Pearl glad to see that you were able to take some time off and rest, did you feel better at all. we had a dandy day, and because there is no hockey on tv on sat. night they are running 3 movies back to back, the second is groundhog day, and i waon't watch the second one, godfather 2. but anyways, we have a tv station called tvo, kindof like your pbs, a doctor from texas as the guest (shows name is more to life), and he taked about the hurried woman syndrome -- which sounds like all off us! i can't recall his name - i watched it at 5 am on thursday morning! but he does have a book out by that name, he was interesting and talked also about depression, exercise and taking time for oneself, might be a good looksee if your library has it. (-29F right now and waiting for that snow to come p.s they towed our way and think that the spark plugs got wet with oil, cross your fingers it won't break the bank!) debbie

Sishipup- Great links. Thanks. There are some advocacy groups out there. Most are just there, and don't make much noise or difference. Social services are mostly bilingual, and low quality. We have some rides for Day services and other. We have mostly for profit companion type or Visiting Nurse type agencies. We also have some state and VA help for the elderly. State help is not great. There is an income threshold. The people seem to be unqualified, unreliable...Visiting Nurse is ok, but very expensive. There is no all around para-nursing type of homecare that I have in mind. Maybe that's all it can be- a dream. Laws and red tape may not allow what is BEST for an elderly to remain at home and independent. 1. I'm not questioning IF I can do it. I am questioning if a homecare business will be a big headache because quality people are hard to find. I cannot run and take over. 2. LIABILITY, and incorporating some grey area medical care is a huge problem in my state. 3. Licensing a business, and liability in my state is different for medical and non-medical.* The distinction here is key. 4. CMAs in my state cannot give meds. The nursing lobbying in CT is interesting. They made sure that the easier stuff is saved for nursing care.The nurses don't want to draw blood, so it's ok for others, including the CMAs to do it. Ironically, you can do a lot of damage here ;) I do agree that certain aspects of medical care should not be done by non-medical personnel. Things like IV's, monitors, deep tissue or venous injections. Initial wound care (first change). Some meds that require special monitoring. These are NURSES jobs and they charge $220/hr....However, day to day stuff that technically a person could do themselves but are too frail to do it, should be ok to be done by TRAINED personnel, even though they are non-medical (CNAs and HHAs fall into this category). As long as they are shown how by a nurse, doctor... I have a lot of work to do. I have to check on what exactly my state considers medical; where the lines are drawn. Dealing with my state is no picnic. Getting a hold of a live body in the state of CT is a challenge. Then sifting through the BS jargon is another. You can never get a straight answer. They have the best jobs in the entire US. Trust me on this. Maifleur- Maybe it's time to change things. APRNs and PAs were not allowed to do much 20 years ago. I know. I worked with them. Now because insurances want to pay less, they are allowed to act like doctors and even write scripts! Maybe its time for a legislative change that trained personnel can give meds, eh? I have seen doctors and nurses make LOTS of meds mistakes in my time, so let's not make them invincible. Quality of care depends on the person giving it.

I see my post caused a bit of a stir. First, we live in Canada so the benefits of an LLC are not applicable here. In Canada, we can set up a business as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or incorporation. With both sole and partner, the individual(s) personal income and assets are liable if the business goes south. In incorporating, personal is separate from business. Ultimately, incorporating is most beneficial. However, we decided to go for a partnership and for a couple of reasons. One, we don't foresee making oodles of money in our first year. Secondly, we will invest our own money into the business. And because our income and business are interlinked in a partnership, any moneys we use (income and profits) will help lower our tax (that's the general idea). Our plan is to throw all profits right back into the business. Doing this will show we are actually "losing" money and so the amount of taxes we will pay will be lower. Once enough money is made so that we can let go of our 9-to-5 jobs and focus solely on our business, we will then switch from partnership to incorporation. First thing we did when dreaming up this concept was to secure an accountant and have been following his advice.

Jakkam said, "It should be noted that Lindsay's experience with CA state pensions is only relevant between her employer and her specific union. Different unions/employer agencies negotiate contracts that are usually similar, but NOT identical." Gee, my very first comment was, "In California State Service, the terms of the retirement pension can vary according to which bargaining unit covers your position, when you were hired, and what "Tier" you are in." (emphasis added) Did you somehow miss that? Jak went on to say, "Union workers should be aware that at least in CA, CalPERS does not fund any health benefits. All retiree healthcare is funded directly by the agency involved. If your employer has not bothered to set up a separate funding for retiree healthcare, you should contact your union rep and make this an issue - a BIG issue." Incorrect, or at the very least, incomplete. The funds for State employee and CSU employee retiree health care benefits come from the State's General Fund, as allocated by the Governor's Budget each year. Perhaps you are thinking of other public agencies such as city and county government agencies and School employees. In fact, the CalPERS site for Health Plans & Rates for retirees says on the link for Public Agency and School Retirees, "Contributions vary by employer. Contact your employer's personnel office to find out how much they contribute toward your health premium." Click on the link for State & CSU Retirees and you will see the following: "The state employer contribution amounts for 2017 are: "One-Party: $707 "Two-Party: $1,349 "Family: $1,727 " The only difference in the amount that State retirees receive towards their health insurance costs is governed by the length of time of their service. Different "hired by" dates have different vesting requirements to receive the full amount of the State's contribution: (1) If you were hired before January 1, 1985, you are entitled to 100% of the State's contribution; (2) If you were hired between January 1, 1985, and January 1, 1989, there is a 10-year vesting requirement. If you have 10 years of service when you retire, you will receive 100% of the State's health care contribution. For less than 10 years of service, the State's contribution is reduced by approximately 10% for each year of service less than the required 10; and (3) If you were hired after January 1, 1989, the length of time of your service determines what percentage you will receive of the State's contribution. Less than 10 years, you get 0%; at 10 years, you will receive 50%; with 11-19 years of service you will receive 50% of the State's contribution plus an additional 5% for each year over 10 years. If you have at least 20 years of service when you retire, you will receive 100% of the State's contribution. Four (4) bargaining units (6, 9. 10, and 12) now have a 25-year vesting requirement, with different hire dates. My husband and I both had well over the required number of years of service when we retired, so we do receive the full benefit. The amount is more than enough to cover our Medicare Plan B premiums, Medicare Plan B IRMAA premiums, and our PERSCare Blue Cross PPO Medicare Supplement Plan premiums. There is more than enough left over to also cover the cost of our Medicare Plan D IRMAA premiums (our Medicare Plan D is included in the PERSCare Medicare Supplement Plan), but California law does not provide for the reimbursement of Medicare Plan D IRMAA premiums. But the $26.60 per month is the only health care cost we have.