The PBS Show Second Opinion recently had a panel discussion amongst doctors (the format of the show) about two different Alzheimer's cases. Read The Transcript Here (New Window)

The time to prepare for the future is at the earliest stage of a disease when the patient, the family and the healthcare team can plan together.

The show follows the story of two different individuals and their families through the oddesy of long term care of an Alzheimer's patient. One man who was taking care of his wife stated this:

"Well, one of the first things is to early on in their life, even before there's any indication, if it's in the family, get a long-term care policy - insurance."

This is coming from someone who is living with this issue. It is a great show about Alzheimer's disease and about planning for long term care in general. To get a quote on long term care insurance policies from all of the major carriers like Genworth, John Hancock, Met Life, Mutual of Omaha, Prudential and others, visit our Long Term Care Insurance Quote Form.

Robert Powell of MarketWatch reported on Fox Business that 4 major insurers are already creating programs for this new law.  Read It Here (New Window)

New Hybrid Products Give Consumers More Choices

Four insurers have already created products for this market: United of Omaha, Genworth Life, Bankers Life, and OneAmerica have all created hybrid products that combine annuities with long-term care insurance. More are expected later this year before the new law goes into effect in 2010.

"...a fairly high percentage of older Americans will need long-term care for at least two years -- and that care is expensive..."

These new products will help consumers pay for that care and come in two varieties already; chances are more will be developed as the market emerges. The more choices a person has to plan for their long term care needs the better.

Frances Dagumboy of infoLongTermCare.org has posted a new article about Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders In Seniors. Read It Here (New Window)

Useful Long Term Care Medical Articles

This site always has useful articles concerning the medical aspects of long term care and the diseases most commonly associated with it.

Here's a small segment:

"TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, the joint that connects our lower jaw called mandible to the temporal bone of the skull. However, TMJ is commonly used by many people to refer to a group of conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint itself. Some practitioners include dysfunctions of the neck in this group. Currently, more than 10 million people in the United States have TMJ disorders."

The article continues to discuss the causes and risk factors, the diagnosis and treatment as well as the prognosis and care plan that would be involved with TMJ.