Book Review of When Mom and Dad Need Help from May/June 2010 issue of ForeWord Magazine:



When Mom and Dad Need Help
Michael C. Campbell
Iffenwen Publishing Company
Softcover $24.95 (344pp)
978-0-9742984-0-5






Everyone dreads certain conversations: talking to your girlfriend’s father about marrying her, explaining the birds and the bees to your children, and telling your parents that you think they need to consider senior housing and care. However, the latter discussion doesn’t have to be quite so difficult. In When Mom and Dad Need Help, Michael C. Campbell, consultant to the senior housing and care industry, explains how to bring up the issues of parental care and how to sort through the options to make a wise choice.

In this immensely practical book, Campbell sorts through every option for senior care, from independent living communities to continuing care facilities and hospice programs. For each, the pros and cons, the cost, what to look for in a facility, credentialing and oversight, and questions to ask before signing any contracts are all discussed. Campbell’s advice covers the basics, yet he is unafraid to delve into that which is complex. For example, he explains the specific architectural design needs of Alzheimer patients, saying, “Such design features include continuous/circular hallways with certain patterns, colors, and distinct visual clues; enclosed outdoor patio, even lighting throughout the building or wing…line-of-sight bathrooms, closets, and refrigerators.” Campbell also provides information on hiring independent caretakers and nurses, including how to conduct background checks and what interview questions to ask.

An included CD-ROM provides forms and questionnaires to complete when interviewing, researching, and touring facilities and programs. The book also includes useful advice on how to bring up the issue of senior care with one’s parents, which family members should be involved in decision-making, and who should have the final say.

Campbell writes with sensitivity and compassion, revealing an understanding of the concerns and issues involved in selecting care for seniors. Hundreds of visits to senior housing and care communities have given him the insider insights necessary to making difficult life decisions.

Anyone and everyone close to an older family member should read this book. Decisions regarding senior care are extremely difficult to make under pressure or when the person concerned is unable to share his or her wishes. Reading through this book and discussing it together provides a simple, loving, and gentle way to begin planning the very best solution to senior care. The book presents information in an easy-to-understand way that always feels caring, encouraging, and hopeful. And for a book mainly intended to pass along straight facts and advice, it is an enjoyable read as well.

- Diane Gardner, ForeWord Reviews (May 2010)

When Mom and Dad Need Help was officially released on May 18, 2010. To order the book online, you may go to www.iffenwen.com. It is also available on Amazon at www.amazon.com or you can order toll-free at 1-800-345-6665.

When Mom and Dad Need Help is officially released to the public!

I'd like to thank everyone who attended the party to celebrate the release of my new book, When Mom and Dad Need Help. Around 135 people showed up at Wilbert's Food & Music in downtown Cleveland on May 14, 2010 to take in some great atmosphere, food, drink, music, and conversation. I was both proud and delighted to share this moment with each and every one of you. I truly appreciate your support!

I would like to quickly share something very special that happened that evening that only a few people know about. My three beautiful daughters--Danielle (15), Nicole (11) and Christy (7) attended the party and were of great help to me at the book table. They would take everyone's name, check them off the list, hand them their book along with a free raffle ticket for their chance to win some great door prizes and then they would send them on down the line to me. It was kind of a frantic time for me and they helped me out in a big way!

"Kind of frantic" included my friend Pat Dinizio of the Smithereens calling me the day before the party and having to cancel his appearance. Not without good reason though. His dad had suffered congestive heart failure on Wednesday night and was listed in critical condition in the hospital so Pat could not leave the New Jersey area for fear of the worst. Our prayers are with Pat's Dad and we hope he makes a quick recovery!

After many phone calls and several panic attacks, Michael Miller, the owner of Wilberts, called me on Friday afternoon (at around 3:30pm) to tell me he'd found an acoustic guitar player to fill in by the name of Will Cheshier. Will did a fantastic job filling in and I appreciated both his talent and effort because he had to step in and fill some pretty big shoes that night. Bravo Will! Bravo!

Anyhow, it was later in the evening --- after all the books had been handed out, when I was making my way through the crowd, that I noticed my youngest daughter Christy sitting down, writing at one of the tables. I was about the go over and see what she was doing when I was suddenly pulled in another direction and I never got a chance to see what she was writing.

Anyhow, a short time later, it was time for Diane and I to get up and thank everyone for attending the party as well as acknowledge some of the great people who had made a contribution to the book in some way, shape or form. I also thanked my wife Diane for all her love and support throughout the whole process and acknowledged my three lovely daughters as well. I am so proud of each and everyone one of them. They know how much I love them. After Diane and I exited the stage, all of my daughters came up and gave me a big hug and brought out a big cake which was made in the shape and design of the book cover! Amongst all the the noise and commotion, my youngest daughter Christy came up to me, grabbed my arm and tugged it downward several times to get my attention. I looked down and she said "Daddy, this is for you" and handed me the three index cards that I've included below.

It's notes like these that make EVERYTHING worthwhile....EVERYTHING. What a special night! I just wanted to share this moment with everyone because it meant a lot to me. I thank God for my family and friends. Much love and thanks to all of you for making this a great night.

As the John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote many years ago:

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done...it's easy...

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE. "

This is so true.


Mike Campbell is the author of a new book called "When Mom and Dad Need Help" which was officially released on May 18, 2010. For more info on him and his new book, go to http://www.iffenwen.com/.

Healthcare Reform: How Will it Affect our Seniors?

There has been so much talk and heated debate about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, that I think we need to break it down and talk about how this new law is going to affect America's largest growing demographic group going forward, our seniors.

Considering the economic turmoil America is already facing these days, the aging of America is going to be one of the biggest economic and social concerns this country will face over the next 20 years. When the 78 million members of the "Baby Boomer" generation, the largest population group in the history of the United States, begin to retire in 2010, it is estimated that one in five Americans will be 65 years of age or older by 2020. How are we going to care for all these people? And how in the world are we going to pay for it? More and more families across America are dealing with these difficult decisions everyday. How we prepare for this unprecedented change today will determine the quality of life we all enjoy tomorrow.

Facing this great challenge, let's look at how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act addresses the enormous future care needs of our seniors. The new law, with its much talked about voluminous size, coming in at 2,000+ pages has made Americans uneasy---especially our seniors, who kept hearing the words "cuts" and "Medicare" in the same sentence during the heated public debate that took place all over America. While the new law is far from perfect, it does take some steps to improve the lives of our growing senior population. Let's take a look at some of these below.

• Reduces the prescription Medicare "donut hole" for our seniors - I know what you're thinking: "What is this donut hole that everybody has been talking about? Everybody loves donuts, right? So what's the problem?" Well this donut isn't covered with sprinkles. In fact, its costing our seniors a bundle. The donut hole, or coverage gap, is one of the most controversial parts of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and is a major concern for many seniors who've joined the Part D drug plan. Let me break it down financially so you can get a better understanding: In 2010, the donut hole or coverage gap starts after the senior's prescription drug costs, including their own deductibles ($310) and co-pays (25%), reach $2,830. After the senior reaches this threshold, they are in the donut hole and must pay the full cost of their prescription drugs until their total out-of-pocket costs reach $4,550. At this point, the catastrophic coverage kicks in and Medicare once again begins covering their costs (with a 25% co-pay). The new healthcare law provides seniors who fall in the donut hole in 2010 with a $250 rebate. Beginning in 2011, seniors will receive a 50% discount on prescription drugs when they fall into the donut hole, and by 2020, the donut hole will be completed eliminated.


• Increased Medicare coverage for preventive services - In 2011, seniors will not have to pay co-pays for annual checkups or other preventive visits including mammograms and colonoscopies.


• The enactment of the CLASS Act helps seniors pay for long-term care services - The CLASS Act is a public, voluntary long-term care insurance program that will help seniors pay for home- and community-based services. Enrolled individuals who need assistance with activities of daily living would be eligible to receive at least $50 a day (after a five-year vesting period) to be used to defray the costs for such services as home care, family caregiver support, adult day services and various other care options. All actively working adults over age 18 can enroll, with the purpose of getting the largest risk pool possible. The law requires that in order to qualify for benefits, one must pay premiums for 5 years and must be working for at least three of those five years. The law also requires that the CLASS Act program (i) be actuarially sound, (ii) not be funded by taxes with all benefits paid from premiums collected by participants in the program, and (iii) anyone who is working can enroll in the program regardless of their health history including any preexisting condition.


• The enactment of the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act - This act requires nursing homes to publicly disclose a wide array of information to consumers like staffing ratios, so families can make informed decisions about where to place their loved ones. This act helps increase the transparency and accountability of our nation's nursing homes.


• The enactment of the Elder Justice Act - This act is considered by many to be the most comprehensive legislation to combat the abuse, neglect and exploitation of our elderly population. It requires the reporting of neglect and abuse in long-term care facilities. This legislation will provide crucial help for a problem that will undoubtedly become more prevalent as our baby boomers grow older.


• The enactment of the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act - This act provides for a national program of criminal background checks on workers who provide long-term care services in facilities and private homes. The program would add a federal component to the background check process by screening applicants against the FBI's national database of criminal history records. This will help prevent applicants with a history of substantial abuse or a violent criminal record from obtaining jobs serving our aging population.


• Federal grants to be provided for enhanced geriatric training - The shortage of properly trained direct care staff for our seniors has been a problem for many years now. This has prevented many of our seniors from receiving the quality care they deserve. Better training means better care for our seniors in a variety of settings.


• Encourages doctors to coordinate care and improve quality - The healthcare law creates new incentives for providers to work together to better serve their patients and eliminate repetitive and wasteful care.


• Bring savings to Medicare by eliminating wasteful overpayments to Medicare Advantage Plans - This is where the "cuts" in Medicare take place. This is the part of the healthcare law that made our seniors very "uneasy." It shouldn't make them nervous at all. Let me explain why by providing a little history. Medicare Advantage plans were created with the passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 enabled Medicare beneficiaries to receive a portion of their coverage from private health insurers. These plans were created in an effort to cut costs, at first, by allowing seniors to enroll in privately run managed care systems, like HMOs, which was, at the time, the big new answer in the private sector to cutting healthcare costs. Initially, Congress offered private insurance companies a bit less than the average Medicare patient received on a per year basis. Insurance companies offered free perks like free gym memberships to attract younger, healthier, cheaper-to-insure patients. They saved money too by offering cheaper preventive care and using their size and bargaining power (just like big HMOs do) to obtain cheaper medical care from providers. The circumstances certainly have changed over the past decade. Medicare Advantage plans have transformed themselves from a cheaper-than-regular Medicare cost savings plan to a 14% more-than-regular Medicare boondoggle. It's been popular with seniors, of course, because they like the free gym memberships and the way they cover their prescription drug co-pays, but it is costing us all an extra 14% more than it would cost to cover them under the regular fee-for-service Medicare plan. All of that 14%, and a bit more, has gone to pay for insurance company bureaucratic overhead and profits, including money for lobbyists to contribute to Congresspersons who, in turn, vote to allocate more federal funds to Medicare Advantage. It's become a win for healthy seniors, a win for the insurance industry, but a big loser for the American taxpayer. The new healthcare law cuts this 14% subsidy to Medicare Advantage plans so the insurance companies that run these plans will either have to get back to where they started, and use managed-care principles to save money, or get out of the business.

The new healthcare legislation is not going to meet every American's wants and needs. Most bills that make it to the President's desk don't. For example, the CLASS Act's $50 per day benefit will only cover a small portion of the $75,000+ annual costs most Americans pay right now for in-home care. Obviously, people who want to protect their savings will need to purchase private long-term care insurance to supplement their CLASS Act benefit. In fact, I believe that personal responsibility and private long-term care insurance must play a major role in order for America to survive the even more looming budget crisis that lies ahead with 78 million baby boomers entering retirement age this year. Think about the numbers. Again, how in the world are we going to care for all these people?

As is the case with many bills that are signed into law these days, you'll find a lot of "pork" and "handouts" in it, which is extremely frustrating; however, as you can see from the list above, there are a lot of positives in the new law as well. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is not perfect but it does make progress. Let's just say the law is an important first step toward meeting the tremendous future needs of our growing aging population. The new law has enacted legislation to better serve and protect our senior population from abuse as well as enact programs that are estimated to extend the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by 9 years to 2026. This is a start...but more must be done.

Mike Campbell is the author of a new book called "When Mom and Dad Need Help" which will be officially released in May 2010. For more info on him and his new book, go to www.iffenwen.com.

Caring for your Aging Parents: What are you Going to Do?

One of the most difficult and emotionally trying decisions that adult children face today is how they're going to care for their aging parents once they're unable to care for themselves. The realization that parents need care is usually precipitated by some traumatic event that leaves the adult child very little time to a make some very important decisions. In most cases, the children are left to make these gut-wrenching, life-changing decisions on their own without much information available to them.

Considering the economic turmoil America is already facing these days, the aging of America is going to be one of the biggest economic and social concerns this country will face over the next 20 years. When the 78 million members of the "Baby Boomer" generation, the largest population group in the history of the United States, begin to retire in 2010, it is estimated that one in five Americans will be 65 years of age or older by 2020. How are we going to care for all these people? And how in the world are we going to pay for it? More and more families across America are dealing with these difficult decisions every day. How we prepare for this unprecedented change today will determine the quality we all enjoy tomorrow.

Researchers are now saying that each of us has a 90% chance of someday caring for our parents, grandparents or other loved ones. Of all the research I've read, I believe this statistic is the most revealing of all.

What are you going to do?

People are incredibly afraid of this subject. Most of this anxiety is created by the fear of the unknown. Knowing what to expect is half the battle. With the release of my new book "When Mom and Dad Need Help", which will be officially released on May 18, 2010, and the use of this blog, my hope is educate as many people as I can about how to plan and prepare for their parents' future long-term care needs.

Please stayed tuned as I will be posting at least twice a week to this blog with relevant content. Please feel free to comment and ask questions and I will try my best to get back to you with a response.

Very truly yours,
Mike Campbell
http://www.iffenwen.com/