Free Caregiver Resource eBook: 8/26/12 Only!

Very important for those who are caregivers or know they will be one day soon.

 On 8/26/12 from 12 AM to 11:59 PM, my “Taking Care of Mom and Dad” eBook will be free on Amazon.com!

You don’t need a Kindle to get it – a PC, Android, or any number of eReaders will do just fine. Amazon has a free download for you to use. Download the reader and then download the eBook!

This book is regularly $6.99. If you have a need or know any followers that need help with caregiving, please share/tweet/google+ or do whatever you need to. I am happy to give this away for one day.

In order to get the eBook, click on the icon to the right or right here: http://amzn.to/KxtD7B 

New eBook for Caregivers

I am very excited to announce that my newest eBook has been released on Amazon in the Kindle Bookstore. The title is: Taking Care of Mom and Dad: A Baby Boomer’s Resource Guide. I cannot tell you how happy I am to finally have this completed. I worked for a very long time to put together all the information. I used all 20 years working with Seniors in putting together a comprehensive handbook for caregivers thrust into service, not knowing the first thing to do or first place to look for help. This is particularly helpful if you are caregiving from afar.

This is not a book that tells you how to deal with emotional issues, it is a book that is practical and comprehensive explaining different federal programs and how they work with a state. I show you the correct agency to contact through phone, address, or email who can give you state-specific information. While most of this CAN be found, you must be well-versed in Aging Service vernacular and acronyms which often change from state to state and program to program. It also clearly explains requirements in most elder-driven social programs as well as components that each state is required to offer.

If you have the correct reader, all sites (including the table of contents ) are clickable – they have been checked and re-checked to assure no dead links. You do not have to have a Kindle in order to read the eBook – I do not have one – you can download the Amazon reader for personal computers, blackberry, android, iPads, iPhone, MAC, and Windows phone 7.

Maybe you do not need this information, but if you know someone who does, please pass it along to them. The information presented in the eBook may be used by anyone in any of the states or territories within the U.S.

Difference Between Medicaid and Medicare

Ever wish you had a quick way to tell the difference between Medicaid and Medicare?

Maybe the following will help.

*Medicare is a federally funded entitlement program for those 65 years-old and certain other disabled people.
* Medicare does not require your income to meet certain low-income standards.

^Medicaid is a federally funded social program that is also an entitlement.
^ Medicaid is funded by both state and federal tax dollars; there are certain income, age and status requirements that must be met in order to be eligible.

*Medicare covers the same services throughout the United States depending on your coverage (A,B, &/or D).

^Medicaid’s benefit package is determined by each state, choosing from the broad array of services designated by the federal government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This means that what you receive in one state will not necessarily be covered in another state. The following services are mandatory in every state:
• Outpatient hospital services;
• Inpatient hospital services;
• Physician services and medical and surgical
services of a dentist;
• Nursing facility services and home health services
for those aged 21 or older;
• Family planning services and supplies;
• Rural health clinic and federally qualified health;
center (FQHC) services;
• Laboratory and x-ray services;
• Nurse practitioner services;
• Nurse-midwife services; and
• Early and periodic screening for children under age 21.

Hope this helps you when trying to understand the difference between the two. It can help you when you are trying to navigate the health care system with your mom and dad.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section, under this article and I will be happy to answer!