Nursing homes: making the right choice.Emma's family didn't know what to do. Her son put grab bars in the shower. Her daughter brought lunch over every day. The neighbors checked in often. But at 82 Emma needed more help. She wasn't able to manage her medicines and she was having a regular problem with incontinence incontinence Inability to control excretion. Starting and stopping urination relies on normal function in pelvic and abdominal muscles, diaphragm, and control nerves. Babies' nervous systems are too immature for urinary control. Later incontinence may reflect disorders (e.g. . Then she forgot to take her key out of the front door, and she left the water running in the kitchen sink all night. Staying home alone just wasn't working for Emma. There are many choices that Emma's family might look into--one of them is a nursing home. What Is a Nursing Home? A nursing home is a place for people who don't need to be in a hospital but can no longer be cared for at home. Most nursing homes have nursing aides Noun 1. nursing aide - someone who assists a nurse in tasks that require little formal training nurse's aide auxiliary, aide - someone who acts as assistant and skilled nurses on hand 24-hours a day. Sometimes a nursing home is the best choice for people who need personal and medical care. Nursing homes can be: Hospital-like. This type of nursing home is often set up like a hospital. Staff give medical care, as well as physical, speech, and occupational therapy. There can be a nurses station on each floor. As a rule, one or two people live in a room. A number of nursing homes will let couples live together. Things that make a room special, like family photos, are often welcome. Household-like. These facilities are designed to be more like homes and the day-to-day routine isn't fixed. Teams of staff and residents try to create a neighborhood feel. Kitchens are often open to residents, decorations give a sense of home, and staff are encouraged to develop relationships with residents. Some nursing homes have visiting doctors who see their patients on site. Other nursing homes have patients visit the doctor's office. Nursing homes sometimes have separate areas called Special Care Units for people with serious memory problems, often called dementia dementia (dĭmĕn`shə) [Lat.,=being out of the mind], progressive deterioration of intellectual faculties resulting in apathy, confusion, and stupor. In the 17th cent. . When looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a nursing home, it's important for families to think about these special needs. How Do You Choose? If you are looking for a nursing home here are some things to keep in mind: * Look. What choices are in your area? Is there a place close to family and friends? What's important to you--nursing care, meals, a religious connection, hospice hospice, program of humane and supportive care for the terminally ill and their families; the term also applies to a professional facility that provides care to dying patients who can no longer be cared for at home. care, or Special Care Units for dementia care? * Ask. Talk with friends, relatives, social workers, and religious groups to find out what places they suggest. * Ask doctors which nursing homes they feel provide good care? * Call. Get in touch with each place on your list. Ask questions about how many people live there and what it costs. Find out about waiting lists. * Visit. Make plans to meet with the director and the nursing director. The Medicare Nursing Home Checklist (see Resources That Can Help) has a good list to use when visiting. Some things to look for: ** Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid U.S. government programs in effect since 1966. Medicare covers most people 65 or older and those with long-term disabilities. Part A, a hospital insurance plan, also pays for home health visits and hospice care. certification ** handicap access ** strong odors Odors anosmia Medicine. the absence of the sense of smell; olfactory anesthesia. Also called anosphrasia. — anosmic, adj. halitosis bad breath; an unpleasant odor emanating from the mouth. (either bad or good) ** many food choices ** residents who look well cared for ** enough staff for the number of patients * Talk. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask how long the director and department heads (nursing, food, and social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales ) have worked at the nursing home. If key staff change a lot, that could mean there is a problem. * Visit again. Make a second visit without first calling. Try another day of the week or time of day so you will meet other staff members and see other activities. Stop by at mealtime. Do people seem to be enjoying their food? * Understand. Once you choose, carefully read the contract. Check with your State Ombudsman ombudsman (äm`bədzmən) [Swed.,=agent or representative], public official appointed to deal with individual complaints against government acts. (see Resources That Can Help) for help making sense of the contract. Do Nursing Homes Have To Meet Standards? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers the Medicare program and (CMS (1) See content management system and color management system. (2) (Conversational Monitor System) Software that provides interactive communications for IBM's VM operating system. ) asks each State to inspect any nursing home that gets money from the government. Homes that don't pass inspection are not certified See certification. . Ask to see the current inspection report and certification of homes you are thinking about. Visit www.medicare.gov for more information. Paying for Nursing Home Care People pay for nursing home care in many ways: * Private pay. Some people pay for long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. with their own savings for as long as possible. When that is no longer possible, they may get help from Medicaid. If you think you may need to apply for Medicaid at some point, make sure the nursing home accepts it. Not all homes do. * Medicaid. This is a State program for people with low incomes. Each State decides who qualifies. Contact your State government to learn if you qualify. Keep in mind that getting approved for Medicaid can take 3 or more months. * Long-term care insurance. Some people buy private long-term care insurance. It can pay part of the costs for a nursing home or other long-term care. This type of insurance is sold by many different companies and benefits vary widely. Look carefully at several policies before making a choice. Many people believe Medicare will pay for long stays in a nursing home, but it doesn't. It is important to check with Medicare and private "Medigap" (Medicare add-on) insurance to find out the current rules. For example, Medicare may only cover the first 100 days in a skilled nursing home for people needing special care after leaving the hospital. When thinking about costs, keep in mind that there can be extra out-of-pocket charges for some supplies, personal care like hair appointments, laundry, and services that are outside routine care. Resources That Can Help The rules about programs and benefits for nursing homes can change. Medicare has some helpful resources online. Visit www.medicare.gov for information about different care options. You can find nursing homes in your area that are approved by the CMS by visiting the Medicare website. You can also see summaries of recent inspection reports. Visit Nursing Home Compare at www.medicare.gov/NHCompare. The Nursing Home Checklist at the same website is a good guide to use when thinking about nursing homes. Many States have State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Programs (SHIP). These programs can help you choose the health insurance that is right for you and your family. Visit www.medicare.gov/ Nursing/Payment.asp. Each State also has a Long-Term Care Ombudsman office that helps people learn about long-term care. Your local office may be able to answer general questions about a specific nursing home. Also, once you are living in a nursing home, the Ombudsman can help solve problems you may have with a facility. The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center has more information. Visit www.ltcombudsman.org. A veteran in need of long-term care might be able to get help through the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs is a term of the business that deals with the relation between a government and its veteran communities, usually administered by the designated government agency. programs. Visit www.va.gov or call VA Health Care Benefits toll-free at 877-222-8387. You can also contact a VA medical center near you. For More Information Here are some helpful Federal and non-Federal resources. AARP AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to "enriching the experience of aging"; membership is open to people age 50 or older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus as American Association of Retired Persons, AARP now has over 30 million 601 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20049 888-687-2277 (toll-free) www.aarp.org American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
2519 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008 202-783-2242 www.aahsa.org American Health Care Association The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is non-profit federation of affiliated state health organizations, together representing more than 10,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers that care for 1201 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 202-842-4444 www.ahca.org Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227/toll-free) www.medicare.gov Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles. Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a one-lane divided road (it , NW Washington, DC 20420 VA Benefits: 800-827-1000 (toll-free) Health Care Benefits: 877-222-8387 (toll-free) 800-829-4833 (TTY/toll-free) www.va.gov FirstGov for Seniors www.seniors.gov National Citizens' Coalition
1828 L Street, NW, Suite 801 Washington, DC 20036 202-332-2275 www.nccnhr.org National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 801 Washington, DC 20036 202-332-2275 www.ltcombudsman.org For more information on health and aging, including the publication There's No Place Like Home For Growing Old, contact: National Institute on Aging The National Institute on Aging is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland. Formed in 1974, NIA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of older Americans through research. It is the primary U.S. Information Center PO Box 8057 Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057 800-222-2225 (toll-free) 800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free) www.nia.nih.gov To order publications (in English or Spanish) or sign up for regular email alerts, visit www.nia.nih.gov/ HealthInformation. Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov (www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a senior-friendly website from the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine. This website has health information for older adults. There are also special features that make it simple to use. For example, you can click on a button to have the text read out loud or to make the type larger. For more information on Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. , including a copy of Resource List: Choosing Healthcare Services and Long-Term Care Facilities long-term care facility n. See skilled nursing facility. , contact: Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR ADEAR Alzheimer's Disease Education And Referral Center ) PO Box 8250 Silver Spring, MD 20907-8250 800-438-4380 (toll-free) www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers |
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