| It's natural to ignore the consequences of | | | | hours per year. Note that there is often a wait-list. |
| spending large sums of money with all the | | | | * Medical alert bracelets can ease the strain of a |
| emotional and medical aspects that arise while | | | | caregivers' job by providing a backup plan when |
| caring for elderly parents. Too often adult children | | | | you aren't with your parent. For $24.95 the |
| dig themselves into debt or forgo their own | | | | device will notify your designated doctor, family |
| savings and retirement accounts from the financial | | | | and friends in an emergency. |
| strain of taking care of their parents. | | | | * Eldercare.gov: Eldercare Locator is a public |
| In the United States around 30 percent of adult | | | | service that aids in finding local agencies in the U.S. |
| children provide finances to their parents' care, | | | | that can help caregivers and the elderly access |
| paying on average $2,400 a year, according to | | | | home and community-based services. All you |
| the Pew Research Center. However, your golden | | | | have to do is enter your ZIP code to explore |
| years don't have to be leveraged or sacrificed | | | | anything from assisted living facilities to caregiver |
| while caring for your elderly parents by blowing | | | | support services. |
| your own nest egg. Dedicating a few hours to | | | | * BenefitsCheckUp.org: BenefitsCheckUp provides |
| surfing the Web will aid you in finding a variety of | | | | information for older people regarding their |
| programs and services that can help you lessen | | | | eligibility for benefits from existing federal, state |
| the financial burden, while simultaneously improving | | | | and local programs. Benefits range from heating |
| the quality of your parents' lives. The following | | | | and energy assistance to income supplements. |
| Web sites provide a solid start: | | | | There are numerous programs available to |
| *Alzheimer's Foundation of America: The AFA | | | | seniors, if only they knew how to apply for them. |
| provides a respite fund designed to assist | | | | * GovBenefits.gov: hosts information on |
| caregiving families. The program provides a | | | | government programs your parents can utilize. |
| $500.00 per family grant which will provide 40-50 | | | | |