Seniors ETC - In-home senior, parent, companion care, hospice support in Colorado

Home improvement scams are consistently rated a top consumer problem. Ask your friends and relatives for recommendations before selecting a contractor.

Always have a written, signed contract before any work is done on your home, which includes the following:

• Name, address and phone number of the bidding contractor;
• A complete description of the work to be done and the materials to be used;
• A provision requiring written approval for any changes;
• A guarantee as well as a start and completion date;
• A full description of the cost of the job, disclosure of payment terms, and financing costs;
• Your signature as well as the contractor’s signature.

Before signing any contract, make sure the builder or contractor uses licensed electricians and plumbers. Never hire a contractor who
does not provide workers’ compensation coverage for all their employees.

Source: Attorney General, State of Colorado

According to a recent article in Parade:

Today’s typical caregiver in the U.S. is a 46-year-old woman who holds down a paid job and spends 20 hours a week providing care for a sick or disabled parent, grandparent, spouse or child. The numbers will only grow.

Source: http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_09-09-2007/Caregivers

In life, there’s always “before” and ”after”. You look at life one way before your life changes 180 degrees, and another way after the change.

Author Gail Sheehy has written about different stages in her life with her husband as he has travelled through several diagnoses with cancer. See:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20428511/site/newsweek/page/0/ 

She states that she had clear cut roles about what she would and wouldn’t do for her husband, and always had the resources to maintain her “wifely” status and hire others to do other things.

But what if you don’t have the resources? Medicare pays nothing for caring for elderly parents at home. “It’s called custodial care, which makes it sound like it’s a clean-up job,” states Sheehy.

Will policymakers ever give today’s most overlooked medical staff - the caregivers - more options? With people like Sheehy on board, there may be hope.