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Finding EXCELLENCE in Senior Healthcare

As a health care professional for the past 15+ years I’ve always felt pretty confident I could find a good doctor, pharmacist, caregiver, physical therapist, or nurse if the time ever came that I needed one…especially in a crisis. I was recently put on the caregiver side of the health care equation – nothing earth shattering, but my son broke his leg and it came with a unique set of circumstances. Lost dreams of a summer soccer season, bike riding and swimming with friends, and a choir trip to Alaska were all things that suddenly seemed very much shattered. As his mom and caregiver I found myself wondering about all these things and a hundred others. I was squarely in a situation that was out of my control to direct. We were at the mercy of whatever orthopedic doctor the scheduler assigned to us.

I imagine this is how family members feel when a senior in crisis is referred to a nursing home for rehab or to a home care agency for on-going care. How do I know I’m going to like the person that is assigned to me? Will they take enough time for me? Will they answer my questions? Are they any good at what they do? Do they provide quality care? How do I know that what they are telling me is correct? How do I know what I don’t know?

What happened next on our broken leg journey was nothing short of anxiety inducing. The doctor we saw didn’t have time for us, he couldn’t relate to my son, and looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about pain control. We left his office without any instructions on my son’s restrictions or care. We also left with newfound gratitude for my profession as an occupational therapist; we would have been totally lost otherwise. What I realized after the shock of the appointment wore off was this: a broken bone had become routine to this doctor. It was a mechanical issue that needed repair – there was no passion for the care of the patient. To my son and our family a broken bone was anything other than routine; it was a loss of some short-term hopes and dreams. This is no different for a senior who sustains a fall, has a heart attack, or develops dementia – plans are changed, dreams are shattered, lives are disrupted…that IS NOT routine. How do you find an individual provider or senior care agency that will help you compensate, adapt, and be compassionate around these issues?

Here are a few ideas:

General / Health Care Posted by Staff 10 Sep 2015 / 0 comments

Resource for Alzheimer’s/Dementia: MEternally

MEternally is who you are, where you come from, what may not be seen but is still there. We believe that connections can be made between those with dementia and those who love and care for them through pictures of things that they love and identify with. These same pictures can provide comfort and promote reminiscence.

What started as a college class project has turned into a business dedicated to create comfort, promote connections, and inspire reminiscence. Below is an article that was written which actually gives a very good history of how it all came about. Snap of the past, connects to today – Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Through our software and DVD products we provide collections of common and creative themes and continue our progress towards custom and deeply meaningful products at reasonable prices for those affected by dementia. The first DVD in the series (Favorite Things – Nature Collection) is ready to ship with others scheduled throughout the year. We also have an active software pilot which we offer through our website, in exchange for feedback on how we can make our product better. People can sign up to participate in the software pilot, purchase DVDs, or find out more about us on our website. MEternally.com

Review in Alzlive.com

General / Health Care Posted by Staff 01 May 2015 / 0 comments

When Care At Home Is No Longer Possible

While you and other families provide 75 percent of long-term care in this country, at some point it may become impossible to provide care in the home. Necessary care may be too specialized, too expensive, or may be required 24 hours a day. For many families, moving a loved one to a residential care setting is the most difficult decision they will ever face.

Residential Care May Be The Right Decision If:

The person has health needs that can’t be met at home.
The caregiver is emotionally and physically exhausted and family and community resources have already been tried.
The person can’t be safely cared for at home.
The caregiver’s safety is at risk.
Although the person you care for may not need residential care now, it’s smart to prepare for that possibility. It’s stressful to arrange for care during a crisis; you may find yourself with care you would not have chosen if you had more preparation time.

General / Health Care / Housing Posted by Staff 21 Feb 2015 / 0 comments

Care Management: What it is and how we help

Geriatric Care Managers, also known as Care Consultants, Care Coordinators or Elder Care Managers are professionals who specialize in working with seniors and their families to coordinate their care needs. A Geriatric Care Manager may be a nurse, social worker, counselor, psychologist or gerontologist who has training and experience specifically in working with older people. Geriatric Care Managers help with short-term projects or can be involved in a more on-going relationship. Geriatric Care Managers offer a large variety of services to assist older people and their families in meeting their care needs.

Geriatric Care Managers can:

Financial / General / Health Care / Housing / Legal Posted by Staff 25 Jun 2014 / 0 comments

Partnership Plans for Long Term Care

Many states are assisting their residents to buy LTC insurance.

A helping hand for a pressing need – With the baby boom generation maturing, numerous studies and articles have pointed out the rising need for long term care. Some state governments have directly responded to it.

Now, many states have created partnership programs to encourage their residents to purchase LTC insurance coverage. It only makes sense: if more people opt to privately insure themselves, a state will face less of a burden and less liability when it comes to its own eldercare programs and eldercare costs.

How the partnership plans work – Essentially, these plans provide dollar-for-dollar asset protection when you buy an LTC policy. So for every dollar the policy pays out in benefits, you get an equal dollar amount in asset protection under a state’s Medicaid spend-down regulations.

What does this mean for you? It means that you are able to retain assets you would otherwise have to spend down before you could qualify for state Medicaid benefits. These partnership plans let you protect an amount of funds equal to the amount the policy pays out in benefits and still qualify for state Medicaid assistance (as long as you have used up all policy benefits and still require long term care).

Financial / General / Health Care Posted by Staff 15 Apr 2014 / 0 comments

Learning more about ACT on Alzheimer’s

Collaborative Work and Goals for ACTing on Alzheimer’s

Caregiver Support Priority and Local Resources

The work of ACT on Alzheimer’s® succeeds largely because of the passion and commitment of the partners, supporters, action communities and Minnesotans dedicated to preparing our state for the future.

As a statewide collaboration, ACT on Alzheimer’s fosters collective ownership and accountability in preparing Minnesota for the personal, social and budgetary impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. No single organization owns, finances or controls the initiative. The collaboration has more than 250 participants, including 60+ nonprofit, governmental and private organizations, and works toward five goals:

General / Health Care Posted by Staff 03 Mar 2014 / 0 comments