Several Bills Currently In Congress

There are several bills currently in Congress that will impact Medicare and senior service providers:

The first is a reintro­duced initiative to forgive student loans for those medical professionals who agree to service seniors in underserved ar­eas.

The second is a bill which would modify the new rule requiring a face to face doctor visit for ordering Medicare home health nursing services, by expanding the rule to allow nurse practitioners to order the visits as well.

Third, patients, families, and facilities are negatively impacted by the arcane rule requiring a three day stay in the hospital in order for Medicare to pay for the skilled nursing facility charges. There is a bill before Congress that would change this requirement to include “observation” time.

Thanks to Robin Smith Consulting for these valuable updates

Senior Abuse: An “Invisible and Silent” Crime

I was moved by an article in Saturday’s Boston Globe; Galvin Moves to Protect Elders’ Interests and thought that Patch readers might benefit from knowing more about this invisible, silent crime against elders.

Knowing that Secretary of State William Galvin took a first step towards rectifying the growing financial abuse against seniors by submitting a bill to the Massachusetts Legislature — a bill that would bar people with power of attorney from enriching themselves or otherwise abusing their authority — was satisfying, to say the least.

Better still is knowing that the legislation, filed earlier this year, states that those holding a power of attorney position must act in good faith. More importantly, it establishes that those holding power of attorney have a fiduciary duty to the people they represent — any action by them MUST benefit that person’s best interest.

Read the FULL story

What Is Home Health Care?

Simply stated it is the physical and mental supportive system and care services provided to those persons wishing to remain in their homes or assisted living apartments by a caregiver, caregiving agency, and/or assisted living environment when they can no longer perform (without help) the day-to-day activities of everyday living.

Today, many persons are opting for home care, and or home care assistance in assisted living environments as outpatient care has become the ‘norm’ for hospitals and insurance companies. Home care is appealing to many of us as we most often feel that our home is an extension of ourselves.  Receiving ‘in-home-health-care’ can be a great benefit to those recovering from surgery or other medical procedures that can limit their ability to easily take care of themselves, or maybe they just require a little extra help managing things as they grow older or maybe they are learning to live with a medical condition or disability. Whatever the scenario, I urge you to review and consider the questions below as this ‘issue’ nears closer to you and yours.

Read More Here

 

 

 

Home Instead Senior Care Is On Cable!

Finally, we are ON AIR! Just wanted to let our BLOG, TWITTER and FACEBOOK friends and readers know that the Home Instead Senior Care cable show is on! Hope you enjoy watching and hearing from those business’ and people who offer additional support and help to the growing population of seniors. It is my hope that the cable show will offer insight into better managing our families as we all enter into the ‘golden years.’ Here’s the cable station internet, AACS link where you may view the shows that have previously aired. Each week additional shows will be added. Lots more to come…guests are already booked through August. Any ideas for what you may want to know more about, your comments and/or input is always appreciated!

Boomers Turn 65!

In 2011, the baby boomer generation turns 65. So what can the Boomers expect in their retirement years? This week CNN will bring you special coverage of this generation.

What plagues baby boomers?

Sex, drugs and a rocky road, said Jim Bacon, author of “Boomergeddon.”

Boomers are less healthy and heavier than their parents were at their age. And they pop far more pills than the previous generation; an average 50-year-old man takes four prescription medications daily, according to AARP.

For More:

What, The Boomers Are Retiring?

Every now and again when I find another BLOG or column that is relevant or has what I call ‘stuff to think about’ I like to post a copy here. Recently I had an opportunity to speak with Steve Davis, a Certified Financial Planner from Mansfield and he offered up several of his articles. I felt this one was apropos!

The last time I visited my parents in Florida, we were missing one ingredient needed for that night’s dinner. I offered to take a “quick” run to the store to pick it up. Well, if you’ve ever gone grocery shopping there, you’ll know that there is no such thing as a quick run to the store. You see, the people there don’t work anymore and have all the time in the world — I got back just in time for dessert. Okay, I may be exaggerating but you get the point; there are a lot of retirees in Southern Florida. Believe it or not, it won’t be long before the whole country has the same proportion of “seniors” as Florida does today. Can you believe that the first of the baby boomer generation turned 65 years old on January 1 of this year? It’s true. And for the next 19 years, ten thousand boomers a day will reach that milestone. I was born in 1963 and that means that I’m among the last of the Baby Boomers. By the time I reach retirement age it is estimated that nearly 20 percent of the US population will be age 65 or older.

For the remainder of this article (and important subject, click here…)

Yes Virginia, We Are Aging

Baby boomers do not want to believe they are aging. We are the quintessential ‘hippies’ and rebels. Alas we have come to realize the process cannot be stopped and the topic has become the ‘in’ thing to write and read about. If you find yourself obsessed about weight gain, sex drive or chronic diseases, remember ONE thing… the key to healthy aging is a healthy lifestyle. And as simplified as that may sound…eating a variety of healthy foods, practicing portion control and including physical activity in your day-to-day routine can go a long way toward increasing your chances of aging well. If you haven’t given the process much though it’s never too late to begin making lifestyle changes in order to feel better…

However, I cannot stress enough that anti-aging therapies — such as restrictive diets, supplements or expensive treatments claiming to postpone or even reverse the aging process — may not be fully vetted, so you should tread cautiously. There’s no quick fix for healthy aging. You need to KNOW what it is you’re buying, and fully understand exactly what the treatment entails and WHAT it will deliver…

Tackling Care as Chronic Ailments Pile Up

No one said it was going to be easy and with the most recent figures coming to light, all will have to agree that it isn’t going to be an easy task…but clearly our older seniors are requiring care that ‘someone’ is going to have to pay for; ‘looking away’ is not an option.

Anyone seriously interested in improving the health of Americans and reducing the costs of health care must be willing to tackle a growing and under-appreciated problem: the vast number of patients with more than one chronic illness.

The problem is actually two problems: delivering more efficient care to these patients and helping them not to get sick in the first place.

Both tasks require the cooperation of patients and caregivers, as well as the providers of health care and the agencies that pay for it — and, at least as important, a public willing to take proven steps to reduce the risk of chronic disease.

The statistics, as reported in December in a strategy report from the Department of Health and Human Services, say it all. More than 25 percent of Americans have two or more chronic conditions — which, by definition, require continuing medical care, and often limit their ability to perform activities of daily living. (The conditions include heart disease, diabetes, obstructive lung disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, asthma, H.I.V., mental illness and dementia, among others.)

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More Prevalent Than You May Believe

The story below outlines the fact that senior abuse can and does happen in all walks of life. The rich and the powerful may be as susceptible to it as those living on median (or less) incomes. Abuse may be the result of family dynamics, stress, financial issues…whatever the cause…if you see it (or think you see it) please share your findings with someone who can help before a tragedy ensues. Actor Mickey Rooney has been the alleged victim of elder abuse at the hands of his own stepkids, according to restraining orders filed Monday. The 90-year-old actor, who, born into vaudeville has had one of the longest careers of any actor, was granted court protection from stepson Chris Aber and his stepdaughter Christina Aber, after he filed a case against them charging verbal, emotional and financial abuse, and for denying him such basic necessities as food and medicine. The court documents say that both Chris and Christina Aber have been keeping Rooney as “effectively a prisoner in his own home” through the use of threats, intimidation and harassment. Read More Here

Long Term Care Insurance

Surprise bills do NOT make us happy! So if you haven’t researched long-term care, now may be the TIME to do so. Please realize Medicare does NOT cover long-term care. Medicare does offer LIMITED skilled-care nursing home benefits under certain conditions (maximum of 100 days) and in home skilled care benefits under very LIMITED conditions (medically necessary and NOT daily). Most long-term care policies reimburse for custodial, non-medical care…a service that is NOT covered by Medicare, Medicare supplements or health insurance. Costs for long-term care policies vary in every state, but here are some nationally recognized figures:

A median rate of $24 per hour for custodial care/non-medical services; approximately $192 for an eight-hour shift

The median monthly rate for a one bedroom unit in an assisted living facility is $4550; approximately $54,600 annually

The median daily cost for a private room in a nursing home is $321; approximately $9764 per month; or $117,165 per year

In addition, consider that inflation WILL increase the cost of care over time. On the bright side…most long term care policies now offer built-in inflation riders or options to purchase more coverage in the future (regardless of your health).

If you already have a long-term care health policy be sure to review it periodically with your carrier and if you haven’t yet opted in…think about consulting an agent. TIP: Vet several agents and companies before signing on the dotted line…it is MOST important that you know exactly WHAT you are paying for and the options the policy is providing!