today people are living longer than they ever have before. that's right not only are we getting older but our senior population is multiplying. the number of people over the age of 65 is expected to double. demands for medications, specialists and life prolonging procedures are expected to skyrocket. but what does it mean? more birthdays, more bills, more walks, more walkers, more play, more pills. sure, most of the time old age seems like all coupons and early bird specials but what happens when we can't take care of ourselves.

growing old is the one thing that will happen to us all. even if no one wants to talk about it. he's a retired shop clark from west virginia. for someone that's 91, she is still doing remarkably well. still living in her own house, where, like most of us, she hopes to live out the final chapter of her life. she is resilient even if she is uncompromising, and she is also my grandma. >> hey good-looking. >> well. welcome to tootie's bed and

breakfast. >> how are you pretty lady? >> well, i'm here. >> you look good. did you go to the doctor last year? what did the doctor say? >> you're in good shape. >> he did. >> the doctor said you're good, you're clear. and she said i can stay by myself? he said if that's what you want you can. >> when i had my first heart attack he said she can't be left alone for three months. that's been four years ago. >> how often do you come by? how many days aweek? >> two. >> she takes care of my health and her health. she's my gardener, my driver. >> she still needs help on a daily basis. >> i need a little help.

>> having a neighbor checks in on her is crucial to her living at home. >> i open my drapes. >> so sonya knows i'm up and i'm all right. >> thank you. >> tootie is lucky. of her three children two of them live nearby. my dad, ben, and his sister, my aunt becky. they're able to look in on her three times a week and help her with anything she might need. if she didn't have family that lived so close she would have had to move out of her house a long time. >> it worries me about getting old. i've had a good life. i enjoyed it. i just hope i have my health and keep it until the good lord decides something different. >> she still has an active life even if it is maintained by her family. someone helps her with her grocery shopping and drives her

to her weekly appointment at the beauty parlor. >> how long has she been coming here? >> when i first opened the shop 41 years ago. >> wow. >> but this week, tootie has a monumental event. her 74th high school reunion and i get to be her date. >> 1, 2, 3, big smile. >> that's good. >> that's a good one. >> there you are, class of 38. lorraine spurlock. >> are you the only one. >> i'm the only one i know of. >> i think you're a miracle. >> she lived in the same town for 91 years. she is a cornerstone of her community and has friends she has known for decades. >> hi sweetie. >> bless your heart. how are you doing? >> i don't get to see you very often but i think a lot about you. we had some good trips didn't

we? >> we did. had a good time. >> that was a pretty great day. >> it was, indeed. >> this is moms. >> who is this guy? look at that mustache. >> that's grandaddy johnson. >> who is that? >> me. >> how old were you in that picture. >> probably 12 or 13. >> that's you being a smart aleck. >> well it sure was. >> for as long as i can remember, tootie has been the rock in our family but in the last couple of years it hasn't been easy for her. my grandfather passed away 13 years ago and ever since then she has been living on her own. >> right there.

>> that's you right there. were you a good trumpet player. >> i guess. >> look, that's me. look at that face. face only a mother could love. there's me -- you should never let me wear a jacket like that ever again. that should never be allowed to happen again. good morning. your already up and all over the place. can i get you anything, tootie? >> no. >> what time did you wake up? >> 5:00. >> 5:00? i love that she was up two hours before i was. she's a machine. you can't stop her. she is pretty independent, if you haven't noticed. >> do you do anything to get any

exercise. >> i just do what i want to do. >> you still get around pretty good. >> i'm thankful i can. >> yeah. >> more than 70% of americans over the age of 65 will need long-term care services at some point in their lives. >> keep stirring this, right? >> yeah, open it up. >> even though she is healthy enough to live on her own now, she had six major surgeries and like all families, we worry. >> well, bless his heart. how are you? >> i'm just wonderful. >> we got a custard pie in the oven. >> how are you, pop? >> great. good to see you. >> nobody likes thinking about whether tootie's situation could change but just in case something were to happen my dad and i are looking at other places she can live. >> she looks good. >> yeah, she does. >> looks good. sharp as a tack still.

>> i think she is very, very fortunate, okay? in a lot of respects. she has two or three people she can call if she has problems with the house or got a water problem or whatever, they're right there. >> yeah. what do you think it would take for you and becky to make the decision that she would have to go into an assisted living or rest home? >> if she were to the point that she absolutely could not take care of herself at all. >> what brings you all here today. >> my grandmother is 91, my father's mom, so we're just looking at some possibilities where she could possibly be in a few years. >> same thing with bingo. >> the needs of aging americans are changing and so are the facilities that care for them. nowadays, many are comprehensive care facilities that offer independent living with supervision and care. >> this is the main dining room.

we don't have meal times. they want to choose when they want to get up, when they want to go to bed, when they want to eat. this is just a tv room. a little library. the residents bring all of their own furniture. they put their memories on the wall. they make it very home like. we provide all the care they need inside this apartment. we have 90 beds in this facility. we have three different units. we have a 24 bed dementia unit. a 28 bed rehab and then we have long-term care services. this is one of the 20 rooms on this unit. each room has a private restroom. the rooms are very spacious. we do person-centered care here. it's getting away from the medical model, basically. we also have a private dining room. they can reserve it. >> that's nice. >> that is nice. >> gives them a little privacy. >> nice. >> she is ready for bowling.

do you play wii? >> i do. >> it really helps with mobility. >> there you go. >> nice. >> way to go. >> good game. good game. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> the trend is to make places like this feel more and more like home but the homier they get, the more expensive they are. >> if somebody was coming here, how much of the room is paid for my medicaid and medicare? >> medicare will pay up to 1 hyundais and the first 20 are paid at 100%. at 21 days medicare drops down to pay 80% but they will only pay as long as somebody is making progress. >> if somebody had to pay privately what is it per month to be here privately? >> it's around $8,000. >> $8,000 a month.

places are nice. >> but who wants to be there. >> do you want to be there? >> no. >> okay. i don't either. they are genuinely concerned about the people. >> it didn't feel like an old folks home. >> no, not at all. but what i coughed up a lung on is when she said it's $8,000 a month. i don't know who could afford paying that. >> five years is a half million dollars. >> people think i'll get on medicare i'm set for life. >> would you live in a place like this or in your house? >> i'd rather live in my house. >> of course. >> but that adds up quickly too. just think about if you have to have somebody in your home. that's $240 a day to have 24

hour a daycare at $10 an hour. >> so at 10 days it's about $7,500 a month. you have to have a lot of money to die right.

when you see assisted living places does it make you think about when she won't be around anymore? >> i don't think about things like that. maybe it's because i don't want to think about it. >> but you have to plan for it. what are the things that you looked at for your own personal life care? >> i haven't. i really haven't. >> you haven't? >> no, i figured you'd be there. >> it's all going to be my responsibility? yeah. >> by 240 more than 81 million americans will be over the age at 65. most of them at some point will need some sort of extended care and just like my father, they haven't planned for it and they have no idea how much it really

costs. most private nursing homes cost an average of $77,000 a year. if you're wealthy you can most likely afford a private option but for the vast majority of americans that paid into the systems their whole lives social security only gives you 1,230 a month and medicare only covers you up to 1 hyundais of an extended period of time in a nursing o or rehab facility. today experts believe the average person will need $900,000 to cover their expenses throughout retirement. a staggering amount when the majority have less than $30,000 saved for retirement. if you want to live forever, you before find a way to pay for it. >> i want to hear your thoughts on tootie's financial situation. where she is. >> our dad when he retired he opted for them to take his retirement money and invest it.

they were guaranteed a certain amount of money every month for 20 years. >> right. >> well, mother's outlived it and when it was gone, it was gone. so now all she has is social security. >> so she has outlived it by likes six years already. >> yes, already. >> did she have any savings at all? >> as far as the savings account, it's just about depleted. >> yeah. you have to basically live on -- is that all paid for by social security? >> what? >> like everything you have to pay for? >> that's it. >> how much do you get a month on social security. >> $1,300 after everything is taken out of it. >> so that's after they take out medicare. >> they take out $97 for, i guess that's the medicare part and then i pay blue cross the

$257 a month. >> what are your other expenses? what things do you have to pay for every month? >> i have nine different bills. my garbage. that's $18 a month. my gas bill is all budget and $94. my electric bill last month was $139. my cable is 68.53 and my phone was 52.79 and my water is $68.82 a month. >> once you get your social security check plus your bills, that money is gone. >> yeah. >> no matter where you live, aging is an expensive proposition but more and more frequently parents are having to rely on their children to help bear the expenses. my aunt sandy has been caring for her ailing father at home. >> hi pop. how are you today?

he suffers from dementia and now requires 24-hour care. >> how old are you? >> should i tell him. >> i'd tell him. 96. tell him 96. >> 96. well i hate to tell that. >> i took care of many people but he surprises me. with his age, he surprises me. >> you're a surprise. >> sandy is a good daughter? >> oh, yeah. >> cause we're a team aren't we? yeah. okay. we had to make significant changes to his room. we had to bring a hospital bed in. but because i wanted it to look like his room i took the head board off of his bed and velcroed it to the wall and this is where the ladies stayed at

night. beside him. >> so he's never alone. >> 24/7, he's never alone. if i'm not here, one of them is here all the time. >> why did you decide to keep him at home? >> when you take someone with dementia out of their own environment it usually increases the dementia. >> how much longer can he stay at home? >> i don't know. when my mother was living -- my mother died a year ago. before that she and i took care of him. after my mom passed away, i realized that i couldn't do 24/7 with him because you have to be hands on, eyes on, all the time. it's extremely expensive. it can run 8 to $10,000 a month. >> that's not covered by any insurance. >> no it's money that he and my mom saved. >> if he hadn't had that money, what would have happened? >> i don't know. he has his social security but that's not enough. we would have had to do the

medicaid spin down i guess. >> what's the hardest part for you? >> just watching your dad deteriorate is hard. you can imagine what it would be like with your folks to watch them get a little worse every time you see them. well it's like that every day, you know. you make it work. you suck it up and go on. >> yeah. >> because i don't think i have a choice with that. i can't just walk away from him. and i don't. >> yeah. >> see, now there, look at that custard pie. >> wow. >> wonderful. >> is this the one you made? is this yours. >> yeah. >> that's good. >> look at that.

>> you did good. >> how did we do tootoo? >> i told becky somebody in the family had to learn how to make custard pies. >> so now i have a big torch to bare. so we went and looked at retirement communities today and i was wondering what your thoughts were on those types of places. yeah. >> this is tootie's rest home right here. it's going to be tootie's rest home as long as i'm capable. i get up when i want to in the morning. i go to bed when i want to. i don't mind being by myself. i don't get lonesome. if i do i pick up the phone. i have friends i talk to. >> but we can't say she is going to stay like this. mentally and physically. >> if we didn't live close to

her. >> that would be a different story. >> okay and if she didn't have a neighbor that -- >> was willing. >> puts eyes on her every day. >> yes. >> if there wasn't somebody like that then she would have to go live some place like where you were today. >> yeah. >> and it may very well come and she realizes that and we have talked about, you know, to where you might have to have some help. >> yeah. >> i mean, it seems like you guy versus talked about a lot. why do so many people not talk about this? >> i think people are in denial. if i don't talk about it maybe it won't happen. >> right. i'll live forever. >> i'll live forever. >> and a lot of kids don't want to talk to their kids about it because they don't want to think about it. >> right. you don't want to think about it? do you? do you want to think about it? no. >> but the reality was when dad was in the hospital two years ago the reality hit home he's not going to be around forever.

>> for the first time. >> for the first time. did you assign a power of attorney to somebody in the family? >> becky has all of the -- if there's nothing that they can do, i don't want to be kept alive artificially. but i don't worry about it. the good lord will look after me when it's time to go. so i'm all right. i'm fortunate. i have a lot of good friends and that means all the world. >> yeah. >> i have a lot to be thankful for. a lot to be proud of. and everybody says you have the nicest family. so i just pat myself on the back and go right on. [ male announcer ] away...

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i bought you a present. >> am i to open it? >> yeah, you can open it right now. i got you a wii. >> what's that. >> it's a video game system and it's something that -- it's something you'll be able to play and get some exercise. >> oh. >> yeah. here we go. let's do bowling. so what you're going to do is

there's your player, and you're going to take your arm down, just like you're bowling, you're going to go like that. >> oh, you bowl, huh? >> yeah. >> then let it go. oh, look at that. there it goes. you could go all the way. nice. >> that's me. always leave a few. >> see, you left two. >> you're going to get the pair. that's looking good. that's looking -- oh. >> oh goodness. >> oh my gosh. you're good at this game. i love you. >> that's real sweet. thank you. >> you're a good somebody.

>> how you doing? >> fine. >> good. >> you look pretty as usual. oh, sweetie, come see me. you're sweet. >> how many years have you been coming here? >> all my life. ever since they built this church. >> we'd like to say good morning to you. >> good morning. >> it's great to be here this morning. god has given us a beautiful day but what a blessing it was this morning when i was able to open my eyes, stand on my two feet. i praise god for it. people ask the question, is god still in control? sometimes god seems so distanced from us, don't he? when you're going through something hard in life, and you wonder where's god? god, where in the world you at?

i need your help. but god is everywhere. he is everywhere. we'd like to ask you to bow your heads at this time if you would, please. give me a big squeeze lady. >> okay, sweetie. >> i love you. when i grow up i want to be just like you. >> enjoyed having you. >> all right. love you. >> love you too, sweetie. hey, pop? is there any update? what happened? i tried talking to tootie and i

couldn't understand anything she was saying. >> right. tootie's not doing well at all. she's in the hospital and she is out of her head. and it's critical. >> okay. >> and other than that i don't know anything, okay? >> should i plan oncoming home tomorrow? >> it probably wouldn't hurt, you know? >> okay. >> okay. honey. i love you. >> all right, dad. i love you too. bye. >> so i'll fly home tomorrow. it's hard. i mean, i just saw her. i just saw her. she was having a hard time moving around and was a little slower but -- ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom.

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hey pretty lady. hey. can you see me? can you see me looking at you?

hey. do you want some breakfast? you want to have breakfast? i think we got french toast. >> tootie hasn't been awake today. when she does wake up, she's a little incoherent. her blood sugar is low and she isn't eating or drinking anything and she's not being very responsive. >> when you first brought her in, why did you take her to the emergency room. >> congestive heart failure and her body with the infection is trying to fight to heal itself so it's a long process. >> right. >> of course when you're 91 it takes a little while too to fight that. >> right. >> to be strong. >> you doing all right. >> yeah.

>> ready for some breakfast? you doing okay? that's good. you're doing great. i mean, she's not making a lot of sense but she's awake. yeah, how are you? >> well as can be expected. >> yeah. >> there is no preparation for the final. >> yeah. >> it's going to be bad and i knew that. you just do what you can do. >> yeah. >> beginning of the end. she'll open her eyes and you think she is really looking at you but at times she's really not. you said the other day. you were telling me before i

came in that she acts like she is staring a hole in you but she isn't looking at you. >> if you keeps progressing what will happen? >> the goal is to get her back to where she was two weeks ago. >> so she gets to the point where she was responsive as two weeks ago, then, yeah. >> i think that's the best we can hope for. >> what will happen if she doesn't get back to where she was two weeks ago. >> she will leave from here whenever they're able to release her to long-term care. >> but she won't be going back home? >> not right now. >> yeah. >> that road is one day at a time. >> yeah. all right. love you. >> love you too, honey. >> i will. >> all right. thanks, pop. ll the way up... ♪

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who do you need? >> i need everybody.

[ crying ] thank you for coming. >> they were giving tootie a bath when all of a sudden all the alarms started going off and they don't know if she had a stroke or a seizure but apparently now she is breathing again.

they're taking her to get a ct scan. i think this is where they're going to check and see if there's been any bleeding in the brain. >> i'm so sorry. oh my god. i tell you what, if anybody ever fought a good fight, it's tootie. >> yeah. >> she always made the comment that he was cautious about buying something red because she knew i'd bury her in the last thing she bought and she didn't want to be buried in red. i said well i think it's going to be awhile anyway. but not too long ago she said you'll put me in pink so it doesn't matter. >> i said pretty in pink, you know? >> yeah.

>> we can say yes or no on life support. we can say yes or no on feeding tubes. yes to a point but at the point that the doctor says there's no hope, you know, then say that's it. and that's what she would want. and we know that. i've talked to her enough to know. >> yeah. >> when it's time, it's time. so we're not there yet. >> no. not yet. >> not yet. because she didn't want any part of this, you know? >> morning. how are you doing? >> hi. good morning. >> what we wanted to meet with you for is our mother is here

and we know she is going to have to go to rehab when she leaves the hospital. >> before she came in the hospital she was living by herself. >> yes, ma'am. >> and functioning pretty well. >> yes, ma'am. mother was able to do almost everything on her own for herself in her own home. >> it's hard when you go through this because she was independent. >> right. >> but now at this point she is going to need help probably with all of that. >> yeah. >> what we can do is looked at a skilled facility. that would probably be the best option for her because if she needs long-term placement after that and she can't go back home. the best option would be to go look at a couple of facilities. >> well, morgan and i visited the one. very nice. >> yes and if they can take her, we'll do all the paperwork and they'll do all the assessment and try to make it as easy on you as possible. see how she does it would be a good trial period to go there and see if she can get back

home. >> right. >> but if she can't get back home, they do have long-term care as well. >> you sign here. transport has been called. >> very good. after having her released from here today we're headed to rose terrace with her for physical therapy. we don't want her to ever think she is not going home. that's why we're going to physical therapy. not a nursing home. >> so let's show you back to her room. we've got your mom here. >> very good. >> so it's right next to the door and you can actually come in the back door. >> it's very nice. >> yeah, it's a pretty facility. >> that's on the wrong side of the bed for her but that's okay. >> we can move it.

>> that would be good. >> so she has been in thomas for. >> 20 days. >> wow. >> we have taken up and down trips over the last 20 days. >> yeah. >> thank you, sir. >> deep breaths for me. let's take a look at your skin lorraine. >> it's tootie. >> do they call you tootie? >> hey sweetie. you're going to stay right here and they'll take care of you. >> okay. this is the last one i'm going to ask you to sign today. it's a consent to treat. it's just allowing us to treat

her here and that we're allowed to bill her benefits and it also starts going into how to apply for medicaid. lots of people in west virginia use medicaid to pay for nursing home services if they stay long-term. >> this talks about what they don't pay for. >> the first 20 days. >> 100%. >> and the next 79 days medicare pays part and her insurance will pay the balance. >> as long as she meets the criteria of skilled services. if she doesn't have a specific plan that pays for long-term care you can choose to pay privately. that's $265 a day. some people don't have that and typically that's when they make application for medicaid services. it's a tough transition and a tough decision. let's see what we can do and take it a day at a time and see what her status is. >> right. >> thank you for entrusting us with her. we're all on the same team. >> you bet you. >> okay.

>> you be a good girl. you work on therapy now and i'll see you tomorrow. >> i'll be right here. >> you'll be right here. i know. >> you be good, girl. don't fight with nurses okay? bye bye honey. >> love you. >> love you too sweetheart. get some rest, will you? >> i will. >> okay. >> 20 minutes. that's all it takes you to get here. 20 minutes.

lorraine tootie spurlock, passed away monday january 26th,

2013. she was born july 28th, 1921 in west virginia. she was also preceded in death by her husband and two sisters. she was a homemaker, charter member of the methodist church and member of the women's club. she enjoyed doing hand work and reading and cooking for family and friends. her kitchen was open just like her heart. >> few people have ever lived 91 years like tootie. her life was filled with joy and she smiled, laughed, hugged and loved. what a lady she was. she was a cornerstone of our community. we now commit her body to the

ground, back to the dust. and she is gone the way of all the earth. she was the real deal. she was the real deal. let's give her a kiss bye bye. there's me, you and tutu. there she is with her cake. >> tootie had three children, four grand children, nine great grandchildren. she was a wife, a mother, and she lived surrounded by the people she loved.

today, we're living longer than ever before. more birthdays, more anniversaries, more time with the people we love. and sometimes, it feels like it can last forever. maybe that's why it's so hard making all the decisions we need to about growing old. because saying some things outloud can remind us how quickly everything can change. >> love you, pop. >> love you too. y'all be good. >> we will. >> be careful. >> we will. >> love you. >> love you too.

torrential downstorms, deadly flooding, extreme weather gripping the nation. what you need to know. deadly clashes. egypt erupting in chaos as the muslim brotherhood marches and ignoring warnings. campaign kay owes. anthony weiner vows to stay in the race as his top staffer says, count me out. good morning. welcome in to "early start." i'm still john berman. it is monday, july 29