is http://www.maseniors.net.
A few years ago I found myself at Manchester Airport in
New Hampshire surrounded by four State Troopers with my Dad, now deep in dementia, shouting at me that he lived in Virginia
and why was I trying to kill him. Suddenly our roles had reversed and he needed me for his care.
I found myself completely unprepared for this new role. I had never thought about what I might
need to do if my parents could not care for themselves. I certainly had never thought about how it got paid for, how
it was managed and even what might be available.
This site is a compilation
of what I have discovered. In my father's case I was lucky. He had done some elder care planning for himself and
even had a long term care insurance policy in place. Of course, having a policy in place and actually being able to
use its benefits are two different things. I discuss some of what I learned about that on my long term insurance page.
Since that day at Manchester
Airport I have also bought a Home Instead Senior Care Franchise. With that I have learned that the options for senior care extend beyond Assisted Living and Nursing homes; in fact,
today there are 9 different options for caring for seniors. This site can help educate you to what those options are.
Paying for senior care is a major consideration. Before I had some vague notion that social
security, medicare or my parents savings would pay for their care. This is not true. The reality is that some
50 million of us are currently providing some $300 billion in uncompensated care to our parents. This site will help
guide you to some options that will help. Although this site is geared towards Massachusetts residents many of the Massachusetts
programs also exist in other states. A good starting point is your State's Office of Elder Affairs. Another good site
that has a really great program to identify benefits is operated by the National Council on Aging. There
are some Federal resources available. For example, if your father was a veteran and has passed away your mother is still
likely eligible (depending on her income) for some veterans benefits. A litlle known benefit called the Aid and Attendence benefit can provide up to $1080 per month to be used in virtually any way she wishes. Very few people are aware of this program.
There are some major financial landmines in the field of eldercare. Many people have some
general understanding that if your parents have no resources they can get medicaid to pay for nursing home care. With
that understanding they may decide to transfer a parents home to themselves or pay themselves out of their parents funds for
supplying care not realizing that the state has a right to reclaim all those funds at a later date. This website touches
on some of those issues as well. Check out the website at www.hirefamily.com if you are thinking of getting paid as a family caregiver. It is very important
that the appropriate agreements are in place and taxes are being paid. For those of you just starting out who know very little read the pages on Home Care and Elderly Housing (links to
the left). These two pages give you a pretty good overview of what's out there
If, after reading through this site, you have
other questions I am happy to talk to you in person or over the phone. Most days I can be reached at 781-314-0161 I
enjoy sharing my experiences so don't be shy about calling. Finally, if you are totally befuddled as to where to begin the Amazon book Stages
of Senior Care provides a high level overview. You can order it through the link below.
