Accidental Safari: A Guide for Navigating the Challenges That Come with Aging

Attorney Tizzano’s useful debut alerts elderly readers and their caregivers that it’s never too soon to prepare for their medical and financial future. The book provides tools to prepare for the three most common risks leading to hospitalization or death: an accident, deterioration of the body, and disorders of the mind such as ALS or dementia. Tizzano backs up his advice with statistics and numerous anecdotes from his career as an elder care attorney. He deciphers the complex and sometimes incomprehensible landscape of Medicare, such as the difference between “medical care” and “health care” and how being “admitted as a patient” differs from being in the hospital for “observation.” He describes the unique needs of “lions” (people living in a pride full of friends and family) versus “tigers” (an orphan elderly living a solitary life). He also discusses creating a “Life Care Book” of medications, healthcare directives, and funeral arrangements, and advises readers to understand the fine print of their life insurance policies. Filled with empathy and urgency, Tizzano’s eye-opening manual will be of benefit to any reader concerned with what happens deep into retirement. (BookLife)