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Sa Sa a Say y Senior enior Sen by Jim Miller When Home Care Isn’t Enough Dear Savvy Senior, My mother has several chronic health conditions and needs a home caregiver to help with daily activities. I know she wants to stay at home as long as possible, but how do I know when it’s time to consider an assisted living facility or nursing home? --Exhausted Daughter Dear Exhausted, Most older adults hope to remain in their own home as long as possible, and with the right support many can. But there may come a point when home care is no longer enough to meet a person’s medical, safety or social needs. While moving to an assisted living facility or nursing home is never easy, recognizing the warning signs early can help you avoid a crisis and make the transition less stressful. If you answer “yes” to several of the following questions, it may be time to start exploring other care options. Is home care becoming too expensive? Eight to 10 hours of care a day, seven days a week, can easily cost $100,000 a year or more. That’s well above the median annual cost of a one-bedroom assisted living apartment (about $70,000), though still less than a private room in a nursing home (about $128,000), according to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey. Does she need more medical care? If your mother needs ongoing nursing care or frequent medical monitoring, a nursing home may be the better choice. If she mainly needs help with daily activities, assisted living may be enough. Is she falling, forgetting medications or going to the hospital more often? Frequent falls, medication mistakes and repeated hospitalizations are often signs that living at home is becoming unsafe. Does she have dementia? Wandering, confusion or unsafe behaviors can make home care increasingly diffi cult. Memory care communities provide a secure environment and specially trained staff . Does it take two people to help her? If she needs two people to assist with transfers, bathing or toileting, both the cost and safety risks of home care rise signifi cantly. Is her home still safe? Stairs, narrow bathrooms and the lack of features like grab bars or a walk-in shower can increase the risk of falls. Home modifications may help, but they aren’t always enough. Is she isolated or neglecting personal care? Loneliness, poor nutrition, weight loss, or neglecting bathing and grooming can all signal that she needs more support than can realistically be provided at home. Is caregiving overwhelming? If you’re constantly worried, sleep-deprived or neglecting your own health, it may be time to consider a higher level of care. Planning ahead gives your family more choices and helps avoid making an important decision during a medical emergency. Keep in mind that Medicare generally doesn’t pay for long term stays in assisted living or nursing homes. It only covers limited skilled nursing care after a qualifying hospital stay. Understanding what Medicare covers and what it doesn’t can help you avoid costly surprises. If you’re unsure what level of care your mother needs, an Aging Life Care professional (aginglifecare.org) can assess her situation and recommend appropriate options. An initial assessment can cost $300 to $800 or more. You can also use a senior care advising service like A Place for Mom (aplaceformom.com), which provides free guidance because it is compensated by participating care communities. To research facilities, visit Caring.com. For Medicare-certifi ed nursing homes, use Medicare’s Care Compare tool at Medicare. gov/care-compare. You can also contact your local long-term care ombudsman (ltcombudsman.org) to learn about complaints or quality concerns involving facilities you’re considering. The best time to choose a care community is before a crisis forces the decision, giving your mother more choices and your family greater peace of mind. Send your questions or comments to questions@ savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. nr ior THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 30, 2026 BEACON | FROM PAGE 16 ly childcare providers and expands the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s ability to provide grants to communities to rehabilitate their schools and build new education facilities, which will be of tremendous help to our cities and towns.” Although the budget was approved unanimously, it wasn’t without its critics. “The Massachusetts Legislature just passed an annual budget that went into effect on July 1,” said Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney. “Now, they are passing another budget on top of the one they just passed. This additional spending shows how mismanaged our state is from the top. Instead of getting their spending under control, they just view the taxpayers as their ATM machine. Voters can send them a message by voting ‘Yes’ on Ballot Question 5, which will send refunds back to the taxpayers when the state collects too much from its taxpayers.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes SUSPEND THE STATE’S 24-CENTS -PER-GALLON GAS TAX FOR TWO MONTHS (H 5699) House 30-132, rejected an amendment that would suspend the state’s 24-cents-per-gallon gas tax for two months. “People across Massachusetts are feeling the squeeze of rising costs, and they deserve action, not excuses” said amendment sponsor Rep. Todd Smola (R-Warren). “A 60-day gas tax holiday is a practical way to deliver meaningful relief to families, commuters and small businesses. Every dollar matters when people are working hard to make ends meet. We have a responsibility to use the tools available to us to ease that burden and put taxpayers first. Our job is to deliver results for the people we represent, and this is Page 17 an opportunity to put real savings back in the hands of Massachusetts residents. The Legislature missed an opportunity to help those in need.” “Families across the state are struggling with gas prices that are averaging about $4.28 a gallon,” said GOP Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading). “I supported the proposed gas tax holiday because it would provide temporary but tangible relief at the pump for Massachusetts residents, while still addressing the commonwealth’s transportation infrastructure needs by using Fair Share money to backfill these lost revenues.” “ The governor ’s twomonth gas tax suspension would have provided some relief at the pump, while [Republican gubernatorial candidate] Mike Minogue has proposed a more substantial approach that would suspend the gas tax whenever prices rise above $4 a gallon,” said Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney. “There are ideas on the table to give taxpayers a break, but legislative leaders don’t seem interested in any of them. Massachusetts families are being squeezed from every direction, and Beacon Hill’s response is to keep collecting every penny it can from them at the pump.” “It’s a short-term political fix that will do virtually nothing to assuage the high prices currently squeezing our constituents, providing minimal savings at most for the average taxpayer,” said amendment opponent Rep. Adriane Madaro (D-East Boston). “The amendment also fails to guarantee that oil companies and gas station chains simply won’t pocket the difference, using this temporary cut to increase profit margins rather than lowering the price at the pump for consumers.” (A “Yes” vote is for suspending the state’s 24-centsper-gallon gas tax for two months. A “No” vote is against suspension and favors keeping intact the state’s 24-cents-per-gallon gas tax.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle No OFFSHORE WIND (H 5700) House 25-129, rejected an amendment that would delete a section of the budget that would transfer $35 million, in fi scal years 2026 and 2027, from the General Fund to the Massachusetts Off shore Wind Industry Investment Trust Fund. “Offshore wind has demonstrated serious challenges with its economic viability and continues to depend heavily on taxpayer subsidies,” said amendment sponsor Rep. Ken Sweezey (R-Duxbury). “At the same time, our commercial fi shermen have raised significant concerns about the safety and economic impacts of these projects on an industry that has supported Massachusetts communities for generations. I cannot justify committing up to another $70 million in taxpayer dollars to subsidize large energy corporations, and I will always stand with our fi shing industries and local blue economy partners.” Amendment opponent Rep. Mark Cusack (D-Braintree) said that despite setbacks, offshore wind remains vital to our economic growth, providing thousands of good-paying jobs and helping to power our ever-growing climate tech economy. He noted that the fund in Massachusetts has supported more than 3,700 jobs over the course of construction and generated more than $380 million in direct wages and benefi ts for workers. He argued that the fund has played a vital role in building and sustaining this industry. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment which would keep the $70 million in the General Fund. A “No” vote is against the amendment and supports putting the $70 million in the Offshore Wind Industry Investment BEACON | SEE PAGE 18

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