One of the biggest fears that many people have today is the fear of having their life savings wiped out if they end up in a nursing home. What a shame to see someone’s life savings of 30, 40, or 50 years wiped out in a matter of months. Whether you or a family member is in a crisis or not, it is important that you understand what you can do to protect your hard earned assets! Most of the public does not yet realize that the laws on asset protection and long-term care planning has changed, therefore, it is…
A weekly dose of songs and laughs, combined with a daily regimen of jokes and silliness, is replacing psychotropic drugs and anti-depressants given to dementia patients in New South Wales, Australia. It is usually a cliché to say laughter is the best medicine. But Barry Cowling, Operations Manager of Summit Care nursing home in Randwick, said humor therapy had reduced aggression and depression among 18 residents in the secure dementia wing. ''We've had residents where we could reduce psychotropic drugs or have them come off, and we could see benefits to staff with improvements in morale and engagement,'' Cowling said….
CMS summarizes the basic requirements for Medicaid administrative claiming for the state LTCO program. The ombudsman program is partially funded through the Older Americans Act (OAA), however the bulletin draws attention to activities that may qualify for Medicaid administrative funding. In the bulletin, CMS notes that some states are expanding the populations served by the LTCO program to include individuals receiving LTSS in their own homes and the community. The LTCO program activities that may be eligible for Medicaid administrative funding include: · Tracking and reporting consumer requests for assistance in obtaining medical, dental, mental health or long-term care (including…
Spring is often a time for gatherings with family and friends – weddings, graduations, Mothers’ Day. Nursing home residents often want to participate in these gatherings but may be under the impression that they will lose Medicare coverage if they leave the facility to do so. This is not true. The Medicare Benefit Policy Manual recognizes that although most beneficiaries are unable to leave their facility, an outside pass or short leave of absence for the purpose of attending a special religious service, holiday meal, family occasion, going on a car ride, or for a trial visit home, is not,…
NPR launched a five-part story on elder abuse. Topics covered over the course of the week include: · Part 1: Elderly Couple's Tale Of Abuse Not So Uncommon · Part 2: Adult Protective Services Fight Against Elder Abuse · Part 3: Tackling Nursing Home Complaints With Ombudsman Programs · Part 4: Financial Exploitation Of Elderly Difficult To Detect · Part 5: House Calls A Better Option For Some Elderly Access the broadcasts.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING WORKSHOP REVEALS One of the biggest fears that many people have today is the fear of having their life savings wiped out if they end up in a nursing home. What a shame to see someone’s life savings of 30, 40, or 50 years wiped out in a matter of months. Whether you or a family member is in a crisis or not, it is important that you understand what you can do to protect your hard earned assets! Most of the public does not yet realize that the laws on asset protection and long-term care planning has…
A new poll finds that only a quarter of Americans think that it is very likely that they will personally need assistance caring for themselves as they age. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed mistakenly believed that Medicare will pay for a nursing home and approximately 60 percent underestimated the cost of a nursing home. Read more details on the survey.
Although it’s still early, this policy seems to have had an effect. A recent New York Times article outlined the efforts of hospitals across the country that have seen success in reducing hospital readmissions by adopting changes to discharge planning including: Identifying patients who are at highest risk of readmission Follow-up nurse visits to patients’ homes Proactively ordering patient prescriptions and scheduling follow-ups Patient and caregiver education Culturally specific diet tips Transportation to for patient follow-up appointments Increased monitoring of nursing home patients Of these efforts, patient education is one the most important. Taking prescribed medicine properly is essential to…
You may have to deal with personality changes and difficult behaviors. You may be asked the same question over and over. You typically face issues with bathing, dressing and toileting. Your loved one may wander off if you aren't careful. What I want to achieve in this article is to offer some ideas about five things Alzheimer's caregivers should never do: Don't Be in Denial The problem with denial is it doesn't lead you to take your loved one to a primary care physician or neurologist for a complete workup. And the problem with that is that sometimes dementia is…
During a visit to my doctor, I asked him, "How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put in a Nursing Home?" "Well," he said, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub." "Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup." "No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"
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