July 2008 Entries
Have you discussed with your family and loved ones how you would prefer to receive senior care, should the need arise?
Many times, individuals do not press charges against a person who has stolen items from them or a Judge will allow arrest info to be removed from someone's record if they perform Community Service. This means there are individuals who have multiple arrests for theft, drugs or other crimes, and yet this information will not show up on their Background Check.
Senior Home Care Agencies offer the advantage of a flexible schedule which may be easily adjusted. This allows families to introduce caregiving services to a loved one slowly. Agencis offer an hourly and daily rate for care.
Senior Home Care Agencies have Policies & Procedures in place to insure the senior client will receive quality care and that both the Client and the Caregiver are protected in the employee-employer situation. Independent Contractor Caregivers do not provide clients with this insurance protection nor the layers of professional care management which offer active supervision of the client and the care.
What are the ways you can pay for senior care? Medicare does not provide for long-term care, although many Americans have this perception because Medicaid does pay for long-term care nursing home stays for low-income seniors who qualify for Medicaid benefits.
Sometimes seniors who are experiencing memory loss present unique care challenges, as their confusion about people, places and time of day can present safety challenges in providing quality care and offer an easy avenue to be verbally and physically abusive towards Caregivers.
By understanding the information a Senior Home Care Agency needs to effectively manage elder care, you can more effectively communicate your care needs and insure a successful relationship.
As Medicare only pays for nursing home care for a few months after a major medical incident, and Medicaid provides for nursing care for low-income seniors who have virtually no assets, alternative options are becoming more common. Assisted Living Communities and Senior Home Care Agencies are able to provide for many elder care needs.
The number one form of elder abuse is financial. Many times the abuser is a relative. Professionally managed care, through a Senior Home Care Agency, prevents finanical abuse through proper policies and procedures for the Caregiver to follow.
Assisted Living is a term which does not have a standard definition within the senior care industry. While it usually guarantees there are meals available in a dining room, nurses on staff to monitor medical conditions, appropriate senior activities and transportation, this varies widely depending on the community. At the same time, while more services may be available, they may not be included in the monthly rental fee and result in additional costs.
Ted Kennedy, who can relate to the needs of senior care as he is battling a brain tumor, saved the day by flying to Washington, D.C. between chemo treatments to cast a "Yes" vote for the stalled Medicare legislation. This will prevent the 10.6 rate cut on reimbursements to medical doctors providing care to seniors on Medicare insurance.
Fidelity Investments recently released a study showing that a senior couple should expect to pay $85,000 on average, to cover long-term care insurance premiums.
Caregiverlist.com called nursing homes around the country to find out their daily costs and compares these with the costs of care in the home by a Senior Home Care Agency.
Medicare reimbursement payments to doctors were cut beginning July 1st, offering another reason for doctors to leave the program.