What is the Most Challenging Part of Caring for your Successful Ager?

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Permalink Reply by Jeanette Meyer on September 23, 2008 at 11:43am

The most difficult part of caring for the ager in my opinion is learning what programs and services are available to the caregiver and to the ager. It has been a long road trying to learn all there is to know. It has been very challenging trying to figure out what the insurance company offers for the care of the ager, how to deal with them and be abreast of what is available. It has been difficult setting up appointments and how the referrals work. It has been a learning experience for the last 8 years. Dealing with doctors who do not even know themselves what is available to the patient. It has been a journey of experiences that is for sure. It is hard to deal with Medicare, the language and the lingo is hard to grasp. I guess what I am trying to say is that when a parent becomes ill there seems to be bo resources available at one central location that tells us what to do, who to see, how to deal with insurance companies and what is services and programs are available to the patient and family. I have sure learned the hard way. It takes hours and hours of reading, phone calling, and flat doing everything the wrong way and finding out later what the real decisions should have been. Water under the bridge at this point but I wished there could be something set up to help the patient at diagnosis time and a track set in place that guides us through the whole experience.

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Permalink Reply by Robyn Blaikie Collins on September 23, 2008 at 11:47am

That is the exact purpose and intention of CaringSource, to fill in the blanks and guide careHELPerS in the process. I'm so glad you are here. Hopefully you will find more and more HELPS along the way. And share specific concerns with us. Thanks for coming.

Jeanette Meyer said:

The most difficult part of caring for the ager in my opinion is learning what programs and services are available to the caregiver and to the ager. It has been a long road trying to learn all there is to know. It has been very challenging trying to figure out what the insurance company offers for the care of the ager, how to deal with them and be abreast of what is available. It has been difficult setting up appointments and how the referrals work. It has been a learning experience for the last 8 years. Dealing with doctors who do not even know themselves what is available to the patient. It has been a journey of experiences that is for sure. It is hard to deal with Medicare, the language and the lingo is hard to grasp. I guess what I am trying to say is that when a parent becomes ill there seems to be bo resources available at one central location that tells us what to do, who to see, how to deal with insurance companies and what is services and programs are available to the patient and family. I have sure learned the hard way. It takes hours and hours of reading, phone calling, and flat doing everything the wrong way and finding out later what the real decisions should have been. Water under the bridge at this point but I wished there could be something set up to help the patient at diagnosis time and a track set in place that guides us through the whole experience.

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Permalink Reply by Ginny on September 23, 2008 at 1:19pm

My heart goes out to you, Jeanette! This has also been our family experience. I welcome a resource like CaringSource - a "one-stop shop" if you will for all of us CareHelpers - who are also dealing with our own aging issues!. Wish it was available a long time ago!

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