For many of us the act of placing a loved one in a nursing home is a new experience complicated by difficult emotions. We encounter a world of rules, regulations, practices and assurances that are really too much to take in at first. This important booklet can serve as your "spare tire" as you navigate a world of nursing home practices.  Just like the spare tire in your car, we fervently hope you will never need it, but if you do it can be most helpful.

How to Protect Nursing Home Residents:
A Guide for Taking Action Against Abuse and Neglect
[Click here to download (PDF format) - 2.5MB
or contact us to obtain a paper copy]

This booklet contains pertinent information on the legal aspects of being an older Kentuckian, from Medicaid and Social Security to wills and estates, to long term care and nursing homes. At the end of this publication is a list of resources containing toll-free numbers, websites, and addresses of agencies that can provide even more information on the topics covered.

Laws and Programs for Older Kentuckians
University of Kentucky College of Law
[Click here to access this book by chapter (PDF format)]

 

Written by a nurse and elder care advocate, this booklet is a concise and easy-to-read manual on a number of important end of life issues.  Included are such topics as living wills, financial matters, medical health care advocate forms, hospitalization, nursing home selection, long term care insurance, depression, family involvement, management of care, hospice, organ donation, and funerals. Taking care of these issues before the end of life makes it easier for all involved.

End of Life Issues
by Sheila Beilman Mead
[Click here to download (PDF format) - 1.0MB]

(Courtesy of River Valley Nursing Home)

Note: Some of these documents require the free Adobe Acrobat reader. Click the logo below to download this utility.

Recommended Books

Note: The KYIQ Group has not reviewed each book individually. If you see a title that interests you, click here to search Amazon.com for the book. The books may also be available at your local Public Library (click here to find a library branch near you).

Life Worth Living: How Someone You Love Can Still Enjoy Life in a Nursing Home - The Eden Alternative in Action
by William H. Thomas, MD paperback; 232 pg.; 1996

What Are Old People For?: How Elders Will Save the World
by William H. Thomas, MD paperback; 384 pg.; 2007

 
Nobody's Home: Candid Reflections of a Nursing Home Aide.: An article from: Nursing Education Perspectives
by Thomas Edward Gass and Bruce C. Vladeck paperback; 189 pg.; 2005

There's No Place Like (a Nursing) Home: 4 Powerful Steps That Will Change Your Life
by Karen Shoff paperback; 170 pg.; 2002

The Complete Eldercare Planner, Second Edition: Where to Start, Which Questions to Ask, and How to Find Help
by Joy Loverde paperback; 336 pg.; 2000

Nursing Homes: The Family's Journey
by Peter S. Silin paperback; 304 pg.; 2001

How to Care for Aging Parents (Morris, How to Care for Aging)
by Virginia Morris and Robert M. Butler paperback; 656 pg.; 2004

The Baby Boomer's Guide to Nursing Home Care
by Eric M. Carlson and Katharine Bau Hsiao paperback; 208 pg.; 2006

The Eldercare Handbook: Difficult Choices, Compassionate Solutions
by Stella Henry and Ann Convery paperback; 272 pg.; 2006

 
Living Well in a Nursing Home: Everything You and Your Folks Need to Know
by Lynn Dickinson, Xenia Vosen, and Severine Biedermann paperback; 256 pg.; 2005

Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It
by Joseph L. Matthews paperback; 402 pg.; 2008

Everything You Need to Know About Nursing Homes: The Family's Comprehensive Guide to Either Working with the Institution or Finding Care Alternatives
with the Institution or Finding Care Alternatives
by Charlotte Digregorio paperback; 464 pg.; 2005

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life, 4th Edition
by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins paperback; 352 pg.; 2006

Self-Care for Caregivers: A Twelve Step Approach
by Pat Samples, Diane Larsen,and Marvin Larsen paperback; 152 pg.; 2001

How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter
by Sherwin B. Nuland paperback; 304 pg.; 1995


Taking Care of Parents Who Didn't Take Care of You: Making Peace with Aging Parents
by Eleanor Cade paperback; 184 pg.; 2002

Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying
by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley paperback; 256 pg.; 1997

 
It Shouldn't Be This Way: The Failure of Long-Term Care
by Robert L. Kane M.D. and Joan C. West paperback; 200 pg.; 2005

Eldercare for Dummies
by Rachelle Zukerman paperback; 384 pg.; 2003

 
The Complete Legal Guide to Senior Care: Making Sense of the Residential, Financial and Medical Maze (Legal Survival Guides)
by Brette McWhorter McWhorter Sember paperback; 336 pg.; 2002

American Bar Association Legal Guide for Americans Over 50: Everything about the Law and Medicare and Medicaid, Retirement Rights, and Long-Term Choices for Yourself and Your Parents
by American Bar Association paperback; 336 pg.; 2006

The Parent Care Conversation: Six Strategies for Dealing with the Emotional and Financial Challenges of AgingParents
by Dan Taylor paperback; 272 pg.; 2006

More resources coming soon!

To suggest a resource for consideration by our staff, please contact us at:

contactus.kyiq@gmail.com