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Long-Term Care

How much does nursing home care cost?

By Asset Protection Planning, Elder Law, Long-Term Care, Medicaid Planning

The costs of nursing home care vary wildly from state to state, and often within the same state. According to www.payingforseniorcare.com, nursing home care in Florida ranges from $181.00 per day to $506 per day. The average cost in Florida is $260 per day.

On the website for the Florida Health Care Association, one can find yet more information about nursing home care in Florida. For instance, from the 683 licensed nursing homes in Florida, the median annual cost for care is $94,900. Though there are 73,000 nursing home care residents at any given time in our state, Florida maintains one of the lowest over-65 population to nursing home population ratios in the United States.

Other options for long-term care such as assisted living and home care are generally less costly than nursing home care, depending on the care need and level of care. The attorneys at Bach, Jacobs & Byrne, P.A. assist senior citizens and their families in planning for long-term care, including Medicaid planning to protect a family’s assets. If you are in need of assistance, call us at (941) 906-1231.

September 24, 2018
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Which common policy terms should I compare when purchasing long-term care insurance?

By Asset Protection Planning, Elder Law, Long-Term Care, Medicaid Planning

Long-term care insurance policies are not standardized from insurer to insurer, and thus the policies differ in many ways. There are, however, key provisions used across the board by Florida long-term care insurers. The American Health Care Association specifies that, in Florida:

-“Long term care policies… may cover at least 24 months of skilled, intermediate or custodial nursing home coverage supervised or recommended by a doctor.”

– “Long term care policies or certificates must provide at least one lower level of care, such as home health care or adult day care. The benefits for this lower level of care must have at least half the benefits of the nursing home care, in both the benefit period and the benefit amount.”

Beyond these, common policy points to be considered when comparing long-term care insurance policies include the following:

-Reimbursement levels

-Covered services

-Daily benefit amount

-Benefit period

-Payment options

-Inflation protection

Online, one can find many useful tools to help ensure that you are taking all relevant factors into consideration when purchasing long-term care insurance. Some of these tools include the free Long Term Care Partners, LLC “Benefits and Features Worksheet,” as well as the website for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. An FAQs sheet from the state agency regarding Medicaid can be found here: https://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/ltc_partnership_program/pdfs/Florida_LTCP_FAQs_7-26-11.pdf.

August 21, 2018
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Long-Term Care Benefits for Veterans

By Long-Term Care, Veterans Affairs

There are more than 12.4 million veterans over 65 who have served our country in a multitude of ways. Elderly Veterans may be eligible for a variety of benefits that are available, including: disability, pension, compensation, health care, education, home loans, insurance, employment, burial and vocational rehabilitation.

There are two programs geared specifically towards elderly veterans that provide them with additional money if they are eligible for receiving a pension benefit. The first, Aid and Attendance, will be given to veterans who are either bedridden, residing in a nursing home, have significantly impaired vision or require help performing daily functions. The second program, Housebound, gives veterans an augmented pension if they are confined to their immediate premises due to a disability that is permanently inflicted upon them.

Healthcare benefits are often provided to elderly veterans as well. Elderly veterans with a myriad of healthcare needs can receive geriatric care either in their residence, at VA medical centers, in long-term care programs or in the community.

To learn more about these benefits and to determine your eligibility or that of a loved one, visit the Veterans Affairs website and peruse the “benefits” section. To apply, you can go online and complete the process through eBenefits, work with a representative or go to a VA regional office and have an employee assist you. Babette Bach, esq. is a Board Certified Elder Lawyer and can advise you about public benefits available to seniors, including veterans benefits.

 

May 4, 2018
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Who are Senior Living Advisors?

By Long-Term Care

It can be difficult to make decisions regarding where your senior loved one should reside once they start needing extra assistance with daily activities. Senior Living Advisors are individuals who can help you and your loved one transition seamlessly into senior care and help with difficult decisions such as whether your loved one should live in an independent living facility, assisted living facility, nursing facility or receive healthcare services at home. Many senior living advisor services are free and are designed to help families decide the scope of care their senior loved one needs, as well as how and where this care should be provided. The Senior Living Advisor appointed to your loved one will be able to assess what they need in their home or at a medical facility. These advisors will research possible senior care facilities in your area and assess the different aspects of each so that they can give the most comprehensive advice possible. They can even accompany your loved one on tours of facilities that are possible candidates and will talk through any problems or concerns that they may have.

April 17, 2018
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Useful Smartphone Applications for Caregivers

By Long-Term Care

With technology constantly advancing, there are now smartphone applications that can be used for almost anything and caregiving is no exception. Technology can be very helpful when it comes to caring for an elderly loved one, especially if you are informed about all the elder care applications available. On that note, here’s a list of some caregiving and elder care applications on the market.

  • Caring Village : Caring village is a free app designed specifically for family caregivers that allows you to easily keep track of and coordinate your loved one’s care. This app includes personalized to do lists, customizable care plans, a centralized calendar, a medication list, space for document storage, a wellness journal, secure messaging and a preparedness checklist. Each “village” created through this app focuses on a specific individual that needs care and anyone involved in this individual’s care can be invited to join their village. All the members that are approved to join someone’s village can get access to care plans, scheduling and other features of the app. Caring Village is a way to connect individuals who are involved in the care of a loved one and to keep them all informed regarding an individual’s care.

 

  • Elder 911 and Elder 411: Elder 911 and Elder 411 are actually two different apps that were developed by the same company. Elder 911 provides information regarding what to do in an emergency situation involving an elderly person. This app includes a “crisis timeline” that you can use to navigate the different stages of a medical emergency involving an elderly loved one. It also includes tips regarding how to react to medical emergencies, interactive checklists to keep you on track and audio introductions to help prepare you for each crisis stage. Elder 411, on the other hand, provides over 500 pieces of advice organized into 11 eldercare topics to give you solutions to an array of caregiving problems. This app is fully searchable and includes written and audio tips as well as video lectures.

 

  • eCare 21: ECare21 is a remote patient monitoring app that allows you to monitor an elderly individual through a variety of non-intrusive wireless devices. This app has the ability to monitor and track glucose levels, physical activity, heart rate, weight, calorie intake, medication adherence and sleep, among other things. This helps to reduce the risk of hospitalization and emergency care in elderly individuals. In addition to its monitoring services, eCare 21 also offers a care plan that can be managed through the app, medication reminders and even a competitive feature where you can compare your health to those of your friends who also use the app. This app can help bring peace of mind to caregivers and their patients or loved ones, while also tracking an individual’s health and wellness.

 

  • iPharmacy Pro: iPharmacy Pro provides information regarding prescription medications. It has a pill identifier tool that you can use to accurately identify any medication that your loved one may be taking. Once the medication is identified, iPharmacy Pro will provide a detailed description of the drug, a drug picture and any images in their Drug Database. This app can also be used to search for drug side effects, and can give information regarding a drug’s potential interactions with other medications. This app may be useful to a caregiver that assists an individual who has to take a multitude of medications or often changes the types of medications they take.
April 10, 2018
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Volunteer Ombudsmen Look-Out for the Elderly

By Long-Term Care

In the state of Florida, a long-term care ombudsman is a trained volunteer that advocates for senior citizens and assists in improving the quality of life of residents in long-term care facilities. Volunteer ombudsmen work with patients in long-term care facilities, such as nursing or assisted-living homes, to identify and investigate common issues that residents may be facing. This allows the ombudsman program to advocate for residents of these facilities and help improve their lives. Ombudsman volunteers are trained to listen to the concerns and problems of residents and to make them feel heard. However, certified volunteer ombudsmen receive additional training that allows them to investigate residents’ concerns and help resolve them. These volunteers come from all walks of life but share one common goal: helping improve the quality of life of senior citizens living in long-term care facilities.

 

March 16, 2018
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The Prevalence of Resident-on-Resident Elder Abuse in Nursing Facilities

By Long-Term Care

A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine states that at least one in five nursing facility residents is subject to abuse by other nursing facility residents. A large amount of this aggression in nursing facilities is due to the fact that some residents suffering from Alzheimer’s or Dementia are being placed in communal living environments that are unfamiliar to them, as they likely spent most of their lives in a private residence. This factor can exacerbate the behavioral issues in some individuals with these afflictions and increase the likelihood of conflict in nursing facilities. Resident-on-resident abuse can take on many forms, including: physical, verbal or sexual abuse.

Many individuals that reside in nursing facilities have lowered inhibitions due to mental or physical impairment, which can contribute to the rate of resident-on-resident abuse as well. To combat this issue, there are steps nursing facilities can take to reduce agitation in patients suffering from dementia or other neurodegenerative disorders. These include, but are not limited to: reducing or eliminating loud noises, introducing music therapy, introducing aromatherapy, reducing overcrowding, aiding residents in getting more exercise and eliminating the use of overly bright lighting. Additionally, caregivers in nursing facilities can be taught more effective techniques for handling situations in which a resident with Alzheimer’s or Dementia becomes agitated.

March 9, 2018
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Nursing Facilities: What is Myth and What is Fact?

By Long-Term Care

Many people are not as informed regarding the different aspects of nursing facility care as they would like to be, and many have been misinformed as to what a nursing facility care encompasses and entails. A nursing facility, sometimes referred to as a nursing home or skilled nursing facility, is a communal residence that provides a high level of long-term personal or nursing care for elderly individuals who are unable to care for themselves properly. To help clear up some of the confusion regarding the purpose of nursing facilities, this post will list several myths regarding nursing facilities and provide facts that disprove these myths.

Myth #1: All The People Who Live In Nursing Facilities Are Dying

Nursing facilities provide medical services to individuals that have conditions that require continuous care. Many nursing facility residents are not dying, but rather need higher levels of care than can be provided by an assisted living facility.

Myth #2: Nursing Facility Is Another Term For Hospital

Nursing facilities are not hospitals, although they provide many types of medical and nursing care. In a nursing facility, residents are cared for while also maintaining as active a lifestyle as possible. Nursing facilities do not have restrictive visiting hours and the environment in a nursing facility is much less clinical than it is in a hospital. Additionally, nursing facilities offer activities to keep residents engaged in the community and that allow for socialization.

Myth #3: Residents of Nursing Facilities Lose All Their Independence

Nursing facilities respect and encourage independence as much as possible. Becoming afflicted with a condition that requires admittance into a nursing facility does not mean an individual is losing their independence, but simply that they need extra assistance with day-to-day tasks. Additionally, as long as they are not incapacitated, nursing facility residents retain all their legal rights and can make choices about their activities, schedule and health care, among other things.

Myth #4: There Is No Privacy In A Nursing Facility

In a nursing facility, residents’ rooms are considered private and staff will knock before entering. A resident’s room is their own domain and they are given as much personal space as is allowed for their medical care to still be provided in an effective manner. However, if residents want to engage socially, there are community areas in which they have the ability to do so.

February 23, 2018
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Hasbro’s “Joy For All” Companion Pets: Could They Be A Vital Tool for Boosting Morale In Nursing Homes?

By Long-Term Care

Hasbro has created a new brand of product entitled Companion Pets that are designed for purchase and utilization by elderly individuals. On the Companion Pets website you are presented with two options; you can either purchase a Companion Cat or a Companion Dog (The Companion Cat comes in multiple colors). These “pets” are actually robotic animals complete with fur as well as the abilities to move, fall asleep, roll over and make noises. They have been used in therapy settings to comfort dementia patients and given as presents to aging friends or parents that are in need of companionship but cannot take care of an actual animal. Additionally, these Companion Pets are commonly used by nursing homes to bring joy to their residents and calm them down should they become agitated. In some cases, Companion Pets have calmed nursing home residents down from a panic and prevented staff from being forced to utilize a tranquilizing agent on them. These robotic animals are battery operated, but can complete realistic movements that an actual cat or dog would and even make animal sounds. These pets will even fall asleep after a few minutes of an individual not petting them or giving them attention, only to wake back up as soon as they are touched or held. If a nursing home or assisted living facility does not allow pets or, at the very least, has strict rules regarding them, this may be an option for an elderly individual who lives alone in a place such as this and lacks companionship.

January 23, 2018
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My Elderly Loved One Has Recently Been Hospitalized and Assigned a Case Manager. What does this Mean?

By Long-Term Care

It is important that, should your elderly loved one become hospitalized, you understand how each individual member of the hospital staff contributes to their care. While most people are familiar with the general duties of doctors and nurses, many have never heard of the role of case manager (sometimes referred to as a discharge planner). A case manager is someone who works with senior patients that have been hospitalized and develops a plan of care for them. Essentially, they are an advocate for their patients, working closely with them to determine their medical needs and wishes in order to ascertain what the best care strategy is for each individual. Talk to your elderly loved one and ensure that they understand the case manager’s role. Additionally, advise tell them to communicate honestly and openly with their case manager so that this individual will be able to get as accurate an idea as possible regarding the type of care plan that needs to be implemented. If you are someone’s healthcare surrogate, you may also need to be involved in planning with a case manager.

January 9, 2018
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