2010 Tax Tips for Family Caregivers

If you are supporting an elderly parent, you may qualify for some tax benefits from the government that rewards you for your caregiving efforts. These tax benefits may include claiming your parent as a dependant on your tax return or deducting the contributions you made towards their medical expenses and medical care. In order to qualify for these tax breaks, you must first be aware of the tax benefits available and then determine whether or not you qualify. "It is important for all family caregivers to verify their eligibility and take advantage of these tax credits," said Allen Hager, chairman and CEO of Right at Home, Inc, an international in-home care franchise.
Tip #1: Determine if You are Able to Claim Your Elderly Parent as a Dependent
If you support your elderly parent, you will want to claim them as a dependant on your tax return to receive the maximum amount of tax savings. You can then take an exemption for the 2010 tax year which will equate to a reduction of your taxable income by $3,650. In order to determine if you qualify to claim your elderly parent as a dependent, you will need to pass the following four tests.

1. Not a qualifying child test
2. Member of household or relationship test
3. Gross income test
4. Support test

Not a Qualifying Child Test
Obviously, a qualifying child is another type of a dependent; however, the IRS wants to ensure a qualifying child dependent status (which has its own set of requirements, such as under age 24 and a full-time student) is not claimed using these four tests. This test is a non-issue for caregivers.
Member of Household or Relationship Test
If you are a son or daughter who is caring for a parent, you qualify since you meet the relationship test. You and your parent do not need to live with one another in order to qualify. In the case where a parent lives on their own or in assisted living, your parent may still qualify as a dependant as long as they pass the other tests.
Gross Income Test
In order to meet the requirements of this test and qualify as a dependant, your parent's gross income for the year must be less than $3,650. This amount does not include income from non-social securityor disability payments. However, income received from other sources, such as withdrawals from retirement plans, pension benefits, rental income, or interest and dividends from investments would go towards a parent's income total, which could disqualify them as a dependant if they exceed the income limit.
Support Test
The final test to complete is the support test. This test can be the most complicated to determine. In order to meet the requirements of this test, you must pay for over half of your parent's expenses. There are many factors involved in coming to this conclusion including food, housing, clothing, medical care and transportation expenses.

Tip #2: File a "Multiple Support Declaration" if Multiple Siblings are Providing Support
Another possible deduction comes into play when there are multiple siblings giving support for a parent. In this case, as long as a sibling provides at least 10 percent of the support and the combined support of all siblings makes up half of their parent's annual expenses, the parent could be claimed as a dependent. However, only one sibling can take the exemption for the parent. An agreement needs to be reached each year as to which sibling will take the exemption on their return. The sibling taking the exemption will need to file Form 2120, Multiple Support Declaration, and have all of the other siblings sign the form claiming that they will not take the exemption on their own return.
Tip #3: Determine if You are Eligible for a Dependent-Care Credit
As a family caregiver, you may be eligible for the Child and Dependent Care Credit if you paid someone else to care for your elderly parent so you were allowed the opportunity to work or look for work. If eligible, you would be allowed a credit of up to 35 percent of the expenses paid for dependent care with the maximum amount of expenses being $3,000. This means the tax credit can be worth up to $1,050. To be eligible, the care recipient must be unable to physically or mentally care for him or herself. Care recipients must also be claimed as a dependent (or could claim as a dependent expect that the person had a gross income of $3,650) on the caregiver's tax return, according to the qualifications listed on IRS Form 2441.
Tip #4: Deduct Your Parent's Medical Costs
If you were not able to claim your elderly parent as a dependant because his or her gross income was more than $3,650, there still may be a chance to receive tax savings this tax year. Medical expenses may be deducted on your tax return, along with your own expenses, for dependants and for individuals that would have been a dependant, except for the income guidelines. The IRS allows caregivers to deduct costs incurred from a parent's health care, such as hospitalization,prescription drugs, dental care and even long-term care services. The deduction is limited to medical expenses that are in excess of 7.5 percent of the caregiver's adjusted gross income (AGI). So in the case where a caregiver makes $50,000 in 2010, they would not be able to receive any deductions until they had paid medical bills accumulating to $3,750.

http://www.agingcare.com/Featured-Stories/145339/claiming-elderly-parents-as-dependents-2010-taxes.htm

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida Senior Helpers Provides Many services in The Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in the beautiful Suncoast area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Spring Hill, East Lake and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Tarpon Springs Home Health Care Company. "

New Devices Help Seniors Stay Longer in Their Own Homes

Sensors, GPS and more are being used to track aging parents' movements

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who want to remain in their homes despite illness and infirmity can get a high-tech assist these days.
So can their children who might worry about an elderly parent living alone, often far from family members.
The 1980s-era medical alert pendants made famous by their television advertising ("I've fallen, and I can't get up!") are now among a wide array of devices that can help keep an eye on aging parents and get them help when they need it.
Available technologies include:

• Sensors in the home to track an older person's movement, from the front door to the medicine cabinet to the refrigerator to the stove. The sensors are linked with computers that can issue alerts when people deviate from their routine.
• Global positioning system devices, using the GPS technology that's become so common in cars, that can help locate someone with dementia who's wandered from home.
• Computerized pillboxes that track whether medication is being taken on time.

"The notion behind these technologies is that people stay in their homes with some peace of mind on both their and their families' part," said Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities. "In many cases, sensors are actually placed in various places throughout the older person's home. They are continuously tracking data. More or less all of them are looking for changes in that typical pattern and can note that change and alert responsible parties."
Ginzler gave the example of a "sensor checking to see if the front door is opened to pick up the newspaper every day by a certain time, because that's what Dad does." If he usually gets the paper by 7:30 a.m. and it's now 8:30 a.m., an alert might be sent to his son or daughter letting them know about the deviation in his schedule. They then have the option of calling to check in on him.
It might seem that older parents would reject the loss of privacy that can come with so much electronic eavesdropping, but that's an incorrect assumption, Ginzler said.
Nearly nine in 10 seniors in an AARP survey said they would be willing to give up some privacy if it allowed them to remain in their own homes longer. When asked about specific home safety technologies, seniors often said they would be willing to use them even if they weren't previously aware of the devices.
"Resoundingly, people said, 'Yeah, I'll learn new things,'" Ginzler said. "There's a resounding motivation for learning new things when your independence is on the line."
Though such devices aren't in wide use yet, a significant number of people seem to be taking advantage of them.
Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research for Parks Associates, a Dallas-based market research firm that tracks digital technology trends, said that with "the senior safety tracking and monitoring that helps seniors remain in the home longer, we've seen a little bit better traction over the last several years."
About one in 10 caregivers of senior citizens use tracking sensors that can remotely detect a potential safety hazard in the home, according to an AARP survey of caregivers. About 16 percent of caregivers said they had used some type of emergency response system.
Parks Associates has projected that by 2012 more than 3.4 million senior citizens in the United States will be using networked sensor applications to monitor their movements and improve their health.
"There are more and more products out there, more and more technologies available," Wang said. "It's an emerging field. I don't think we're done with all those brilliant ideas yet."
However, Wang and Ginzler cited three things that must happen for such technologies to succeed:

• The design must be simple, elegant and enticing so that seniors can easily learn how to use the device -- and perhaps even enjoy it. "You have to make sure the solutions are well-designed, in the sense that it's exciting," Wang said. "It's not reminding seniors that they are old and fragile in the home, but reminding them that they are still young and able to enjoy life and remain in the home."
• The devices must come down in price. "The No. 1 barrier is the cost of the system," Wang said. "They must be affordable to seniors."
• Companies and families must market the devices properly. "A lot of this has to do with the way the technology is presented, and the family conversation about this," Ginzler said. "The message needs to be, 'We want to make sure you can stay in your house and be independent the way you want to be, and we can respond if you get in trouble.' When that family conversation goes well, it results in peace of mind both for that person and their family members."

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=643459

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida Senior Helpers Provides Many services in The Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in the beautiful Suncoast area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Spring Hill, East Lake and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Tarpon Springs Home Health Care Company. "

6 Estate Planning Questions Your Parents Should Answer

The essential issues your parents will address through estate planning

By Barbara Kate Repa, Caring.com Author

In deciding whether they need to do any estate planning, the key questions your parents should answer are whether there is any property they would like a particular person or charity to receive after their deaths and whether they have strong opinions about their medical care and final arrangements. If so, it's usually wise for them to get some simple documentation in writing to provide legal assurance that those wishes will be enforced.

Specifically, when considering whether to take any steps toward estate planning, your parents should ask themselves:

1. What are my assets and what is their approximate value?
2. What people or organizations do I want to have these assets -- and do I wish to give them up during my lifetime or after my death?
3. Who should manage these assets during my lifetime if I become unable to do so, or after my death if management is needed?

4. Who should be responsible for taking care of any minor or dependent children if I become unable to do so?
5. Who should make decisions about my medical care and finances if I     cannot make them?
6. After I die, do I want my remains to be donated, cremated, scattered, or buried?

http://www.caring.com/checklists/estate-planning-questions

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida Senior Helpers Provides Many services in The Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in the beautiful Suncoast area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Spring Hill, East Lake and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Tarpon Springs Home Health Care Company. "

Aged care market will drive franchise growth; Paul Wheeler

• MEREDITH BOOTH

• From:AdelaideNow

• February 02, 2011

BABY Boomers are the target for a new Australasian franchise headed by former Cartridge World chiefs Paul Wheeler and Mike Fuller.
The duo has announced its first master franchise deal with US group Senior Helpers since launching their consultancy business Group Seven last year.
The deal comes three years after Mr Wheeler and co-founder Bryan Stokes sold down their share of the successful global Cartridge World business for a reported $70 million.
Group Seven aims to build a $150 million business in the next seven years as it opens 75 and 100 outlets across Australia and New Zealand to offer non-medical help to the elderly in their homes.
Mr Fuller said Australia was "crying out for an organised alternative" to services which help the elderly live in their own homes.
Demand for "companion and personal services" for the elderly is expected to grow as Australians aged over 65 double to 6 million by 2031, the group said.
"People want to stay in their homes. They want to be as independent as they can. It's not always possible for families to provide the full extent of that support and Senior Helpers is a fabulous business ...," Mr Wheeler said.
Senior Helpers founders Peter Ross and Tony Bonacuse, in Adelaide this week, operate the fastest growing home care company in the world, building to a 300-franchise business in just 10 years.
Mr Ross said he had been aware of the Cartridge World brand in the US before teaming with Group Seven and was confident the group would meet its Australasian ambitions, particularly with a more competitive US home care market than in Australia and similar demographics.
Senior Helpers deal with Group Seven is its first foray outside North America, spearheading international expansion plans which will target 16 countries.
The franchise will include a training component for aged care workers expected to be based at Group Seven's Norwood headquarters.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/aged-care-market-will-drive-franchise-growth-paul-wheeler/story-e6fredj3-1225998666516

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida Senior Helpers Provides Many services in The Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in the beautiful Suncoast area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Spring Hill, East Lake and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Tarpon Springs Home Health Care Company. "

Letting Mom and Dad Live on Their Own Terms

Author: Janice Van Dyck

Millions of us went home for the holidays. Well, not "home" exactly. In reality, millions of us left home, and went back for the holidays. Back to who we used to be, back to where we came from, and in some cases, back in time. Like salmon up the river, we inexplicably navigated back to the people of our birth. Our parents.
Have you ever made the trip thinking, what if this is the last time? Parents age, especially when we're not looking, and most especially when we live far away from them. Periodic visits sharpen our senses. All of a sudden, we may be witnessing our parents in steep decline, heading toward the exit ramp, and it raises all kinds of questions.
When will it be time for assisted living? Should Mom still be driving? Are they taking their pills? Is Dad's memory actually shot?
These realizations can be tough, especially if your parents have been role models of determination and resourcefulness. Dealing with normal age-related decline can cause dissention amongst siblings, too, because each has a different relationship with Mom and Dad. For example, in my family, my sister lives closest to our father, and has regular visits with him. My brother and I live in different corners of the country and our main contact with Dad is by e-mail and telephone. Who is in the best position to judge how he's doing? As he approaches the 80-year mark, who has got the best perspective on his health?
This same conversation came up a few days ago in my book club, and again with friends at dinner last night. It seems that everyone of a certain age with living parents has the same questions. There are no easy answers. But I offer these three issues at the root of the debate:
Whose life is it anyway? We live our lives free to make our own mistakes, to put ourselves at risk and determine our own destinies. Why should this change just because we're old?
In our culture, roles often reverse: At some point adult children seem to think they need to parent their parents. This is fine if a parent asks for help, but often elderly parents are resentful because their middle-aged kids keep bossing them around. Their final years are full of conflict and humiliation because of well-meaning -- but strong-willed -- children, intent on removing the "risks" of living. So what if Dad's floors are dirty or your parents don't take their medicine and are going to get sick? If it's their choice, then perhaps you need to reconcile yourself to the fact they're not living their lives your way. And that's ok. After all, since anywhere from your teen years forward, they had to adjust that you weren't living your life their way.
Are your parents capable of clear thinking and reasonable risk assessment? Again, remember that at one time (or perhaps several times), they doubted your ability to make decisions. The point here is whether or not there's an actual, treatable medical/psychological impairment that would prevent your parent from rational thinking and action. And unless you're a doctor, you really can't make this determination on your own.
Consider getting an expert opinion before you take your parents' checkbook away. When they want to blow money at the casino or turn the heat down too low or mow the lawn themselves, just remember that even though it isn't what you want for them, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to do it. That being said, a parent who is unable to fend for him or herself because of a disability obviously needs help. But when it comes to your parent's livelihood, be careful to distinguish between fact and opinion.
Are your parents putting other people at risk? This again, is a matter of degree. Take driving, for example: We all put others at risk each time we get behind the wheel of a car. Senior citizens represent about 15 percent of all drivers, and they tend to get in more accidents due to age-related skill decline. But driving is risky anyway, and younger people can be even worse drivers than someone's 82-year old father driving 40 mph on the freeway.
So when calculating the risk factor, be realistic. If you worry about your parent causing a fire, it is obviously more dangerous if they live in multi-unit complex than a single home.
If you're struggling with how much autonomy and freedom your parents should have as they age, remember that someday, someone will be making the same decisions for you. Show your kids how you want to be handled in your old age by setting an example with your own parents. I don't know about you, but as long as I'm not hurting other people or actually incapable of making my own decisions, I want to be able to live with the consequences of my own actions, regardless of how old I am.
And you know what? Maybe that's a concept we're losing in our society, the idea of consequences. We can't protect our kids from getting hurt in life by putting a bicycle helmet on them in the stroller (which I actually saw the other day). Nor can we protect our parents from dying by taking away their dignity, freedom and choice. When we're born, the only guarantee is that someday we're going to die. That's the risk of living.
Since losing our parents is inevitable, why not let them do it on their own terms? I know of a man, now 94, who bought into a senior living community in his 80's. He hated it and moved out despite the protests of his family. I applaud his courage! What's the worst thing that could happen? He might die alone, on his own terms, looking around at his own belongings, satisfied that his life was well lived.
His only regret might be that his children didn't understand.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-van-dyck/how-storytelling-can-exte_b_805502.html

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida Senior Helpers Provides Many services in The Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in the beautiful Suncoast area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Spring Hill, East Lake and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Tarpon Springs Home Health Care Company. "

How to Stick with Your Fitness Routine over the Holidays

Here come the holidays, between the decadent foods and desire to get out of the cold, this stretch of weeks can compromise anyone's movement regimen.

Hello, I am Marcy O'Koon Moss, editor-in-chief of Arthritis Today and will be providing a few tips on how to overcome the holidays and keep moving:

Make an "appointment."
Schedule your exercise as you would a meeting or party – and keep the appointment. It's even easier if you are part of a regular class, such as the Arthritis Foundation's warm-water Aquatic Program or land-based Exercise Program.

Sneak it in.
"Your exercise routine may get derailed by shopping trips and errands but try to fit in extra steps by parking far from the front door of the store, taking extra laps around the mall, and trying to use the stairs instead of the elevator, if you are able.

Break up your workout.
Experts tell us we should get at least 30 minutes of exercise to see the benefits of physical activity. Try segmenting your workout into three 10-minute sessions that you can squeeze in throughout the day.

Work out at home.
When time is tight, don't waste it driving to the gym. Stay put and dust off the stationary bike or treadmill, or pull workout videos/DVDs off the shelf.

Involve visitors.
When family or friends are in town, it's important to get to spend time talking with them while getting your exercise. Invite your loved ones to get moving with you: Take them for a walking tour of your neighborhood, do exercises with you or have them join you at the gym.

Set realistic goals.
Instead of working out five times per week, you may have to settle for three. But that's OK: A study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine found those who set realistic goals were more apt to stick with exercising than those who set loftier goals.

http://lmt.arthritis.org/our-community/podcasts/how-to-stick-with-your-fitness-routine-over-the-holidays.php?WT.mc_id=MBS_12StayFit

"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida Senior Helpers Provides Many services in The Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey Florida area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in the beautiful Suncoast area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check. If you need Home Care services in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Spring Hill, East Lake and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Tarpon Springs Home Health Care Company. "

Your Home Health Care Aide: Establishing A Positive Relationship

by Kim Champion
You've made the decision to let an aide come into your home to assist. That was hard enough. Now you re getting apprehensive about what to expect when the aide arrives for work. If you don't have experience with in-home assistance, all sorts of "worst case scenarios" are whirling about in your head. And then there are the questions. What should you do if you don't like the aide?

How should you approach problems? Who supervises the aide? Assuming that you have hired an aide from a home health care agency, you can expect a lot of support in easing your anxieties. It is the agency's job to answer your questions in advance and resolve any issues that arise. The key to facilitating your satisfaction and comfort is good communication with the agency management and with your aide.

Here are a few tips for establishing positive relationships with your home health care professionals:

Be completely honest about your needs

Overcome any embarrassment or guilt associated with describing why you need help and what kind of help you need. Remember that you are dealing with professionals who have helped a variety of clients. They are experienced in meeting the needs of people just like you. Home Health Care professionals are prepared to deal with tough situations such as Alzheimer's, alcoholism, Parkinson's, strokes, incontinence and stressful family circumstances.

State your preferences from the start

The best way to get exactly what you want is to be specific. Give a detailed request to the agency so that the aide they send will meet your needs. Items to include are your household rules, such as "no smoking" or "kosher kitchen". Also express your daily routines and how to follow the, such as "up at 7 a.m.", "breakfast first, medicine second, shower last" , "I need privacy from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.", "transportation to salon every Friday, using employee's car".

Give feedback to the agency on a timely basis

"Nip it in the bud," is good advice. Most problems start out small and can be best resolved when addressed promptly. If you are experiencing a problem with the aide, call the agency. This benefits you in two ways: you do not have to be involved in reprimanding the aide, and it prompts the agency to diplomatically resolve the problem. Employee supervision is the responsibility of the agency. If the problem cannot be resolved to your satisfaction, request the agency send a different aide. The agency will handle the hiring and firing for you.

If you start off with honesty and communication, having a home health care aide will be a successful and beneficial experience.
http://www.caregiver.com/articles/homecare/home_healthcare_aide.htm