The Lemon Drop

Every state has a free Medicare counselor.

I have never called a Medicare counselor. This is the year I will. Every state has one. The program is free, federally funded through the Administration for Community Living, and the counseling is objective. It is offered to families and caregivers, not only to the person enrolled. It is called SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Mine here in Texas goes by HICAP. They take calls all year.

Where to go: Find your state's free Medicare counseling program at SHIPhelp.org or call 1-877-839-2675. In Texas, HICAP is at 1-800-252-9240.

This is insight, not advice.

GUIDE: dementia care and caregiver support

GUIDE is a Medicare program for people living with dementia and the family members caring for them.

Where to go: The program and its caregiver support services are explained at CMS: the GUIDE Model.

Read the original GUIDE drop on Instagram. This is insight, not advice.

Take Me Home Program

I filled out the form for my mom. It took me less than five minutes. Our Area Agency on Aging emailed me a list of resources. One of them was a program my city's police department runs, called Take Me Home. It is free and voluntary. The form asks for a current photo, a description, and the people to call. If an officer finds someone who is lost and cannot say where home is, they can look that person up and call someone to come get them.

Where to go: Search "Take Me Home program in my area" to find a link to yours.

This is insight, not advice. Reach out to your local aging agency for more information.

The Medicare physical is not a physical

The doctor looked at my mom and said, "I'm doing your Medicare physical today." The yearly wellness visit covers medications, medical history, and a written list of which screenings are due. It is not a routine head-to-toe physical, and routine blood work is not part of it. The wellness visit costs nothing when the provider accepts assignment; additional services can carry a charge. Original Medicare does not cover routine physicals, though some Medicare Advantage plans do.

If I had not been in the room, all I would have heard was, "I had my physical."

Where to go: What Medicare actually covers at the yearly wellness visit, from Medicare itself.

This is insight, not advice. Your parent's doctor's office knows what they were actually scheduled for.

"I have power of attorney for my mom." Okay. But which one?

A medical power of attorney covers health decisions. A financial power of attorney covers money. Bank accounts, bills, insurance, the house. They serve different purposes. Every state has its own forms and its own signing rules, so the answer for your family is not the answer for mine. For the medical one, CaringInfo has free advance directive forms by state.

Where to go: CaringInfo's state advance directive forms cover health care wishes and naming a health care agent. These are not financial power of attorney forms.

This is insight, not advice. An attorney in your state knows your situation.

FMLA works in small pieces

You don't have to save FMLA for the catastrophe. Eligible employees at covered employers can take job-protected FMLA leave in separate blocks when medically necessary, including to care for a parent, spouse, or child with a serious health condition. It is called intermittent leave. A half-day for a parent's appointment can qualify, including necessary travel time. FMLA itself is unpaid; whether it applies at your job depends on the eligibility rules.

Where to go: Department of Labor: FMLA Fact Sheet 28, under "Intermittent or reduced schedule leave."

This is insight, not advice. HR can tell you how it works where you work.

Colonoscopies start at 45 now. Yes, you.

Short answer: colonoscopy screening now starts at 45, not 50. If a parent or sibling had colon cancer or polyps, you start at 40, or ten years before their diagnosis age, whichever is earlier. And here is why this test earns its reputation: a colonoscopy doesn't just find cancer. It removes precancerous polyps on the spot, during the test. This one is personal, and it's the drop I most wanted to write.

Where to go: colorectal cancer screening, straight from the source: cdc.gov/colorectal-cancer/screening

Read the full drop at Colonoscopies start at 45 now. Yes, you.

Is the $5,000 caregiver tax credit real?

Short answer: no. Not yet. It's called the Credit for Caring Act, and it has been introduced in Congress again and again, but as of this writing it has not passed. It is a bill, not a benefit, and you cannot claim it, no matter how real some headlines make it sound. What IS real: you may be able to claim a parent as a dependent, and that one status can unlock a $500 credit and the ability to deduct medical costs you pay on their behalf. They do not have to live with you for that to be possible. Worth one honest conversation with a tax pro before year-end. (Facts checked July 29, 2026. When this one finally passes, this page gets a celebration update.)

Where to go for free help: what caregivers can actually claim, straight from the source: IRS: For Caregivers

See this drop on Instagram

What benefits is your parent missing?

Short answer: 15 minutes could find thousands of dollars a year. BenefitsCheckUp, run by the National Council on Aging, screens for help with prescriptions, groceries, utilities, Medicare costs, and more. You answer a few questions about your parent, and it shows what they may qualify for and how to apply. Most families find at least one program they didn't know existed.

Where to go for free help: run the free screening at benefitscheckup.org

See this drop on Instagram

Could you get paid to care for your parent?

Short answer: maybe, and it's worth a phone call to find out. Every state has at least one Medicaid program that can pay a family member for care they're already giving. The program names differ, the rules vary, and waitlists are real, so the sooner you ask, the better. If your parent is on Medicaid or close to qualifying, ask specifically about self-directed or consumer-directed care.

Where to go for free help: your local Area Agency on Aging can walk you through your state's programs. Find yours through the Eldercare Locator at eldercare.acl.gov or 1-800-677-1116.

See this drop on Instagram

Will Medicare pay for a home aide?

Short answer: no, and finding out mid-crisis is the most expensive surprise in caregiving. Medicare covers medical care: doctors, hospital stays, short rehab after a fall. It does not cover the daily-living help most families actually need: the home aide, assisted living, the long nursing home stay. That care is on families, or on Medicaid once a parent qualifies.

Where to go for free help: Medicare help in every state, from a SHIP counselor at shiphelp.org

See this drop on Instagram