Wisconsin seniors needing a long-term stay in a nursing home in their state will pay roughly $76,300 a year, the average annual cost based on the daily private and semi-private rates of 427 nursing homes in Wisconsin. Medicare does not pay for long-term care, while Medicaid, for low-income seniors does pay for an ongoing stay in a nursing home. Read More »Caregiverlist® Announces Wisconsin Nursing Home Rating and Cost Index for May 2015

I keep telling myself that I’ve simply rejected the idea of growing older. Unfortunately, my body never seems to follow suit!

Like it or not, we’re all growing older — and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we’re growing older than ever before. Its latest data from 2013 shows that Americans live an average of 78.8 years, up from a life expectancy of about 70 back in 1963. That’s a substantial improvement in just 50 years.

As we live longer, we get to spend more time with family and friends and experience more of what life has to offer. However, we’re also likely to need more money to see us through retirement than we had planned for. Therefore as we age, it’s important that we save money in order to make our nest egg last as long as possible.

Read More »Put Your Wallet Away: 13 Things Senior Citizens May Be Able to Get for Free

With early summer right around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking of fun activities to do either indoors or outdoors! Whether you care for a senior, parent or grandparent, or are looking for ideas for yourself, there are plenty of great activities for the mind, body and soul!

Read More »Fun Activities for Senior Citizens

Parents across the country will spend the next month fretting for the safety of their children as spring break ensues and college students are left to their own devices in Daytona Beach, South Padre and Cancun. Elsewhere, police warn of those looking to prey on families’ worst fears with scams and fraud.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has put out a notice to families of college students warning of what is commonly known as the “grandparents scam.”

Read More »Beware of the “Grandparents Scam”

Back in the olden days, spring cleaning meant scrubbing or laundering every surface of the house to remove the dark, sooty grime that built up from using candles, kerosene lamps and woodstoves throughout the winter. It also meant throwing open all the doors and windows of the house to get the stale winter air out and let in the fresh fragrance of spring.

Today, the modern marvel of electricity has spared us the sooty grime, but the refreshing tradition of spring cleaning remains. It’s an especially important routine in homes where seniors may no longer be able to keep up with regular housekeeping chores.

If your senior loved one’s home could use a good corner-to-corner cleaning, here are five steps to get it done.Read More »Spring Cleaning a Senior’s Home

Falls and hypothermia are likely to top the list of caregiver concerns during the icy winter months. But, elderly loved ones are also at risk for some lesser known, but still impactful, winter dangers brought on by frigid weather.

Seasonal affective disorder and vitamin D deficiency can be hazardous to a senior’s health. The good new is, they are both easily treatable if identified and dealt with properly.Read More »Little-Known Winter Dangers For Elders

It might be the cuddliest medical device ever to cause an ethical quandary.

Five years ago, a Japanese robot manufacturer introduced Paro to the world. Built to resemble a baby harp seal—with a plush coat of antibacterial fur—Paro was hailed in Japan as a pioneer among socially interactive robots, one that would help lift the spirits of millions of elderly adults.

It never quite caught on. “It doesn’t do much other than utter weird sounds like ‘heeee’ or ‘huuuu,'” says Tomoko Iimura, whose adult day-care center in Tsukuba City keeps its Paro in a closet.Read More »Paro the Robo-Seal