New Internet Service Delivers Relief to Families of Those in Long-Term Care

from International Business Times:


COLUMBUS,
Ohio and PHOENIX, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a newInternet
service available that changes the communication paradigm inlong-term
care. Addressing the family's basic need to stay informed, it
allowslong-term care providers to give them regular proactive wellness
updatesthrough a secure web page, by email and text message without
families havingto call, no matter where they are.



Too much to do and too little time. It's a common problem that takes
onspecial significance for the families of the more than 3.8 million
people inthe U.S. living in Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities
or receiving HomeCare as they struggle to stay up-to-date with the
well-being and needs oftheir loved ones.

"As one of the millions of people in the U.S. with family in
long-termcare," said Neil Moore, founder and chief executive officer
ofConnect4Healthcare, the company that developed the service, "I was
shocked tofind that with all of the technology available to us today,
the only way wecould find out how our loved-ones were doing was to
visit or call the careprovider. Most of us can't do that as often as we
want; our lives are just toohectic."

After spending almost 20 years in the healthcare IT business, Moore
knewhe could do better. "That's why we created Connect for
Healthcare(TM). It'sbecome my personal mission. We (families) want and
need the information; carefor our loved ones is better when we are
better informed, and good careproviders want to communicate with us. It
helps everybody involved."

The Connect for Healthcare(TM) service was developed by the company
withinput from families and care providers. "Although our primary
objective is tohelp families and their loved ones," says Moore, "the
role of the long-termcare provider in our process is critical. Staff
time and money continue to betheir key challenges. The simplicity of
our software and our unique businessmodel address them both."

Today, the company is introducing their service to long-term
careproviders but plans to begin marketing directly to consumers early
next year."In the meantime," says Moore, "families that want the
service should call thecare provider and ask for it. Send them to our
website or have them contactus. We can have them ready to start sending
you updates in less than a day."

Nursing home suicide rates have not improved in 15 years

from McKnight's:

While instances of suicide among community-dwelling seniors have fallen
in recent years,the same has not been true for long-term care
residents, according to a recent study.

University of Michigan researchers studied the rate of suicide among
seniors aged 60 and over in New York City between 1990 and 2005. During
that time, the relative rate of nursing home suicides did not decline.
The most at-risk cohort were men between the ages of 60 and 69.

Storytelling in Long Term Care Facilities

from Novice to Expert:

This article really resonated with me. I truly believe in the value of
storytelling and if stories carried actual physical weight, I would
weigh a lot more than I did when I first started in nursing because of
the patients' stories I carry with me.

This article from Provider Magazine, Creative Tasks Spark Imagination,
outlines three techniques used in a long term care facility for
residents along the continuum of memory impairments (from none to
late-stage Alzheimer's or dementia). The first technique is based on Timeslips, which promotes social interaction. It helps to reduce the isolation that many persons with dementia may experience.

The second technique involves storyboarding which can be done by the resident or by the family, if the resident is not able to participate. Upon completion of the storyboard, a celebration is held to celebrate the individual's life.

In the third technique, individuals write their life stories in a 6-10 week storytelling workshop.

Disabled couple see independence intertwined with will to live

from The Sacramento Bee:

Kevin Terrell and Beverly Evans-Terrell are married. They live in an
apartment in the Country Club neighborhood of suburban Sacramento. They
have both been disabled since birth and depend on services provided
through the state to remain independent and live outside of nursing
homes.

Kevin Terrel

I grew up in a nursing home in Southern California. Nursing homes are a zoo.


You live with at least 50 other people and you have 50 people working
in various positions. I don't like them. I am the king of
claustrophobia. I need my space. I need my privacy. I will not go back
to a nursing home without a fight. It's not going to happen.

If nursing homes cost so much, why is California trying to cut these
programs that do their best to keep us out of nursing homes? That is
what I would like to know.

Beverly Evans-Terrel

I was born with spina bifida. I was raised at home until I was 13 and
then I lived in Sonoma State Hospital. When I was 24 I asked to be
placed in a place where they would teach us to be somewhat independent.
Now I live on my own, with Kevin.

If we have to go back to nursing homes we will lose the will to live.
Living on my own I have the responsibility to take care of myself. I'm
free from dictators. I can go anywhere I want to go. I can go to bed
when I want to.


In Housing Slump, Elderly Forgo Assisted Living

from The New York Times:

Maybe a reason for more in-home supports!

The housing crisis has kept thousands of older Americans who need
support and care from moving into retirement communities or
assisted-living centers, effectively stranding them in their own homes.

Without selling their houses or condominiums, many cannot buy into
retirement homes that require a payment of $100,000 to $500,000 just to
move in. So they are scratching themselves off waiting lists, canceling
plans with packing services and staying put, in houses that fit well 30
years ago, but over the years have become lonely, too large or too
treacherous to navigate.

National Senior and Disability Advocates Agree on Principles for Financing Long-Term Services and Supports

from MarketWatch:

WASHINGTON, Nov 20, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ --
In a historic step toward a healthier, more equitable and affordable
system for financing long-term services and supports, the Leadership
Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) and the Consortium for Citizens
with Disabilities (CCD) have agreed on a set of joint principles for
reform.


The principles are:


1. National Problem, National Solution -- Recognize that although states,<br />       communities, families, and individuals have important roles to play,<br />       financing for long-term services and supports is a national problem that<br />       requires a national solution.<br />    2. Universality with Limited Opt-Out -- Create a public program that allows<br />       all people, including individuals with disabilities and those near<br />       retirement, the opportunity to contribute to and prepare for the costs of<br />       long-term services and supports.  Make participation as convenient as<br />       possible but give people the limited choice to opt out.<br />    3. Public/Private Partnership -- Provide a strong foundation of protection<br />       while providing opportunities for personal planning that include a role<br />       for private sector options.<br />    4. Affordability and Risk Pooling -- Provide for broad pooling of risk and<br />       appropriate low-income subsidies to make premiums affordable enough so<br />       that all people, regardless of income and health status, can participate.<br />       Ensure that a new program does not force people to impoverish themselves<br />       to qualify.<br />    5. Fiscal Responsibility -- Provide actuarially sound funding, such as<br />       through voluntary premiums that build reserves over time sufficient to<br />       pay for future needs in a way that is affordable to individuals and to<br />       society as a whole.<br />    6. Relieve Pressure on Medicaid -- Provide additional long-term services and<br />       supports funding mechanisms that will help take the pressure off of<br />       future Medicaid expenditures, while preserving the guaranteed safety net.<br />    7. Consumer Choice and Control -- Promote independence and dignity across<br />       the broad continuum of services and supports by ensuring beneficiaries<br />       the right to control and choose what services they receive, how and where<br />       they are delivered and who provides them.<br />    8. Support Family Caregivers -- Recognize and support the central role<br />       families and other informal caregivers play in planning for and providing<br />       long-term services and supports, including developing strategies to<br />       support working caregivers to maintain their financial security.<br />    9. Invest in Quality Care and Quality of Life -- Target additional funding<br />       to ensure sufficient training and compensation for the workforce and to<br />       strengthen oversight, enforcement, and advocacy programs that improve<br />       quality of life and quality of care in all settings.<br /><br /><br /></pre>        <div class="p">            About CCD ( http://www.c-c-d.org)        </div>            <div class="p">The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities is a coalition ofapproximately 100 national disability organizations working together toadvocate for national public policy that ensures the selfdetermination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion ofchildren and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society </div>            <div class="p">            About LCAO ( http://www.lcao.org)        </div>            <div class="p">The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) is a coalition ofnational nonprofit organizations concerned with the well-being ofAmerica's older population and committed to representing their interestin the policy-making arena. The 56 members offer expertise and advocacyon a broad range of issues affecting the elderly and those who care forthem. The coalition focuses on ensuring social justice and fiscalresponsibility for an aging society. </div>            <div class="p">            SOURCE  Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities        </div>    <pre> http://www.c-c-d.org<br /><br />

Updated Nursing Home Care Resources Released by IQ Nursing Homes

from Transworld News:

IQ Nursing Homes has recently updated its
Nursing Home Resources and is now providing information about nursing
home admission, paying for long term care, and nursing home services.
The IQ Nursing Homes website has been created with the goal of
providing a comprehensive source of nursing home information, and this
recent update marks another step in our progress toward achieving this
goal.

 Visit http://www.iqnursinghomes.com/
to review these new resources. You can also find up-to-date nursing
home news and information about signs of elder abuse and nursing home
neglect on this site.  IQ Nursing Homes offers a free
nursing home abuse claim form, which will be reviewed by a qualified
nursing home attorney within 36 hours. Nursing home employees who have
witnessed neglect can report it anonymously.


John Hancock Announces Results of National Long-Term Care Cost of Care Study

from Virtualization:

<location>BOSTON</location>, <chron>Nov. 20</chron> /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Life Insurance
Company (John Hancock) today announced the results of an in-depth study of the
2008 costs of long-term care (LTC), which found that LTC costs have been
increasing in line with inflation in recent years.

Including information from more than 11,000 care providers nationwide, the
study of national care costs conducted by CareScout, based in <location>Wellesley, MA</location>,
revealed average costs of care in the U.S. are roughly <money>$75,000</money> annually for a
private room in a nursing home; <money>$67,000</money> annually for a semi-private room in a
nursing home; and <money>$35,000</money> annually for an assisted living facility, while the
average cost of home care was found to be about <money>$19</money> per hour.

A comparison of the 2008 national averages to those of a similar study
conducted by Harris, Rothenberg International for John Hancock in 2002,
indicates that the increases in costs over the past six years appear to be
tracking inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the
same time period. According to the study, the average annual increase in the
cost of long-term care is trending in line with the 3.3 percent average annual
increase in the CPI during the same time period as noted below.


PHI has supported such alternatives by developing training for staff who were moving from traditional nursing home environments to Green Houses®. THE GREEN HOUSE Project was initially developed by Dr. William Thomas, a professor at the University of Mar

from Wall Street Journal:

As Budget Shortfalls Force Reductions in Home Care, Low-Income People May Face Nursing Homes, Advocates Say

Faced with widening budget shortfalls, several states are rolling
back support services for the elderly and disabled. The move is making
it tougher for them to continue living on their own, advocates say.


At least 15 states, including Alabama, Virginia and Massachusetts,
are targeting such funding, mostly for programs that allow low-income
shut-ins to receive personal care -- like cooking, cleaning and basic
health services -- in their own homes, according to the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal-leaning Washington, D.C. think
tank that studies state budgets.


The cutbacks are exacerbating the already long waiting lists for
home-care support services in many states. That leaves the low-income
elderly and disabled to dip into their meager incomes to hire their own
help, reach out to family or charity, or seek more restrictive and
expensive care in a nursing home, advocates say.


"We are beginning to see serious cuts and we are expecting those
cuts to get worse," says JoAnn Lamphere, director of state government
relations at AARP, an advocacy group for the elderly.


As the economy falters, declining revenues and tax receipts have led
state agencies to cut spending, with 41 states facing current or
looming deficits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities.

A burgeoning market for assisted living and senior living facilities in Mexico is drawing retirement-age baby boomers, according to The Dallas Morning News. Many factors contribute to the appeal of a Mexican retirement, including quality of care, climate

from PHI:

Pioneer Network,
a national organization leading the movement for radical change in the
culture of long-term care, is launching the Small House Online
Networking Initiative to bring together key stakeholders to explore the
idea of community-based “small houses” for older adults.

With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the new
initiative aims to enhance communication and shared learning among
those interested in the financing and delivery of person-directed
long-term care through small houses—an alternative to institutional
nursing homes. The virtual meeting place will also provide a forum for
providers who currently run small house initiatives to exchange
information.

PHI has supported such alternatives by
developing training for staff who were moving from traditional nursing
home environments to Green Houses®.

THE GREEN HOUSE Project was initially developed by Dr. William Thomas,
a professor at the University of Maryland’s Erickson School and leader
in the elder culture change movement, who writes a blog called Changing Aging.org.


The first Green Houses® opened in Tupelo, Miss., in 2003, to provide
seniors of all incomes with more dignity, autonomy, and choice in
long-term care. The name stems from the focus on encouraging personal
growth among residents. The idea is that Green Houses® cost no more to
run than traditional homes because they produce less waste and require
less infrastructure.