A U.S. district court has ruled that a group of Medicare beneficiaries who were denied coverage of nursing home care because they were not admitted to a hospital for three days prior to moving a nursing home, but rather were placed on “observation status” for the duration of their stay, cannot compel the government to change the rules governing how hospitals admit patients. Bagnall, et al v. Sebelius (D. Conn., No. 3:11cv1703 (MPS), Sept. 23, 2013). Under current Medicare rules, a patient must be admitted to a hospital for at least three days in order for Medicare to pay for…
Bernard Cott contracted with a home care agency to provide the services of an in-home caregiver to care for his wife, defendant Lorraine Cott, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Lorraine injured the caregiver, Carolyn Gregory, who thereupon sued Lorraine for battery and Lorraine and Bernard for negligence and premises liability. The court entered summary judgment for the Cotts on the ground of primary assumption of risk. On appeal, the decision was affirmed. The court stated that, as a general rule, persons have a duty to use due care to avoid injury to others, and may be held liable if their…
The Fast Letter directs that, in the future, VA will interpret its pension regulations as follows: The cost of room and board at a residential facility is a UME if the facility provides custodial care to the individual, or the individual's physician states in writing that the claimant must reside in that facility to separately contract for custodial care with a third-party provider. A facility provides custodial care if it assists the individual with two or more ADLs. If the facility does not provide the claimant custodial care, or the claimant's physician does not prescribe care by a third-party provider…
Caregivers must be available for their loved ones at varying times of the day. If there is an emergency and the caregiver is needed promptly, it would be convenient for a caregiver that lives 20 minutes or less away. The faster a caregiver can arrive, the quicker an issue will be resolved. But what about caregivers that aren’t in the neighborhood? They’re called long-distance caregivers, and according to the National Institute on Aging, there are approximately seven million of them, mostly caring for aging parents who live an hour or more away. Historically, caregivers have been primarily mid-life, working women…
“He didn’t have a will, he didn’t have a trust, he didn’t have anything set up,” said Yvonne Prettner Solon, who followed her husband to serve the western part of Duluth in the state Senate and now is Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, states the Deluth News Tribune. Prettner Solon vowed to not leave her children in the same situation. Within three months, she had set up a trust and purchased long-term-care insurance, she said in an interview on Thursday. Now in her official capacity, she’s urging Minnesota’s baby boomers to take similar steps. Prettner Solon is spearheading the state’s “Own Your…
The websites of CarePatrol, based in Gilbert, Ariz., and ABCSP (which also operates under the name Always Best Care), based in Roseville, Calif. claimed their employees had detailed, personal knowledge about the assisted-living homes. But the FTC says they didn’t and, as a result, misled consumers about their expertise and knowledge. While not admitting wrongdoing, both businesses have settled the FTC’s charges, promising not to make false or unsubstantiated claims for the next 20 years, states Forbes Magazine According to the FTC complaint, CarePatrol claimed on its site that it graded “each and every facility” from A to F, based…
Some 73 percent of seniors and their families who receive paid home care to help with their daily tasks said they were satisfied with the care and thought it was a good value for the money. However, a recent study by Home Instead Senior Care found that many people don’t know how affordable home care can be, and 40 percent overestimated the cost by more them $6 per hour. The actual average per-hour cost paid by 70 percent of those surveyed was $17.10 per hour. Those who don’t receive care overestimated the costs of $24.67 an hour for basic companionship…
A nursing home is a place of residence for seniors who require constant care and have significant difficulties performing daily activities. However, some people who are not in need of such intensive care are enrolled in nursing homes. If you are looking for assistance for your loved one, home care may be a great alternative. Home care offers your loved one supportive assistance from experienced caregivers. A wide array of non-medical services are provided, from practical assistance, like grooming and cleaning, to companion assistance, like playing games and going to museums or the movies. Allows Freedom and Comfort Home care…
If you qualify, Medicare will cover your home health benefits entirely, and while under the law there's no limit on the length of time you will be covered, in practice coverage is limited. Nevertheless, Medicare home health benefits can mean the difference between you or a family member continuing to stay at home, or your health deteriorating until hospital care or nursing home placement become necessary. You are entitled to Medicare coverage of your home health care if you meet the following requirements: you are confined to your home (meaning that leaving it to receive services would be a "considerable…
Given the choice, most seniors who need help with care would prefer to remain at home rather than move to a nursing home. One choice is to hire help through a home health agency, but how to evaluate the agency? This just got a bit easier for Medicare recipients, who can now see the results of surveys of patients who have used the agency’s services. Findings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) national survey that asks patients about their experiences with Medicare-certified home health agencies are now available on the agency’s Quality Care Finder Web site. The…
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