Family Advisor

Elderly and seriously ill patients frequently rely on private long-term care or disability insurance to pay for their home care. More and more, however, these patients are being denied benefits as insurers rigorously scrutinize claims to determine the extent of coverage. Many patients turn to their caregivers to help deal with insurers or handle the paperwork, which is usually confusing and so filled with "legalese" it requires a lawyer to comprehend it.

Q: My husband and I have been married for 37 years. Like many couples, I'd imagine, we've fallen into a routine where I take care of some chores and he takes care of others. One of the chores he handles is the bill paying. But, I've come to realize that, if something were to happen to him, I don't have a good handle on our financial situation. So, I offered to share the bill-paying tasks with him. He said that was fine; but, I strongly sense he feels I'm invading his "turf."

Today's retirees are healthier and wealthier than any generation before them, but that presents a unique set of challenges. On top of that, the American family structure is changing -- blended families and single women face their own challenges when planning for retirement.

Many parents believe that after-school sports are a vital part of their kids' upbringing. But, others believe that there's very little "play" left in sports. Instead, they think sports cause kids a lot of stress.

An estimated 5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease; this number is expected to double by the year 2050 as the elderly segment of our population grows. Not only does the disease have a significant emotional impact on individuals and their families, it also causes severe family financial burden and places considerable demands on the greater public health system.

Q: A few months ago, my aunt was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She doesn't have any kids and she's like a second mom to my brothers and me, so we're very involved with her care. Although it's likely she'll be with us for quite a while, we've begun to realize that we might not have very long to find out what her wishes are for her care and funeral.