for release June 14, 2002
The Sandwich Generation . . . Helping Your Aging Parents
by Carol Abaya, M.A.
Are you juggling doing errands for your aging parents, your children, yourself and working at the same time? Are you tired, stressed out and upset that your once vibrant parent is now frail and needy?
Do you feel alone? Rest assured you are not alone! The Sandwich Generation is dedicated to the 50 million Americans who may have elder/parent care concerns and/or responsibilities.
Medicare Must Pay For Alzheimer's Care
Question: My mother, 76, has mid-stage Alzheimer's and needs physical and occupational therapy. Our doctor and the HMO say we'll have to pay for this. It's very expensive.
Answer: Both your doctor and HMO are 100% wrong.
Under new federal regulations, Medicare patients can no longer be denied reimbursement for the costs of mental health services, hospice care, or home health care just because they have Alzheimer's. Medicare's assumption for years was that treatment was useless because people with the disease were unable to improve medically. Studies have shown that people can benefit from "pharmacologic, physical, occupational, speech-language, and other therapies." The new law states that Medicare covers all medically reasonable and necessary services, with limited exceptions. Too often, Medicare automatically and wrongly refuses to pay for treatment for people with certain conditions.
Making new at-home services available to Alzheimer's patients will enable them to live longer on their own, with greater ability to function.
If you have trouble getting Medicare or an HMO to pay, contact the Medicare Rights Center at 212-869-3850.
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Question: My father, 76, has been diagnosed with having dementia, possibly Alzheimer's. He has gotten very confused and forgetful, and developed disruptive habits. He never liked drugs and refuses to even try any the doctor suggests. Is there any alternative?
Answer: I've never been a fan of many traditional drugs, many of which have a bad impact on various key body organs and the natural metabolic system.
Alternative medicines have come a long way in recent years, especially in Europe. The US FDA continues to fight introduction here of proven treatments.
Treatment of dementia and Alzheimer's is only one of many chronic illnesses that may be treated more effectively using alternates. One example is memantine, which is frequently prescribed in Europe. Research at New York University has been verifying memantine's benefits. Call them for more information. (Life Extension magazine article, April 2002).
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Question: My father has diabetes and refuses to watch his diet. Now his feet are swollen and he has trouble walking. We need help.
Answer: First of all, your father should watch his diet very carefully. Diabetes is a killer illness! And it's not a "nice" way to go. Having swollen feet is minor compared with other results.
Medicare now pays for various services associated with various chronic illnesses.
Nutrition therapy helps control certain diseases like diabetes through improved diet. Medicare now covers the services of professional nutritionists for beneficiaries with diabetes or kidney disease.
Regular foot care will be available to diabetes patients with peripheral neuropathy, a nerve condition that lessens their ability to feel pain, thus increasing the risk of foot ulcers and, most seriously, amputation.
Annual eye exams to detect glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, are
now covered by Medicare for people at high risk of the disease, including
those with diabetes or a family history of glaucoma.
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Do you have a question? Send it in. Although letters cannot be answered individually, appropriate letters will be answered in this column whenever possible. Letters may be edited. Send letters to Ms. Carol Abaya, c/o Name\Address of YOUR newspaper (or mail direct to her at PO Box 132,Wickatunk, NJ 07765-0132) or contact her through her web site: thesandwichgeneration.com.
Carol Abaya is an international-award-winning journalist and creator of the unique magazine The Sandwich Generation: You & Your Aging Parents.
NOTES TO EDITORS: text = 490 words; other material = 160 words
We would appreciate it if you would include the "Globe Syndicate" bug at the end of the column.
©2002 by Globe Syndicate, all rights reserved.