Reviews

"…Especially appealing is that Ms. Shoff has gone beyond sharing important information on long-term care insurance, and provided sound, vital advice that will help people ensure that they and their loved ones receive the care they need from caregivers that they can trust."
— Sandra Pierce-Miller
State of California Department of Health Services
Director, California Partnership for Long-Term Care

"I wholeheartedly endorse Karen Shoff’s empowering and confident approach to long-term care planning. In today’s health care environment, it is crucial that individuals plan ahead and take control of their decision making. This book should be read by all internists and family practice physicians caring for patients, who will some day benefit from the excellent ideas presented in this book."

— Eben Feinstein, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Medicine
Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, California

"There’s No Place Like a Nursing Home is the quintessential primer on long-term care — a map with a moral compass on how to navigate the treacherous highways of growing old, ill or infirm, while still staying in the driver’s seat for the distance. Karen Shoff’s knowledge is matched by her compassion: ingredients that make this book an authoritative and balanced expert presentation. Indeed, the author is an ‘inside expert’ on a subject that every one of us needs to master. This is not a title that will stay on the shelf: It contains seminal information for consumers and professionals alike.

"This book is a wake-up call — it will make you think seriously about how you want to manage your life after age 55. As so many of our financial assumptions are overturned by changes in the economy, it becomes imperative to take charge of our affairs. There’s No Place Like a Nursing Home walks you through the realities of the average nursing home experience, providing a graphic and chilling factual explanation of why nursing homes represent the most restrictive environment for care (and poor economic value, to boot!).

"In happy contrast, the author offers hope by debunking the myths of home care and long term care insurance, giving you all the information you need to make informed decisions about what is best for you. It is very much a book about self-determination and empowerment. Autonomy in your senior years? Now it’s possible.

"I salute Karen Shoff’s courage in writing a vital book whose time has come, and for her generosity in sharing her encyclopedic fund of knowledge with the public."

— Hannah M. Nelson, R.N. 
Chief of Staff
Jacobi Medical Center, New York

Author Bio

Karen Shoff holds a B.S. from Cornell University, a Masters Degree from the Smith College School for Social Work and a Masters in Gerontology from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. She is a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow. Karen has been in insurance sales since 1982 specializing in long term care insurance, and is a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. 

Karen’s initial experience working in nursing homes as a social worker was in 1970 in the state of Connecticut. Following this experience, she vowed that she would never put a family member in a nursing home and that the rest of her career would be devoted to helping other people remain at home. She held positions as a social worker at the Jewish Family Service of Santa Monica, as the gerontology specialist at The Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center and as the Director of Project Caring which sends volunteers into nursing homes. Karen was in private practice as one of the first geriatric care managers in Los Angeles, and taught counseling the elderly at UCLA Extension. She gave the first "You and Your Aging Parent" seminars in the late 70’s. 

Karen currently delivers seminars and speeches on the four steps to take in our middle years to preserve our long term dignity at home. 

To contact Karen about speaking engagements call (310) 581-8080

Contact Karen by email at
Karen@LongTermCareLA.com