Health and Disability

from DesMoinesRegister.com:

Nursing homes throughout the country are eligible for hundreds of
millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses despite past violations
of basic health-and-safety standards.

A Des Moines Register
review of 81 bonus payment programs in 36 states shows that some homes
are collecting quality-of-care bonuses approved by the same federal
agency that considers them to be below-average caregivers.

In addition, more than 60 bonus programs exist to help nursing homes do
what they are legally required to do, such as pay the minimum wage or
install fire sprinklers for resident safety.

The total cost to
taxpayers is unknown, according to the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, which approves and helps fund each of the
bonus-payment programs now in effect but does not track any of those
payments.

from PHI:

National Family Caregivers Month, a nationally recognized time to focus attention on the more than 50 million family caregivers who provide 80% of our nation’s long term care services. It is sponsored by the National Family Caregivers Association.

The theme this year is “Speak Up!” and the NFCA has included resources on their website to help you do this, including the top 10 ways to celebrate and a free teleclass on improving communication.

“Family Caregiver Month is an opportunity to look again at the challenge of how we can better meet society’s need for more quality caregiving, both family and formal, both paid and unpaid,” says PHI Director of Policy Research Dr. Dorie Seavey.

“At a time when the family caregiving ‘system’ is increasingly stressed and the poor quality of direct-care jobs results in high rates of turnover, it no longer makes sense to treat family and formal caregiving as two separate worlds. Our actual practices in providing long-term care have outgrown this construct. That is why PHI is calling for a new policy direction that integrates and supports both family and formal paid care under a common agenda.”

PHI resources on this topic:

• Better Jobs Better Care Issue Brief (pdf)
• National Policy Agenda: Consumer direction and family caregiving (pdf)

Aaron Toleos, Online Communications Director
atoleos@phinational.org

from Changing Aging:

reporter Jeremy Olson has launched a new blog called The Age Wave.  Jeremy has received a fellowship from the Kaiser Family Foundation to look at long-term care today and its future and is writing a series of stories for the newspaper.

In writing the series and the blog Olson says he’s taking his late grandmother’s advice:

“Take care of the corners and the middle always takes care of itself.” Sure, she was talking about spreading frosting, but it applies. By examining individual stories and struggles — by highlighting the hidden corners of long-term care in Minnesota — he intends to identify broader solutions.

from Publius:

Nursing homes in the United States are a product of American federalism and reflect the complexities and variabilities of that system. Over time, institutional long-term care for frail elders has shifted from local government funding and administration to state-level oversight and support to a shared federal-state concern. The unsystematic American approach produces haphazard results in terms of quality, equity, and efficiency. The graying of the American population will increase the demand for long-term care, resulting in pressure for a more coherent policy response.

from BattleCreekEnquirer:

When Tami Roussey gets a call asking for help to find new, safer living
arrangements for an aging loved one, chances are that a sense of
urgency already exists.

Roussey has recently opened an independent placement service to
assist families of seniors who can no longer manage without assistance
in their own homes, called Choice Connections. It is a free, one-stop
service that leads the family and the senior through this emotional and
often confusing time as gently and sensitively as possible.

Each
family is provided guidance and counsel on an individual-needs basis.
When it comes to selecting living accommodations for elderly loved
ones, Choice Connections knows that one size does not fit all. They
will work with the family, identifying specific needs, until choices
are narrowed down to the most appropriate solution for each individual.
They will also schedule tours of different facilities and assist
throughout the transition, until a decision is reached that leaves all
family members with a sense of relief and security that their loved one
will be comfortable and well-cared for in their new living arrangement.
Choice Connections remains in contact to ensure that the senior has
found the perfect place to call home.

from Bignews.biz:

Irvine, CA--Thanks to increased longevity and advances in health care,Americans are facing a new crisis: a growing need for long-term care.Americans spent over $200 billion on long-term care last year, about atenth of the nation's health care spending and that number will explodeas baby boomers age, explains Jesse Slome, executive director of theAmerican Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

Most insurers offer preferred health discounts that can reduce theyearly cost by 10 percent. Once you qualify for this discount, younever lose it even if your health changes, explains Petchul.

Adding a deductible to your policy -- something most people have fortheir car, health and home insurance -- can reduce the cost by roughly20 percent annually. Over 80 percent of long-term care insurancepolicies purchased today have a 90-day deductible period, statesPetchul. Most people have some savings that will cover the cost duringthis time period or

from Mcknight"s:

Long-term care providers, who frequently suffer employee turnover rates near 100% annually, have three new resources designed to reduce workforce turnover. The new tools, which were announced Monday by the Better Jobs Better Care Coalition, also can help providers find new employees and create a better work environment for the staff they already have, researchers said. 

The tools are the byproduct of four years of investigation, said the director of BJBC, an initiative managed by the Institute for the Future of Aging Services.

"It's no secret that quality in long-term care cannot be achieved without a quality workforce," says Robyn Stone, Ph.D., executive director of IFAS. "These resources make it easy for providers to take lessons from evidence-based research and use them to transform their organizations."

A catalogue of the group's research shows the benefits of job training programs on staff retention, while a short accompanying video highlights real-world examples of the effectiveness of the programs. A "News You Can Use" fact sheet shows providers where to find new pools of potential employees. More information is available at www.bjbc.org.

from market Watch:

Last year not one Unum 
group long term care policy was
purchased for nursing home care only, evidence of a dramatic trend
indicating Americans' desire to "age
in place". In Unum's
third annual Landscape of Long Term Care, the company reports a steady
increase in policies with the home care option.

from PHI:

For consumers of paid long-term care services, eight out of everyten hours of service are provided not by a nurse or a doctor, but by adirect-care worker—a home health aide, certified nurse aide, orpersonal care worker.

Therefore, for consumers who rely upon services and support from direct-care staff, PHI has identified the Nine Essential Elements of Quality Care —whether that care is received in the consumer’s home or in a residential setting.

This builds off of PHI’s Nine Essential Elements of a Quality Job,which is a guide to help ensure direct-care workers are able to providethe highest-quality care to all long-term care consumers.

We are interested in hearing your thoughts on the elements ofquality care. Does this vision resonate for you? Let us know bycommenting below.

from McKnight's:

The nation's governors have appealed to congressional leaders to boost federal Medicaid funding and change tax provisions to help states through the current economic slowdown. In particular, the governors recommended in a letter sent Monday that Congress increase for at least a two-year period a formula that determines matching payments to state Medicaid programs.

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing today to explore tax-related options that could be included in an economic stimulus package. The governors' letter to congressional leaders can be found here.