If you hired a worker through an agency or non-profit, federal regulations require that you:
If you hired a home care worker directly and the worker does not live with you, federal regulations require that you:
In January of 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that home care workers are required to receive federal minimum wage and overtime pay. The DOL released a guidebook in April of 2016 to advise seniors and family members on how to properly compensate their home care workers.
Home care workers include workers who provide personal care, health-care related, fellowship and protection services. These workers include home health aides, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and caregivers.
Over the next couple weeks, we’ll cover some of the new requirements for home care providers in different situations.
The Palm Beach County Commission recently funded a pilot program that assists individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. The commission on June 21, 2016 approved a $20,000-plus contract to provide 100 Alzheimer’s patients with electronic ID locator bracelets.
Due to Alzheimer’s disease, many senior citizens with the disease tend to forget basic personal information, wander off, and become disoriented. The ID bracelets aim to combat these dangerous situations by allowing law enforcement to quickly find a patient’s location by land or air.
The commission also accepted a contract with Gulfstream Goodwill Industries worth up to $40,000 to grant hearing aids and other interpreting services to senior citizens.
In a bipartisan effort, the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed a plan to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health by $400 million.
Currently, funding for Alzheimer’s research is at $991 million, and the $400 million boost would put the Alzheimer’s Association more than halfway toward its goal of receiving $2 billion per year in funding.
The bipartisan push was led by Republican and Chairman Roy Blunt and Democratic Ranking Member Patty Murray, who were also involved in last year’s funding increase.
When choosing a funeral plot, it is important to plan ahead in order to prevent spouses and relatives from undue stress during times of grief. During periods of mourning and grief, it is challenging for loved ones to think clearly and make big decisions. By planning ahead, you can save your loved ones from stress and have more control over the process of choosing the cemetery.
Before deciding on a funeral plot, you should be thorough in researching the location, amenities, prices and reputation of the cemetery. It is also important to consider the two categories of cemeteries: private and public. At privately-owned cemeteries, it is state law that 10% of the purchase price goes to a trust fund for maintenance of the property monitored by the state.
Public cemeteries include cemeteries used by the community, neighborhood or church. For public cemeteries, check to make sure that the organization that manages it is fiscally sound. While the cemetery may currently seem to be in a good state, there are problems that it could experience in the future.
A local non-profit is working in tandem with the county government to administer a survey evaluating the transportation challenges of seniors (65+) in the community.
The survey, done in partnership with Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence (SCOPE), Sarasota County Department of Health and Human Services, and the Seniors Advisory Council, is available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TransportationSarasota. If you do not have Internet access, please contact SCOPE to receive a printed version of the survey.
It takes approximately 10 minutes to complete the survey, and once you have finished the survey, you are eligible to win one of 10 $25 gift cards to Publix. The survey will ask for your address and phone number.
The responses to the survey are kept anonymous.
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