How To Tend To Others While Nurturing Yourself

If you have kids, you remember the charts in the baby books that lay out the clear milestones you can expect as they grow. Unfortunately, it's not so clear-cut with caregiving for an older person. Things change slowly or rapidly. Every caregiving case is different and it's hard to know how to prepare. Still, to start you off, here are some general tips for new caregivers. They won't answer all your questions, but they may help point you in the right direction.

Six Tips for Caregivers

• Begin the caregiving conversation early. Ideally, you should talk to your loved ones about their care long before they really need it. For instance, adult children might want to start talking to their parents about caregiving when they reach age 70, even if they're healthy. Find out what they would like to happen if they got sick. Would they want home health care? To move in with you? To live on their own in a senior center or assisted living community? It may not be an easy conversation. It's tempting to put it off. But it's better to start talking about these issues now instead of waiting until there's a crisis. 
• Look for caregivers guidance. When you become a caregiver, you suddenly have a million questions. How are you supposed to take care of another adult? What should he be eating? Can she still drive? Get some answers. Check into local resources for caregivers. Some organizations -- like the Red Cross, the National Family Caregivers Association, or the local Area Agency on Aging -- may offer classes in caregiving that could be invaluable. You could also find a geriatric caseworker or geriatric care manager who can help identify your problems and resolve them. 
• Get caregiver support. As soon as you can, connect with other caregivers. Support groups for caregivers are a great way to exchange tips and advice. Support groups also offer a way for you to express your concerns and get backup for some of the hard decisions you'll have to make along the way. Ask at the doctor's office or at a hospital about community support groups. Or get in touch with a caregiving organization. 
• Find help. Don't wait until you're completely overwhelmed with caregiving to ask for help. Start talking to other family members and friends about ways that they can share in caregiving, both now and in the future. Also, look into the types of help you might be able to get at home or in local senior centers and adult day cares. While home health care can be expensive, you may find volunteer organizations that provide some relief for free. 
• Check out local senior care facilities and nursing homes. Even if your loved one is doing fine on her own, it's a good idea to visit local nursing homes and caregiving facilities now. Should your loved one ever need one, you’ll be glad to know what the options are. Keep in mind that many assisted living facilities and nursing homes have waiting lists and it can take years to get a spot. 
• Consider the legal and financial implications. Start thinking about some of the difficult legal and financial issues you may face as a caregiver. If your loved one goes into a nursing home, how will she afford it? Would you sell her house? How does power of attorney work? Does she have a will? Tackling these issues can be upsetting. But it's best to know the details so you're not taken by surprise. Talk to a geriatric care manager, a social worker, an elder law attorney, or get in touch with a caregivers' organization. 

If you're new at caregiving, you may be apprehensive and worried right now. You could already feel swamped by everything you have to do. Just remember that while caregiving is tough, it has rewards, too. And with a little time and experience -- and help from others -- you'll get the hang of it.

Bundling Your Insurance Coverage Policies - A Smart Move

Not only is it harder work shopping around for separate quotes for your auto insurance and then your home insurance but it could also be costing you more money by buying individual policies. 

Many insurance companies offer discounts for loyal customers who choose to give their business to them on several fronts so it is worth checking out to see whether you can save money by bundling. 

Why bundling makes sense 

When you think it about it, if you went into a store and offered to buy three of four big ticket items the store are probably going to listen to your request for a discount and in order to secure your business, they are likely to offer you some sort of discount. 

It is the same principle with insurance deals.  Give it a try!  Contact Modern Insurance Marketing, Inc. (www.moderninsurance.com) and request a quote to cover your auto and home insurance combined and it may well work out to be cheaper than if you ask for two individual quotes. 

Taking advantage of discounts 

One of the biggest sins when it comes to paying for any type of insurance is when you fail to take advantage of any discounts you are entitled to. Most good insurance agents should ask the right questions in order to determine if you are due some sort of discount. 

You can get a discount for plenty of other reasons other than having a good driving record. Things like whether you have an alarm system fitted to the car and also where you park it during the night can all help to reduce your rate, but one of the biggest opportunities to cut through that original quote is to combine your home and auto insurance.

Not just for homeowners 

Not everyone is a homeowner and if you are renting you can still bundle your insurance to get a better deal. If you take our renters insurance and bundle a car insurance policy with it then your insurer should be prepared to offer a discount. 

Even if you don’t need renters insurance there is still an opportunity to bundle by getting a package that includes life insurance combined with your car insurance in one easy to manage premium. 

Easier to manage 

Another big advantage of bundling your insurance together other than the opportunity to get a hefty discount is the fact that having just one policy and dealing with one insurer makes it easier to keep track of your paperwork and also makes it easier to call just the one company when you need to make a claim, either relating to your house or your car. 

Bundle your insurance makes a lot of financial sense and nobody should pass up the opportunity to save some money on their insurance. 

Protect Your Belongings With Renters Insurance

Although the majority of homeowners purchase insurance for their home, when it comes to renters, only 35 percent have renters insurance, according to a poll conducted for the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

The number of renters is steadily increasing. According to an April 2013 U.S. Census Report, the share of housing occupied by renters rose to 35.4 percent in 2013—up from 34.1 percent in 2009. And in some of the country’s largest cities, renters significantly outnumber homeowners. In New York City, 69 percent of households rent their homes, followed by Los Angeles (61.8 percent), Chicago (55.1 percent) and Houston (54.6 percent).

“One of the biggest insurance problems after Sandy was the large number of renters who did not have coverage for their homes,” pointed out Jeanne M. Salvatore, the I.I.I.’s consumer spokesperson and senior vice president. “It can be extremely expensive to have to re-buy the entire contents of your home, so a renters insurance policy provides very important financial protection when there is a hurricane or other covered disaster.”

The good news is that renters insurance is relatively inexpensive. In fact, the average renters insurance policy costs only $185 per year in 2010 (the latest year this data is available) according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. That is less than $16 per month.

When you purchase renters insurance, your belongings are covered against losses from fire or smoke, lightning, vandalism, theft, explosion, windstorm and water damage—for example, if an upstairs neighbor’s tub overflows and damages items in your apartment. However, renters insurance does not cover damage from flooding. Flood insurance is available for renters from Modern Insurance.

Renters insurance includes additional living expenses (ALE) coverage if you are unable to live in your home because of a hurricane, fire or other disaster listed in the policy. ALE pays for hotel bills, temporary rentals, restaurant meals and other expenses you incur while your home is being repaired or rebuilt.

Like a standard homeowners insurance policy, renters insurance includes liability protection. This covers your responsibility to other people injured at your home or elsewhere by you, a family member or your pet and pays legal defense costs if you are taken to court.

There are two main types of renters insurance policies:

• Actual Cash Value coverage pays to replace your possessions up to the limit of your policy, minus a deduction for depreciation.
• Replacement Cost coverage pays the real cost of replacing your belongings (regardless of depreciation) up to the limit of your policy. This will usually cost about 10 percent more but is a much better value in the long run.

If you have expensive jewelry, furs, sports or musical equipment, or collectibles, you may want to consider adding a floater to your policy. Most standard renters policies include a limited dollar amount for such items. A floater is a separate policy that provides additional insurance for your valuables and may even cover them if they are accidentally lost. 

For pennies a day, safeguard your apartment or rental home with Modern Insurance Marketing, Inc.