Try: Several types of policies are available most are known as indemnity or expense incurred policies indemnity or per diem policy an indemnity or per diem policy pays up to a fixed benefit amount regardless of what you spend with an expense-incurred policy you choose the benefit amount when you buy the policy and you are reimbursed for actual expenses for services received up to a fixed dollar amount per day week or month policies with pooled benefits today many companies also offer integrated policies or policies with pooled benefits this type of policy provides a total dollar amount that may be used for different types of long-term care services there is usually a daily weekly or monthly dollar limit for your covered long-term care expenses for example say you purchase a policy with a maximum benefit amount of 150 000 of pooled benefits under this policy you would have a daily benefit of 150 that would last for 1 000 days if you spend the maximum daily amount on care if however your care costs less you would receive benefits for more than 1 000 days benefit pay outs there are no policies that guarantee to cover all expenses fully you usually have a choice of daily benefit amounts ranging from 50 to more than 300 per day for nursing home coverage the daily benefit for at-home care may be less than the benefit for nursing home care it it’s important to keep in mind that you are responsible for your actual nursing home or home care costs that exceed the daily benefit amount you purchased because the per-day benefit you buy today may not be enough to cover higher costs years from now most policies offer inflation adjustments in many policies for example the initial benefit amount will increase automatically each year at a specified rate such as 5 percent compounded over the life of the policy long term care in life insurance policies some life insurance policies offer long-term care benefits with these accelerated or living benefits provisions under certain circumstances a portion of the life insurance benefit is paid to the policyholder for long-term care services instead of to the beneficiary at the policyholder policyholder’s death some companies make these benefits available to all policyholders; others offer them only to people buying new policies information references "guide to long-term care ltc insurance" by america’s health insurance plans 2004 available at www pueblo gsa gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Long term care insurance insurance policy life insurance

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Testamentary will a testamentary or self proving will sets forth one’s wishes regarding the distribution of property and the care of any minor children after death this document should be prepared with the help of an attorney and signed in the presence of a witness living will also known as an advance directive a living will discloses what is wanted regarding life-prolonging medical treatments if a person is unable to speak for themselves the living will indicates which treatments are desired if a person suffers from a terminal illness or is in a permanent vegetative state a living will becomes effective only if the person is incapacitated which must be confirmed by doctor’s certification a living will is only used when ultimate recovery cannot happen health care proxy a health care proxy authorizes another individual to speak for someone and make medical decisions in situations when he is incapacitated and cannot speak for themselves the designated individual should be prepared to consider what the person they are speaking for would want in the given situation this means a conversation with the loved one before such a medical situation might happen durable power of attorney a durable power of attorney poa authorizes another individual to act and speak on someone’s behalf on financial matters if the person is physically and mentally unable to do so this individual is legally allowed to sign checks pay bills and manage assets in the person’s name durable means this individual maintains poa if the person is unhealthy and incapacitated and cannot speak for themselves in contrast a non-durable poa only exists while the person is sound in mind and health living trust especially important for people who have many different assets a living trust puts a person’s assets home bank accounts and stocks for example into the trust administered for their benefit during their lifetime and then transferred to their beneficiaries when they die there are several kinds of trusts that may need to be activated; an elder law attorney can help people understand their options and rights these documents are not useful if no one knows about them plus it’s a good idea to have more than one copy of each the originals can be kept at the elder law attorney’s office and copies in a safe place people should designate one outside person either a family member or trustworthy friend who knows where the documents are information references "guide to legal and financial planning needs of seniors" by homewatch care givers available at www homewatchcaregivers com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Law legal issues attorney lawyer health care will estate

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: If you or a care recipient owns a single-family home adding an accessory dwelling unit adu to an existing home may help you keep your independence an adu sometimes called an "in-law apartment " an "accessory apartment " or a "second unit " is a second living space within a home or on a lot it has a separate living and sleeping area a place to cook and a bathroom space such as an upper floor basement attic or space over a garage may be turned into an adu family members might be interested in living in an adu in your home or you may want to build a separate living space at your family member’s home check with your local zoning office to be sure adus are allowed in your area and if there are special rules the cost for an adu can vary widely depending on how big it is and how much it costs for building materials and workers information references "guide to choosing a nursing home" by centers for medicare and medicaid services 2008 available at www medicare gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Independence, No Supervision, Some Supervision

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References: n/a

Keywords: Home addition housing apartment separate living space

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: What what’s involved with the moving in out process how is the initial needs assessment done does assessment process include the resident family facility staff along with the physician is there a written plan for the care of each resident is there an ongoing process for assessing a resident resident’s need for services and how often are those needs evaluated is there a written statement available of the resident rights and responsibilities is a contractual agreement available that clearly discloses healthcare accommodations personal care and supportive services all fees and admission and discharge provisions what type of insurance is required accepted medicare medicaid medigap long-term care private what are the specific costs for various levels of care including skilled unskilled beds what additional services and staff are available if the resident resident’s needs change when may a contract be terminated and what are the policies for refunds and transfers is there an appeals process for dissatisfied residents what happens if funds are depleted and full payments can no longer be made is there any government private or corporate programs available to help cover the costs is there a procedure to pay for additional services such as skilled nursing care when the services are needed on a temporary basis do billing payment and credit policies seem fair and reasonable may resident handle his own finances with staff assistance if able must a family member outside party be designated information references "nursing home checklist " available at www carepathways com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Maintenance, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Nursing home checklist housing moving

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: What what’s involved with the moving in out process how is the initial needs assessment done does assessment process include the resident family facility staff along with the physician is there a written plan for the care of each resident and is there an ongoing process for assessing a resident resident’s need for services and how often are those needs evaluated is the facility affiliated with a hospital or with a nursing home will your room be held for you should you require a hospital nursing home stay and are there charges for your room while away is there a written statement available of the resident rights and responsibilities is a contractual agreement available that clearly discloses healthcare accommodations personal care and supportive services all fees and admission and discharge provisions how much is the monthly fee how often can it be increased and for what reasons is there a limit on the amount of increase per year what is the history on monthly fee increases what are the specific costs for various levels or categories of services what additional services and staff are available if the resident resident’s needs change is there a procedure to pay for additional services such as skilled nursing care and physical therapy when the services are needed on a temporary basis when may a contract be terminated and what are the policies for refunds and transfers is there an appeals process for dissatisfied residents what happens if funds are depleted and full payments can no longer be made is there any government private or corporate programs available to help cover the costs find out what the payment schedule is and if residents own or rent their unit are residents required to purchase renters insurance for personal property in their units do billing payment and credit policies seem fair and reasonable may the resident handle his own finances with staff assistance if able must a family member outside party be designated information references "assisted living facility alf checklist " available at www carepathways com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Maintenance, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Assisted living facilities checklist housing moving

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Is the facility accredited by the continuing care accreditation commission accreditation is not required and not all ccrcs are evaluated is the nursing center medicare and or medicaid certified what reputation does the facility have in the community how long has it been in business is it in good financial health does the facility follow generally accepted accounting procedures if the facility is sponsored by a nonprofit organization and managed under contract with a commercial firm what are the conditions of that contract is there a resident council or organization through which residents family have a means of voicing their views on the management of the community information references "continuing care retirement community ccrc checklist " available at www carepathways com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Continuing care retirement community checklist housing moving

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: What what’s involved with the moving in out process is there a written statement available of the resident rights and responsibilities is a contractual agreement available that clearly discloses healthcare accommodations personal care supportive services all fees as well as admission and discharge provisions find out what the payment schedule is and if residents own or rent their unit how much is the monthly fee how often can it be increased and for what reasons is there a limit on the amount of increase per year what is the history on monthly fee increases are residents required to purchase renters insurance for personal property in their units do billing payment and credit policies seem fair and reasonable may resident handle his own finances with staff assistance if able must a family member outside party be designated when may a contract be terminated and what are the policies for refunds and transfers is there an appeals process for dissatisfied residents what happens if funds are depleted and full payments can no longer be made is there any government private or corporate programs available to help cover the costs what additional services are available if the resident resident’s needs change is staff available to coordinate these services is there a procedure to pay for additional services such as skilled nursing care or physical therapy when the services are needed on a temporary basis information references "independent living community ilc checklist " available at www carepathways com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Independence, No Supervision

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References: n/a

Keywords: Independent living checklist evaluate housing moving

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: There are several things to consider when hiring a professional contractor to come into your home to work on a large modification project ask for a written agreement that includes only a small down payment and specifies exactly what work will be done and how much it will cost with the balance of payment to be made when the job is finished check with your local better business bureau and chamber of commerce to see if any complaints have been filed against the contractor make sure that the contractor has insurance and is licensed to do the work required talk with your family and friends to get recommendations based on their experiences with the contractors they have hired this step may actually be the most important one because contractors with a good reputation can usually be counted on to do a good job for a list of what’s available in the care recipient’s state go to www homemods org and look at the national directory of home modification and repair programs information references "home modifications" 2010 available at www eldercare gov

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Legal, Maintenance, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Home repair home modification independence safety living at home accessibility adaptability universal design disabilities fair housing

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: When considering assisted living asking the following questions before you move in to a facility can save a lot of money along the same line as hotel ratings can you manage to be comfortable in a "3 star" moderate facility as opposed to needing a "5 star" luxury facility are you able to forgo a room with special views a location close to common areas ground floor or with a balcony and patio are you willing to move to a facility that is in a lower traffic possibly quiet urban setting with less nearby conveniences such as shopping center complexes are you willing to relocate to an overall lower cost of living area that may be some distance from your current home are you willing to reduce your square footage living requirements substantially which may accommodate only a few special pieces of furniture are you willing to share an apartment or room with a roommate or share a bathroom in a suite arrangement will you consider moving to a new facility with no prior track record or established reputation but that may offer new residents special moving in rates is family willing and able to share with some of the maintenance chores such as housekeeping laundry and transportation is family willing and able to purchase medications and supplies outside of facility at lower prices if you or your spouse is independent and in good health will you consider living in the independent senior apartment area and bringing in outside help for the more dependent one information references "tips for cutting costs of assisted living" by clare absher available at www carepathways com

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Categories: Sage, Topic, Financial, Maintenance, Personal

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References: n/a

Keywords: Housing assisted living budget budgeting money

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Nursing home stays can be covered under medicaid medicaid is a state and federal program that will pay most nursing home costs for people with limited income and assets eligibility varies by state medicaid will pay only for nursing home care provided in a facility certified by the government to provide service to medicaid recipients eligibility focuses on income and asset levels many states set the income requirement to supplemental security income ssi levels 2010 ssi eligibility was 674 a month for an individual and 1 011 for a couple resource requirements are stringent as well 2 000 for and individual and 3 000 for a couple if the individual has over 2 000 in resources he is ineligible for medicaid however a principal residence of less than 500 000 is excluded other exempt assets include automobile life insurance and burial plot unlike medicare medicaid will provide coverage for custodial care or assistance with activities of daily living information references

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Categories: Financial, Medical Physical

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References: n/a

Keywords: Medicaid

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed