Health and Disability

3/6/2008--Introduced.
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to:
(1) allow a tax deduction from gross income for long-term care insurance premiums;
(2) include long-term care insurance in employee benefit cafeteri... moreSee Full Bill Text

3/6/2008--Introduced.
Women's Retirement Security Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to:
(1) require certain small employers who do not provide retirement plans for their employees to allow eligible employees to participate in a payroll deposit individual... moreSee Full Bill Text

PHI has been covering the effects of rising gas prices on direct-care workers since early this summer. Now, as our nation’s economic crisis grows more severe, the challenge to these low-wage workers has intensified.

The National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center held a webinar earlier this week called “Gas Price Increases & Other Transportation Challenges for Direct Service Workers.” The presentation included an overview of the problem, a description of approaches used by states and providers to address the issue, and information on related Medicaid reimbursement policies and options.

On one slide of the powerpoint used in the webinar, we learn the following about the impact of rising gas prices on area agencies on aging:

For more information, download the 18-slide powerpoint (ppt 373k) used in the presentation.

Nursing homes provide care to over 1.7 million people every year. However, many individuals and family members find it a real challenge to select a facility and to ensure appropriate care will be provided. Generally, a nursing home is a residential facility offering daily assistance to individuals who are physically or mentally unable to live independently. Residents are provided rooms, meals, assistance with daily living, nursing services and some medical treatment. Medicare can help pay for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care for up to 100 days in a benefit period when a beneficiary meets certain conditions. Medicaid may also help pay for nursing home care, though coverage varies from state to state. Individuals who require custodial care such as help with eating, bathing, taking medicine and toileting, as well as those who require skilled care may have their nursing home stay paid for by Medicaid if they meet specific financial criteria. 

The long term care system is complex and difficult to understand. The many different agencies responsible to help ensure good care for nursing home residents are listed below.

Reading, PA - Seniors Helping Seniors In-Home Services (SHS), the national caregiver and companionship organization that uniquely matches seniors needing non-medical in-home services with seniors who provide them, has grown rapidly in less than three years to currently include some 50 franchise territories in 15 states across the U.S.

Launched in January 2005 by co-founders Philip and Kiran Yocom, the for-profit Seniors Helping Seniors locations meet the rapidly expanding demand of older Americans who want to remain in their own homes and remain self-sufficient. It also caters to the fast-growing number of caregivers, especially those helping aging parents.

Seniors Helping Seniors In-Home Services has five master license holders running multi-state territories and franchise partners with single or multiple locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Michigan and California.