Caregiver

Patients not taking medicine as prescribed cost the U.S. healthcare system roughly $290 billion a year in extra treatment and related costs, research shows. One study estimated those patients pay about $2,000 a year in extra out-of-pocket medical costs.

When it came time to live closer to his in-laws, Siegle had trouble finding something that he could adapt or expand to fit his needs. Instead, he found a suitable subdivision close to Traverse City, designed a house, had it built and moved in last summer.

Elaine Vlieger is making some concessions to Alzheimer’s. She’s cut back on her driving, frozen dinners replace once elaborate cooking, and a son monitors her finances.

That may not be an ideal scenario for most retirees, given its association with a loss of independence. But it’s becoming reality for many as living in retirement for decades becomes more common.

The sun was barely up when Evelyn Volk, bleary-eyed with toothbrush in hand, tossed a pile of clothes into the washing machine, the first of several loads of the day. She glanced at the wall clock that was deliberately set 10 minutes fast.

“You just want to be in two places at once,” said Kay Branch, who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, but helps coordinate care for her parents in Lakeland, Fla., about 3,800 miles away.

As Americans live longer, many people find themselves navigating a confusing web of interconnected services for themselves or their parents when it comes time to shed possessions and relocate.

With the help of nonprofit groups known as “villages,” retirees are enjoying many of the perks that residents of retirement or assisted-living communities receive, at a fraction of the cost.

By David Crary
 VERONA, N.J. — Retirement communities may have their perks, but Beryl O’Connor said it would be tough to match the birthday surprise she...

By Marilynn Marchione One-fifth of Medicare nursing home patients with advanced Alzheimer’s or other dementias were sent to hospitals or other nursing homes for questionable...