As baby boomers reach age 80 this year, with the immigrant population in the US diminishing, and seeing the almost 80% turnover of employees in home care, assisted living and nursing home care, we are getting ever closer to the Silver Tsunami.

Even today, we don't have enough licensed care givers to meet the need of our aging population.

That's before we consider the massive need for geriatricians who provide medical treatment for the elderly.

Our primary care physicians are reporting they don't feel comfortable diagnosing or addressing patient questions about dementia. And there are not enough specialists to manage this need.

Those with LTC insurance that can be used to pay for care by anyone, licensed or not, are going to be able to help their families help them better and longer when an extended care need shows up.

And I say this often - these long term care needs do just show up. We need to prepare for them today, while we're healthy enough to be approved for coverage.

You can learn more through the Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/

You can schedule a free consultation with me to start designing your plan here

You can schedule a 15 minute "Get to Know You" meeting here

In the U.S., almost 13 million unpaid/family caregivers are caring for someone with dementia right now. Many are doihng this without help or support from other family members.

Most family caregivers are women who live with the dementia patient. 1/4 have kids they are also providing for, placing them in the "sandwich generation".

30% of family caregivers are 65 and older, many with health concerns of their own.

The Alzheimer's Association has a ton of info and helpful resources https://www.alz.org/

We need to prepare for if and when dementia moves and claims residency in our own homes. And we need to plan so that we don't force the women in our lives to give up everything to provide for us

During this Mother's Day week, the best Mother's day gift for your wives, sisters, daughters, grandaughters is to have a plan so you know where you would want to be, who you would lke to have with you, and how you plan to pay for this enormous risk.

Schedule time with me to Prepare for your Tomorrow and theirs by clicking here

Esther Greenhouse is an environmental gerontologist and longevity strategist who helps people stay independent as they age - physically and financially. As president of Silver to Gold Strategies, she advises financial and long-term care propgrams on reducing preventable caregiving needs and costs. Her Enabling Design Method has shaped national age-friendly initiatives and helped her own mother age in place for 7 extra years, saving an estimated $500,000 to $1.5 million and preserving dignity and choice. Esther lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

I learn so much from Esther every time I speak with her and am honored to have her as a colleague!

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/esthergreenhouse/

Website https://silvertogoldstrategies.com/

Email Esther@S2Gold.com

Remember to schedule time wth me to Prepare for Your Tomorrow https://calendly.com/diane-p4t/60min

The Alzheimer's Association released a Special Report that updates dementia and dementia care information. I have on;y read about 1/3 of the info so far, so I expect I'll have a lot more to share over the nexrt several weeks.

The industry is getting better at discovering, diagnosing, and managing dementia.

I tried to get a link to the report, but I can't find it. The title is "2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures".

There is a ton of info at the Alzheimer's Association website website https://www.alz.org/

Check out the "About" and 'Research" tabs, and then schedule with me to protect your family, assets and choices when extended care is needed at home, in a family member's home or in a facility/community setting

Schedule here

We need to decide if we're going to make our own care decisions when we can no longer live alone or independantly.

Or are we going to leave those decisions to a governement employee who must follow whatever the current government decides is approved for your care.

Medicaid is being gutted, so please don't believe that you can rely on that at your most critial time in life.

Please check out the links below and then schedule with me to start designing your plan so you can be prepared for whatever tomorrow brings your way.

Kaiser Family Foundation 10 things about Medicaid long term care services and support https://www.kff.org/medicaid/10-things-about-long-term-services-and-supports-ltss/

AARP Nursing home staffing mandate delayed https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/one-big-beautiful-bill-nursing-homes/

University of Pennsylvania letter to Elizabeth Warren Univ of PA letter

Schedule to learn more and design your plan My calendar

Professionals in geriatrics and gerontology define "elderly" and "advanced age" as 65 and older and those with chronic needs.

It's hard to believe I'm almost elderly?!?

The fact that there are professional specialties and new Ai tools, websites, apps and software programs focusing on this enormous age group should indicate to us younger than 60 to prepare for those days ahead of us.

There are people and tools available to help as we age, and we should never be embarrassed to ask for help when we need it.

Here are several helpful links you can use:

America Association for LTC Insurance https://www.aaltci.org/

Phyllis Shelton's LTC website full of valuable info https://gotltci.com/

Certification for LTC https://www.ltc-cltc.com/

Elder Law Answers about law and Medicaid https://www.elderlawanswers.com/

Help and guidance for caregivers https://www.elderlawanswers.com/

Help filing LTC claims https://www.amadaseniorcare.com/

Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/

National Council on Aging https://www.ncoa.org/

Companion Robot for seniors https://elliq.com/

View current and projected costs of care where you live https://www.carescout.com/cost-of-care

Schedule a phone or zoom meeting to start designing your plan today https://calendly.com/diane-p4t/30min

A client with whom I've maintained a relationship for over a decade was almost talked into buying a new LTC plan earlier this year.

I'm glad she called me to ask for help! I researched her risk and offered a very similar plan with significantly lower rates.

Research is the key to finding the best plans for your family.

When you are offered a quote for LTC insurance, ask the person quoting you how many companies they represent and how many LTC applications they submit on average each year.

LTC planning is too important to leave to amatures!

View current and projected costs of care where you live and where you plan to retire at https://www.carescout.com/cost-of-care

Then schedule a phone or zoom meeting to start designing your plan here

Don't let your 50 year old kids regret not having planned for future extended care needs when they first thought of it.

A first question I ask when meeting with someone is "What made you decide to look into LTC planning now?"

Far too many reply with some form of having thought about this years ago, but for whatever reason they came up with, they decided to wait. Now, the plans we're considering cost a lot more at 70 than they did at 50. Or maybe they can't health qualify for the plan they want.

You must encourage your 40, 50 and 60 year old children to plan now, while they can be approved by more companies, and while the rates are manageable.

This week, we share a client who is buying a plan for her daughter because the family knows the value of LTC insurance after seeing the husband/dad's LTC plan pay over $200,000 over 24 months, protecting the famly's wealth and emotional well-being.

Two clarifications -

1) Audrey did not keep $46,000 of the RMD because she did have to pay taxes on the withdrawal.

2) Lindsey's plan's benefits wil increase by 3% annually. She doesn't have to wait until the 10th payment to see increases.

Schedule with Diane to design your plan here

View current and projected costs of care (use 5% inflation) where you live at https://www.carescout.com/cost-of-care