MetLife Mature Market Institute Announces the Availability of Six New "Helpful Hint" Publications on Caregiving and Long-Term Care Available Free to the Public

Business Wire, Oct 16, 2008

WESTPORT, Conn. -- The MetLife Mature Market Institute[R] has a number of new long-term care and caregiving publications available free to the public in advance of Long-Term Care Awareness month in November. Helpful Hints, produced in conjunction with the National Alliance for Caregiving, are two-page informational bulletins that contain tips and advice for older Americans and for those caring for aging friends and relatives. The six tip sheets can be accessed online and are available in hard copy.

1. Advocating for a Family Member in Healthcare Situations - With advice for caregivers who act on behalf of a loved one in health care matters, this guide includes advice for talking with medical and insurance company personnel, working with hospital staff and discharge planners, and interacting with home health care aides and companions. It also has information on how to maintain a plan of action and how to prepare questions for physicians. It stresses that record-keeping is essential.

2. If Care is Needed at Home - Provides helpful information for those who care for a disabled or elderly relative at home. The guide provides tips on how to determine what level of care a person needs. It lists ways to select a care provider, how to enlist professional help in the selection process, the importance of checking references and how to intervene if problems arise. It advises caregivers to monitor a situation carefully and to be ready for emergencies with documentation and information.

3. Choosing an Assisted Living Facility - Contains tips on how to find the assisted living facility that is the right size, location and fit for an individual. In addition, families will want to know what services are included in the basic cost, what level of care the resident will have, both at the onset and at a later time when he or she will be less independent. The guide also educates families on how to obtain recommendations, how to make a successful transition from home to assisted living and how to understand cost, contracts and payment.

4. Choosing Adult Day Services - With insight into services at adult day centers (ADSs) and information on how to find the right center for a loved one, this brochure also contains Web sites and resources that may provide assistance. ADSs can replace or supplement the need for home care during the day and can help bridge the gap between living at home and moving to a long-term care facility. At the same time, ADSs offer older adults a social environment so they can spend time with their peers while receiving help with their day-to-day activities.

5. Caring from a Distance - Long-distance caregiving poses special challenges, as such, caregivers often juggle their jobs and two households to provide care, exacting an emotional and physical toll. The guide advises caregivers to: 1) Develop a care plan and determine if your loved one will remain at home, 2) Communicate with friends and family members who may be able to help, 3) Consider an emergency response system if your loved one lives alone, 4) Keep important medical and financial documents in an easy-to-reach place, in case of an emergency, and 5) Know your loved one's doctors and be ready to communicate with them on short notice.

6. Caregiving and Alzheimer's - Directed specifically at families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, this publication contains information such as: 1) How to communicate patiently and effectively with an Alzheimer's patient. It has tips on verbal and non-verbal communication that may comfort the patient and ease a caregiver's burden, 2) Safety tips to help caregivers anticipate potential hazards and modify a loved one's environment, 3) How to adjust to a person's changed behavior and personality traits, and 4) How to help a family member be as independent as possible.

National Alliance for Caregiving

Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving, www.caregiving.org, is a nonprofit coalition of national organizations that focuses on issues of family caregiving across the life span. The Alliance was created to conduct research, do policy analysis, develop national programs, and increase public awareness of family caregiving issues.

MetLife Mature Market Institute

Established in 1997, the Mature Market Institute (MMI) is MetLife's center on aging and the 50+ market. MMI's groundbreaking research, gerontology expertise, national partnerships, and educational materials work to expand the knowledge and choices for those in, approaching, or caring for the mature market.

The Mature Market Institute supports MetLife's long-standing commitment to identifying emerging issues and innovative solutions for the challenges of life. MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is celebrating 140 years and is a leading provider of insurance and financial services to individual and institutional customers.

Copies of the above tip sheets can be found at www.maturemarketinstitute.com under "What's New." Additionally, extended versions of these publications, which include tools for caregivers and listings of resources, called "Since You Care Guides[R]," can be found under "All Publications" and then "Since You Care Guides." To receive hard copies, please email a request to the MetLife Mature Market Institute at maturemarketinstitute@metlife.com, or write to: MetLife Mature Market Institute, 57 Greens Farms Road, Westport, CT 06880. Please be specific about your request.