Plain answers to the questions every family asks.

Touring a community: what to ask and what to notice

Twenty minutes in a building tells you more than any brochure. Here is how to use them.

5 min read

Who to call: the official numbers and sites, in one place

The county Office for the Aging numbers for Western New York, the state lines for Medicare, Medicaid, and complaints, and the helplines that answer at any hour. Bookmark this one.

4 min read

Levels of care in New York, in plain words

Independent living, assisted living, ALP, enhanced, memory care, skilled nursing, home care, home health. What each one is, who it fits, and how to tell them apart.

6 min read

Hospice and palliative care: the difference, and when to ask

Two kinds of care that families often hear about too late. What each one is, who pays, and why asking early is not giving up.

4 min read

Paying for care: private pay, insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, VA

Who pays for what, in order of how often it comes up. What Medicare does and does not cover, what Medicaid looks at, and the veterans benefit most families never hear about.

7 min read

Health care proxy, power of attorney, MOLST, living will: which is which

Four documents that families mix up, what each one actually does in New York, and which ones a community will ask to see.

5 min read

What a PRI and SCREEN are, and who does them

The two state assessments every New York nursing home admission needs, why CarePair never fills them out, and how they get to the community.

3 min read

What a community will ask for, and where to find it

The documents that come up on almost every admission, so you can gather them once instead of being surprised three times.

4 min read

Hospital discharge: what happens, and what you can ask for

Discharge moves fast. Who the discharge planner is, what a safe discharge means, and the right to ask for more time.

5 min read

Making the house safer: the changes that matter most

Falls send more older adults to the hospital than anything else. A short list, in order of payoff, with the cheap fixes first.

4 min read

Caring for the caregiver: respite, adult day, support, and the 3am line

You cannot pour from an empty cup, and the people who say that have usually never done this. Practical relief, not platitudes.

4 min read