|
|
Post by lindywholoveskids on Oct 1, 2014 12:10:49 GMT
long term care insurance pays some, not all, of the monthly bill of a Skilled Nursing facility. the resident has to qualify for a certain number of ADL's (activities of daily living like managing meds, dressing self, etc)
|
|
MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,615 
|
Post by MerryMom on Oct 1, 2014 13:56:21 GMT
That sounds like what my grandmother had when she initially went to assisted living, as she got worse and her level of care increased, the costs got more expensive due to increased monitoring. So I would back off being "pea livid".
$3000 a month sounds like basic level of care to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by beanbuddymom on Oct 1, 2014 15:27:50 GMT
Don't get me started on the facilities for dementia care patients in this country - access, availability, cost, etc.
My dad died 7 months after diagnosis of dementia and what we went through as a family trying to get access for proper care for him was nothing short of a nightmare.
First of all, unless you are independently wealthy, or have one of those insurance plans that will pay for it, you are going to have to either have the ability to sell their home to pay for one or two years of their care. If you don't have that ability, such as in our case since stepmom was still living in the house and refused to sell it, you are going to have to find another way to pay. In her case she decided applying for Medicaid to pay for it was the way to go. The fact that my sister and had no ability to pay and no legal right to get proper care for our dad was another (if not the most) frustrating thing.
And then the fact that when we found places that could accommodate him the waiting list. Don't even get me started on waiting lists. TWO or THREE YEARS to get a bed in the homes we were looking in. The VA was completely useless. The Alzheimer's association was no help either unfortunately, I was and am still sick to my stomach at the sheer helplessness we were in trying to find a proper home for my dad because he was no longer able to live at home.
My dad died not long after having to leave the wonderful nursing care home he was in because Medicaid would no longer pay for it and we had to put him in assisted living. It was awful. My sister and I were trying to find another place to transfer him to when he took sick and ended up dying following hospitalization. I don't think he would have had to need hospitalization if he were still in the nursing care facility that he thrived in. It makes me so angry to think about it all over again. The only saving grace is that he did not have to suffer for years with his dementia and that he still had clear moments of memory. I just wish there was more help for those of us that aren't independently wealthy because not many of us have the $7000-8000 a month that is necessary to pay for a proper facility.
|
|
|
|
Post by tuva42 on Oct 1, 2014 15:33:10 GMT
@tishy - any update? Has your mom found a place for your dad?
|
|
|
|
Post by ilikepink on Oct 1, 2014 16:27:41 GMT
How very timely this post is! I just got the amendment for my Dad's assisted living facility - he's going from assisted to memory care, and the cost therefore goes up. $3300 a month. Yay.
|
|
|
|
Post by lindywholoveskids on Oct 1, 2014 18:39:24 GMT
one thing to watch for is whether the facility is certified in Memory Care, or do they just say that they can 'help' people with memory loss/cognitive loss.
this is a part of a health care crisis in our country. there are not enough excellent places to care for those with Alzheimers disease. the disease does have several stages, and it's individual case-by-case how long each patient is in each stage.
My MIL was in the middle stages for a few years, and now the late stage has taken hold. it's been a few months, so we just don't know what her life will be like till she dies. she does have such excellent nurses and administrative staff, that we don't worry at all about her from that standpoint.
|
|
oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,828
Location: Ontario,Canada
|
Post by oldcrow on Oct 1, 2014 19:57:38 GMT
Long term care is very different in Ontario, Canada. A private room costs about 2300 per month and the provincial government pays about equal.
This includes everything. The only thing the family has to supply is their clothes.
Now I am talking "nursing home" not assisted living (retirement home).
The Ministry of Health set all standards including how much the rooms cost. So it does not matter whether you are in a new nice one or an older not so nice one. It does not matter whether it is for profit or not for profit.
The ministry also decides how many nursing hours each home gets and the type of programs that must be offered. There is very little leeway. They also police the nursing homes and are very strict.
At the long term care facility I work in we no longer have a secure unit so our dementia residents are dispersed throughout the facility. At first we were worried about that but it has worked out fine for us. Although we no longer take aggressive residents.
The biggest problem is the lack of beds available and the number of beds is also decided by the ministry. They need to get to work on that as our population is aging and aging fast.
BTW anyone who does not have money to pay for a room in long term care is subsidized by the government for a basic room which is considered a four bed ward.
|
|
julieb
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,845
|
Post by julieb on Oct 1, 2014 21:49:15 GMT
My sister and bil had his mom in a facility that was $7000.00 a month and the first year was great. She was well taken care of, but the last few months her clothes have been dirty and clothing has gone missing. There are only 40 patients in the home, so for clothes to get lost is just ridiculous. They are moving her to a facility that has more care for dementia patients.
It sure is pretty scary when you think about having to leave your loved one in any place. I hope it works out that you find a good place for your dad.
|
|
|
|
Post by lindywholoveskids on Oct 2, 2014 11:19:11 GMT
Julie, your sister and BIL can go to the administrator if they haven't already. I don't know if loss is different from state to state, but where my MIL is we can get them to pay for anything that's lost.
we mark the clothing with permanent marker and there is an inventory of everything they bring in.
not sure where you live, but there are best practices from the county health dept.
I hope the new facility is better and meets the loved ones needs better.
if the staffing ratios are good/the way they should be/ the resident should get lots of attention and they should feel safe and comfortable.
the best places gain the best reputations, and people seem happy there, even with alzheimers or other illnesses.
|
|
|
|
Post by lindywholoveskids on Oct 2, 2014 12:11:12 GMT
Oh, the wonderful place my MIL is in is a private non-profit.
they have a beautiful garden, and an organic vegetable garden, tended to by some volunteers. the residents are able to eat some of the veggies, as they are planned into the diet.
the price scale is for private or semi-private.
there are 49 residents. always (24/7) there is a registered nurse on each of the 2 wings. that may be California law. not sure. there are lots of CNA's and nursing students (supervised) ...
The volunteers do lots of things, from sitting and talking to residents, to telling stories or playing music. there is a Shabbat service every Friday night, and a non-denominational church service on Sundays. I am pretty sure there is a part time chaplain but we haven't met that individual this time around. My MIL isn't (wasn't religious) but sometimes she likes the music!
|
|
