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Quiz: Legal, Financial, and Support Resources

Test your understanding of legal planning, financial resources, and support systems for dementia care with these 10 review questions. Click "Show Answer" to check your work.

  1. It is cheaper than other types
  2. It remains in effect even after the person becomes incapacitated, allowing the agent to continue managing affairs throughout the disease
  3. It only activates after the person dies
  4. It automatically makes all medical decisions
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The correct answer is B. A general POA typically ends if the principal becomes incapacitated, exactly when help is needed most. A durable POA specifically continues in effect after incapacity, letting a trusted agent pay bills, manage property, and handle financial matters throughout the dementia journey. It should be established early, while the person still has legal capacity to sign.

Concept Tested: Power of Attorney

2. What is the key difference between a Healthcare Proxy and a Living Will?

  1. A Healthcare Proxy names WHO makes medical decisions; a Living Will states WHAT treatments the person wants or refuses
  2. They are identical documents with different names
  3. A Living Will covers finances only
  4. A Healthcare Proxy is only valid after death
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The correct answer is A. A Healthcare Proxy (or Medical POA) designates a trusted person to make medical decisions when the patient cannot. A Living Will (advance directive for healthcare) describes specific treatment preferences such as CPR, ventilators, and artificial nutrition. Having both documents gives the clearest guidance to doctors and reduces family conflict during difficult end-of-life decisions.

Concept Tested: Healthcare Proxy and Living Will

  1. A second Healthcare Proxy
  2. Nothing, because dementia automatically authorizes relatives
  3. Court-ordered guardianship or conservatorship
  4. A new will
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The correct answer is C. When no durable POA exists and the person no longer has capacity, families must petition the court for guardianship (personal decisions) or conservatorship (financial decisions). These processes are expensive ($5,000 to $15,000 or more), public, and court-supervised. This is why establishing POA early is strongly recommended; it avoids the cost, delays, and loss of privacy of guardianship.

Concept Tested: Guardianship and Conservatorship

4. Which statement about Medicare coverage for long-term dementia care is TRUE?

  1. Medicare covers unlimited nursing home stays for dementia
  2. Medicare covers medical care (doctor visits, hospital stays, short-term skilled nursing after hospitalization) but generally does NOT cover long-term custodial care in nursing homes or memory care
  3. Medicare pays for all in-home personal care
  4. Medicare refuses to cover any dementia-related services
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The correct answer is B. Medicare covers acute and short-term care including doctor visits, hospitalizations, some home health under specific conditions, and up to 100 days of skilled nursing following a qualifying hospital stay. It does not cover long-term custodial care such as help with bathing, dressing, or supervision. Families often turn to Medicaid, long-term care insurance, or personal resources for ongoing care.

Concept Tested: Medicare Coverage

5. A wife has been providing 24-hour care for her husband with advanced dementia for three years. She reports exhaustion, sadness, declining physical health, and social isolation. What concept BEST describes her situation and what does she need?

  1. Laziness; she just needs to work harder
  2. Caregiver burden, which requires respite care, support groups, stress management, and a plan to maintain her own health
  3. A normal feeling that should be ignored
  4. Something only professional caregivers can experience
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The correct answer is B. Caregiver burden (also called caregiver stress) is the physical, emotional, social, and financial toll of long-term caregiving. Without support it leads to depression, illness, and burnout. Respite care through adult day programs or home care, participation in support groups, stress management, regular medical care, and asking family for help all protect caregiver health and ultimately benefit the person with dementia too.

Concept Tested: Caregiver Burden

6. Which care option BEST fits a family whose loved one needs supervised activities during weekdays but can return home at night with family?

  1. Full-time nursing home placement
  2. Hospice care only
  3. Adult day care programs that provide supervision, activities, meals, and social engagement during the day while the person lives at home
  4. No supervision during the day
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The correct answer is C. Adult day care (or adult day services) provides structured daytime programming including meals, activities, therapeutic engagement, and often health monitoring. It gives caregivers respite to work or rest while allowing the person to return home in the evening. This supports aging in place longer and often delays the need for residential placement.

Concept Tested: Adult Day Care

7. What is anticipatory grief, and why is it common in dementia caregiving?

  1. Grief felt before a death occurs, experienced as caregivers mourn the gradual losses of their loved one's memory, personality, and abilities throughout the disease
  2. Grief that can only begin after the funeral
  3. A physical illness with no emotional component
  4. Grief experienced only by professional staff
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The correct answer is A. Dementia involves many small losses over years, sometimes called "the long goodbye." Family members grieve each loss of memory, ability, recognition, and connection long before physical death. Anticipatory grief is a normal, expected response. Acknowledging it, joining support groups, seeking counseling, and practicing self-compassion help caregivers cope throughout the journey.

Concept Tested: Anticipatory Grief

8. A daughter is choosing between assisted living and a memory care unit for her mother with moderate dementia who wanders and needs medication supervision. What is the BEST reasoning?

  1. They are identical, so pick whichever is cheaper
  2. Assisted living is always better for dementia
  3. Nursing homes are the only option for any dementia
  4. Memory care units are specifically designed for people with dementia, with secured environments to prevent wandering, staff trained in dementia care, and structured activities; assisted living may not have enough specialized support for someone with moderate dementia who wanders
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The correct answer is D. Assisted living provides help with daily activities but is not typically designed for wandering or advanced dementia care. Memory care units offer secured environments, staff with dementia-specific training, structured routines, and activities geared to cognitive needs. For someone with moderate dementia who wanders and requires medication supervision, memory care is usually the safer and more appropriate choice.

Concept Tested: Memory Care Units

9. Which resource is a single free call that connects caregivers to local services such as Meals on Wheels, transportation, respite care, and caregiver support?

  1. The Internal Revenue Service
  2. The local post office
  3. A commercial real estate agent
  4. The Area Agency on Aging (AAA), which provides local senior and caregiver resources under the Older Americans Act
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The correct answer is D. Every region in the United States has an Area Agency on Aging that serves as a gateway to services for older adults and family caregivers, including information and referral, benefits counseling, respite, transportation, meals, and long-term care options. The Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1115 or eldercare.acl.gov) connects people to their local AAA.

Concept Tested: Area Agency on Aging

10. A family is weighing whether to enroll their loved one in a GPS tracking device program due to wandering risk. Which consideration BEST balances safety and dignity?

  1. GPS trackers are a helpful safety tool when paired with clear explanation, respect for the person's feelings, involvement in the decision when possible, and use alongside other wandering prevention strategies rather than as a substitute for supervision
  2. GPS trackers should be hidden and never discussed with the person
  3. GPS trackers replace the need for any other safety measures
  4. GPS trackers are an invasion of privacy and should never be used
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The correct answer is A. GPS devices (wearables, shoe inserts, pendants) can save lives when a person wanders and becomes lost. Used thoughtfully, with honest explanation, respect for autonomy where possible, and combined with home security, identification bracelets, enrollment in Safe Return-type programs, and supervision, they support both safety and dignity. They are a tool, not a replacement for attentive care.

Concept Tested: GPS Tracking Devices