Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Elder Law: Approach Medicaid Knowing What Mistakes to Avoid

Excerpt from: The Elder Care Firm (click for full article)

 

Medicaid is a comprehensive health care program that covers a wide range of people who require nursing facility medical care and meet certain financial eligibility guidelines. Medicaid is an imperative resource for seniors, covering more than 65 percent of all nursing home care. Nursing care currently costs approximately $100,000 a year. Most individuals that require long-term skilled nursing care must eventually utilize this program. With close to inevitable dependence, it is of the utmost importance to know what common mistakes to avoid.

Violence in long-term care homes gaining attention

Excerpt from: My Kawartha (click for full article)

 

Public awareness of resident-on-resident attacks at long-term care homes rose in the wake of an attack last week at a Toronto facility that left one elderly woman dead and another beaten. A 72-year-old resident was arrested in connection with the attack.

There is a rally today at Queen's Park organized by Peterborough businessman Camille Parent after his 85-year-old mother was pushed by another resident of her nursing home, leaving her with a broken hip.

Mr. Parent told This Week the rally is a call for the Province to address the lack of funding and staff at homes, something he notes the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has promised since 2003.

Saving a Client From Long-Term Care Limbo

Excerpt from: Wall Street Journal (click for full article)

 

Although the couple's long-term care insurance would cover three years of care, the husband was likely to live longer than that, and the woman feared that the combination of her living expenses and his future medical bills would decimate their $750,000 in retirement savings.

The woman was terrified by the time she was referred to Helen Stephens, principal at Helen Stephens Group in Fort Worth, Texas, a firm she started just over a year ago where she provides insurance, tax planning and manages $10 million in assets for 30 clients. Ms. Stephens knew that if she didn't help her client, "she could have easily reached a point where she didn't have enough money to survive."

The client had fallen into long-term care limbo: She had too many assets to qualify for government medical programs, but wasn't wealthy enough to pay for extended long-term care. Many people in this situation are forced to spend nearly all of their assets in order to receive benefits. But in this case, Ms. Stephens saw a way to help her client's husband qualify for Veterans Administration and Medicaid benefits while preserving the couple's retirement savings.

Long-term Care Is More Probable as We Age

Excerpt from: The Generation Above Me (click for full article)

 

Seventy percent of people 65 plus will use some form of long-term care.  This means that they will need help with activities of daily living such as dressing, eating, toileting or help with instrumental activities of daily living such as managing their medications, paying bills, and using a telephone. 

The type of long-term care an older adult receives may be short and provided by a family member. However, the older a person grows, the more likely he or she will need long-term care for longer periods of time. This may require some form of home health care or a period of stay in a skilled nursing center.  
Here are some statistics about long-term care:

• Nearly 70% of Americans over 65 will require some form of long-term care.

• Nearly 40% of Americans over 65 will spend some time in a nursing home.

• The average stay in a nursing home is 2.5 years.

• The average cost of a nursing home stay is about $70,000 a year.

How to Live in Assisted Living

Excerpt from: The New York Times (click for full article)

 

Sometimes Martin Bayne speaks in little more than a whisper, like many people with advanced Parkinson’s disease. But his voice has a way of carrying.

Many consider him the nation’s foremost advocate for people in assisted living. “Marty communicates the truth about living and aging and dying in America,” said Joy Loverde, a caregiving expert and author of “The Complete Eldercare Planner.”

Dr. William Thomas, a geriatrician and nursing home reformer, wrote in an e-mail, “He has been able to do what very few others have done — he has told the story of life on the inside of long-term care.”

Mr. Bayne ran one of the largest long-term-care insurance brokerages in the United States, and a well-known Web site, mrltc.com, before being struck by early-stage Parkinson’s 18 years ago. After becoming seriously disabled, he moved to an assisted living center in upstate New York in 2002 — a difficult transition. Three years ago, Mr. Bayne relocated to a facility in northeastern Pennsylvania, where he has a single room and receives several hours of help from aides every day.

"Not Home" Documentary Screening & Panel: Children with Disabilities Living in Nursing Homes

Excerpt from: Mercury News (click for full article)

 

Disability advocates and policymakers will grapple with the shocking issue of children living in institutions on Monday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center in San Jose, CA, after watching a movie covering this complex topic.

A panel discussion lead by disability advocates will follow a 7 p.m. screening of Not Home. Award-winning filmmaker Narcel Reedus will be present to talk about making this documentary.

Assistive Technology Promotes Independence for People in Nursing Facilities

Excerpt from: Disability Blog (click for full article)

 

 Many people with disabilities living in nursing facilities cannot operate a manual wheelchair or communicate through speech.  However, people in these facilities can gain independence through Medicaid-funded assistive technology, such as power wheelchairs and augmentative communication devices.  This independence can help support their transition back into the community.

According to the Assistive Technology Act of 2004, 29 U.S.C. § 3002, an assistive technology device is “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”  This includes durable medical equipment (DME) and an unlimited range of other items that people with disabilities use in their daily lives.  Assistive technology services include evaluation, adaptation, training, repairs and maintenance.

Before the frat party, the nursing home

Excerpt from: McKnight's (click for full article)

 

A nursing home may be a harder sell than an elementary school as a potential workplace. But appealing to Millennials' strong sense of altruism may pay off. Appealing to their love of technology is also a no-brainer. Recent studies show nursing home residents stand to benefit from greater use of technology, whether they're connecting with loved ones over Facebook or getting their heart rate up with some Wii bowling.

Yet teaching residents about email, Skype and Facebook, and helping them use these tools on a regular basis, may be too time-consuming for staff to tackle. Isn't it possible that smartphone-savvy, tablet-loving, social media-fluent college students would rather earn a work-study paycheck playing video games with seniors than shelving library books or washing dining hall dishes?

Of course, bringing more young adults into the long-term care setting would not transform attitudes about aging overnight. Many residents could teach students about growing old with grace and demystify this stage of life, but nursing homes are places where some of the most challenging aspects of aging are confronted as well — and even a good marketing campaign won't get the truly fearful or squeamish to sign up as a work-study tech consultant at the nearest senior living center. But if nursing home life becomes less mysterious to some portion of the college crowd — who might tweet and even talk about their experiences with their peers — it would be a step toward changing perceptions more generally.

Elderly woman dies after Bakersfield nurse refuses to do CPR

Excerpt from: Los Angeles Times (click for full article)

 

According to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department, the woman told Halvorson that she was a nurse at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in Bakersfield. But the nurse refused to give the woman CPR as directed by the dispatcher, saying it was against the facility's policy for staff to do so, according to the tape.

The elderly woman was identified by KGET-TV Channel 17 as 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless. She died Tuesday at Mercy Southwest Hospital, the station reported.

Jeffrey Toomer, executive director of Glenwood Gardens, issued a statement on behalf of the facility, extending his sympathies to the Bayless family. But Toomer also defended the nurse, saying she followed policy.

"In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives," he said. "That is the protocol we followed. As with any incident involving a resident, we will conduct a thorough internal review of this matter, but we have no further comments at this time."

Senator Urges Federal Probe Into Abuse, Neglect Of Developmentally Disabled

Excerpt from: Hartford Courant (click for full article)

 

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is calling for a nationwide investigation into the "alarming number of deaths and cases of abuse" of developmentally disabled individuals at government-financed residential facilities.

Murphy sent a letter to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services Monday, requesting an immediate investigation, with an emphasis on preventable deaths at privately run group homes.

"Privatization of care may mean lower costs but without the proper oversight and requirements for well-trained staff," Murphy wrote to Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson. "While individuals with developmental disabilities may not be able to speak for themselves, we are not absolved of the responsibility to care for them in a humane and fair manner."