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The Gray Mile

Walking alongside seniors and caregivers in their journey together.

  • A word (or two) about your guide
  • Aging In Place
  • Caregiving
  • Final Expense Planning
  • Home Care
  • Hospice
  • Senior Finances
  • Senior Health
  • Senior Housing
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Memories
  • Contact Tom
  • A word (or two) about your guide
  • Aging In Place
    • What are the dangers of a senior living alone?
    • How can I make my parent’s home safer for them to age-in-place?
    • How can I monitor my parent’s health and safety remotely?
    • How can I successfully age in place in my own home?
  • Caregiving
    • The 7 most common “in-home” caregiving solutions for an aging parent.
    • So, you think you want to become your parent’s caregiver.
    • Caregiving and family conflicts.
    • Financial planning for caregivers.
    • Tax tips for caregivers.
    • What is “caregiver burnout”? And what do I do if I have it?
    • How do I know when it’s time to hire a caregiver?
  • Final Expense Planning
    • Pre-need planning and the Viking funeral pyre.
    • Should I consider a pre-need plan or final expense insurance to pay for funeral expenses?
    • 5 important questions to ask when pre-planning a funeral.
    • 10 Ways to save on funeral expenses.
  • Home Care
    • How much do caregivers cost—and is there any assistance available to help pay for them?
    • What’s The difference between non-medical home care and home health care?
    • How do I select a non-medical home care agency?
  • Hospice
    • “But I don’t want hospice. Not yet!”
    • Questions to ask when selecting a hospice.
  • Senior Finances
    • What are the most common financial/legal challenges of aging?
    • How does long term care insurance work?
    • Should I buy long-term care insurance?
    • How can I leverage the purchase of long term care insurance?
    • How can a reverse mortgage or a HELOC help me remain in my home as I age?
    • I’ve heard of a reverse mortgage, but what’s a reverse mortgage for purchase?
  • Senior Health
    • What are the most common healthcare challenges of aging—and how can I avoid them?
    • Powers of attorney, advance directives, living wills and wills: What you need to know.
    • Seniors and depression.
    • Fear of falling.
    • Dementia
      • How do I communicate with someone who has dementia?
      • What are some tips for handling troubling dementia-related behaviors?
      • What is “Sundowning”?
      • What types of dementia are there?
      • When is forgetting something normal? And when does it become something else?
      • When is memory loss reversible?
  • Senior Housing
    • What are the most common options for senior care?
    • Independent Living
    • Independent Living or Assisted Living: What’s the difference anyway?
    • Just what is a CCRC, Lifeplan or Lifecare Community?
  • Veterans Benefits
    • Veterans Benefits for Home and Long-Term-Care: The Tax-Free Veterans Pension.
    • Veterans Benefits for Home and Long-Term-Care: The VA Improved Pension for Aid & Attendance and Housebound Benefits.
    • Veterans Benefits for Home and Long-Term-Care: Veteran–Directed Home and Community Based Services (VD-HCBS)
    • Veterans Benefits for Home and Long-Term-Care: Caregiver Services
    • Veterans Benefits for Home and Long-Term-Care: Medical Foster Homes, Community Living Centers and State Veteran Homes.
  • Memories
    • By his own description, Harry was a planner . . .
    • Mr. Khan didn’t want to move into our senior community . . .
    • “We just have ‘knock down, drag out’ arguments with our dad . . . ”
    • There were these two old ladies on the sidewalk . . .
    • My wife warned me when I started to work in senior living . . .
    • I remember an older woman . . .
    • Mr. Slusher was a fireplug of a man, muscular, with tattoos covering both his arms . . .
    • Potatoes have long been a common joke between my wife and myself . . .
    • Although Mr. Schultz had dementia, his wife was the perfect caregiver . . .
    • The memory care facility was having a problem . . .
    • Both he and his wife were rocket scientists. Literally.
    • The resident came to me with a very simple request . . .
    • Matthew and the CCRC.
    • She apologized for not ordering the daily special . . .
    • “Did you see what the new residents were moving in!”
    • “Oopsie!”
    • Going home.
  • Contact Tom

Category: Final Expense Planning

10 Ways to save on funeral expenses.

This average cost of a funeral is around $8,500. With a little pre-planning and knowledge, you can reduce those costs substantially.

This average cost of a funeral is around $8,500. With a little pre-planning and knowledge, you can reduce those costs substantially . . .

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Tom Jones Aging, Final Expense Planning, Senior Finances 2 Comments January 15, 2019January 22, 2019 8 Minutes

5 important questions to ask when pre-planning a funeral.

Planning a funeral can be stressful enough. Make sure you ask the right questions to ensure the best value.

Planning a funeral can be stressful enough. Make sure you ask the right questions to ensure the best value.

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Tom Jones Aging, Final Expense Planning, Senior Finances 1 Comment January 10, 2019January 22, 2019 6 Minutes

Should I consider a pre-need plan or final expense insurance to pay for funeral expenses?

Pre-Need Plans and Final Expense Insurance can both give you peace-of-mind that you have a plan in place. The question is, are they worth the investment?

As you navigate your journey along the gray mile, you can per-plan your final rest stop. However, just like any trip, there are different ways to get there. Make sure you look into all the avenues and their final costs.

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Tom Jones Aging, Final Expense Planning, Senior Finances Leave a comment January 8, 2019January 22, 2019 7 Minutes

Pre-need planning and the Viking funeral pyre.

Facing our own eventual passing isn’t easy. But making plans for it in advance can be the greatest act of caring you’ll be remembered for at the end.

Let’s talk honestly about death and dying . . .

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Tom Jones Aging, Final Expense Planning, Senior Finances 1 Comment January 3, 2019January 22, 2019 9 Minutes

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