Happy Summer!

I hope you had a really nice Father's Day. With the drippy weather we've had pretty much all of June, I completely missed that Summer is officially here! Now we're galloping off to Independence Day! I feel sorry for the people who like hot and humid but I'm pretty happy with the cool June we've had so far! Now if it would just stop raining!

My June 16th Age Wise Living radio show was "Your Aging Loved One Is In the Hospital -- Now What?" It was a great show because my guest Jennifer Devine from Caring People Home Care (www.CaringPeopleInc.com) covered so much really interesting -- and kinda scary -- information. It made me so grateful that my family never had to deal with hospitals and hospital discharge planning for my parents. It was such an interesting show that we didn't get through all the questions so I asked Jen Devine to finish them up in this newsletter.

By the way, did you check out The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System? I've put my 25+ years of eldercaregiving experience into it to save you time, money, and stress. Why? Because you're worth it!

Until next week then --

Did you know that the average time most baby boomers are involved in their parent's care is 15 years!

Mine was 17 years! That's a LONG time to be providing eldercare by trial and error!

The great news is that it doesn't have to be that way for you because I have poured all of my 25+ years of eldercare experience into developing The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System.

The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System is an amazingly comprehensive and information-rich resource that is guaranteed to address your most difficult questions, roadblocks, and communication breakdowns that are so typical for eldercaregivers. And helping caregivers avoid the problems is why I got into this in the first place!!!

Don't worry . . . The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System is not a boring text book with lots of technical or medical jargon that makes you more confused than when you started! In fact, Far from it!

Because no one has time and money to waste -- especially caregivers -- The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System is a very simple step-by-step and easy to follow program. The best part is that even though it's a system, you can jump around to the stuff you need right away.

The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System includes The Ultimate Caregiver's Success GUIDE which has checklists, examples . . . all kinds of information -- that makes the process easy to understand and more importantly, easy to be successful. In addition, the System includes 8 CDs -- 6 seminars, 1 CD of all the forms in the book, and 1 CD with my rolodex of resources.

The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System is perfect for you if you are…

• A member of the "sandwich generation" -- squeezed between raising children and care giving responsibilities for your parents, in-laws, or other aging loved ones.
• Completely stressed and struggling with your eldercare issues.
• Laying awake nights worrying if they are okay.
• Consumed with your time and drained financially and emotionally.
• Having problems at work and home because of your eldercare issues.
• Having conflicts with siblings or other family members that are sabotaging your efforts and undermining your relationships.
• Spending hours searching for solutions to your critical eldercare issues only to have your aging loved ones refuse to cooperate or even discuss them with you.
• Feel like your life is out of control and overwhelmed by where to turn for help.

ARTICLE: HOSPITAL DISCHARGE PLANNING

I really hope you listened to the rest of my interview with Jennifer Devine. If not, you can listen to the archive by going to the Variety Channel at VoiceAmerica.com or by cutting and pasting this link into your browser: http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=39143

And here are Jen's answers to the questions we didn't get to on the air:

Q: Who pays for homecare?

A: Primary Insurance will cover certified homecare services. You must be eligible for these services and your discharge planner will help you to determine if you are. Typically you can receive these services if it is taxing and difficult for you to leave your home and you have a skilled need. Examples, but not limited to, of a skilled need are wound care or physical therapy. It is important to note you do not have to be discharged from a hospital in order to receive these services. A referral to a Certified Home Health Agency, often referred to as a CHHA, can be made from the community.

Q: What if you need 24 hour care?

A: This falls under custodial care. Licensed agencies provide this level of care which includes, but is not limited to, assistance with bathing, dressing, transferring, mobility, feeding, medication reminders and light housekeeping. Caring People is an example of a Licensed Home Care Agency. In New York it is a requirement that a Nurse supervises the home health Aide and oversees the plan of care. A licensed agency also does background checks on the Home Aides, both reference and criminal and are insured and bonded. They are required to have Certified Home Health Aides and are operational 24 hours.

Licensed agencies come into place where Certified Agencies leave off. They often work in conjunction with each other. Sometimes when people are leaving the hospital they require services that exceed what insurance will cover. An example is someone who needs 24 hour care. Custodial Care is paid for three ways . . . private pay, long term care insurance or governmental assistance. In planning, one has to ask themselves if needed, could they afford this level of care? If the answer is no, then it is important to know what your plan is. If you think your child will be your care provider it is important to confirm that. We suggest consulting a trusted financial advisor, long term care insurance consultant or reverse mortgage specialist to talk about your financial options. An elder law attorney or Geriatric Care Manager can assist you with governmental assistance options. Many senior centers provide free lectures on these topics. Education is key to knowing what fits best for you!

Q: Who pays for a skilled nursing facility rehab if the team at the hospital suggest that?

A: Primary Insurance. If it is Medicare they will cover 100% for the first 20 days. Days 21-100 Medicare covers at 80% which leaves you with a $109.50 per day copay. Often secondary insurance covers that but we suggest calling your secondary insurance plan and asking if you have a skilled nursing benefit in place. If you do not, you may want to inquire how you can add that benefit.

Q: How long do people typically stay in a rehab?

A: About 4-6 weeks.

Q: Do you get a discharge plan from the rehab as well?

A: Yes. It is very similar to the hospital in terms of having a team and a discharge planner who coordinates it.

Q: This is a lot of information. How do you suggest starting a plan when everybody's lives are so busy?

A: I suggest baby steps. Set a goal of 1x per month you will accomplish something on your list. Make it an appointment in your planner……on such and such date call lawyer regarding Health Care Proxy and so forth. Before you know it you will have a full plan in place! And if adult children are having a hard time discussing this with their parents then we suggest contacting Barbara who can help assist you with this very important discussion!

Good advice, Jen. Thanks. Remember, if you're struggling to help your aging loved one, I urge you not to wait for a crisis to develop. Please call me toll-free at (877) AGE-WISE or email me at Barbara@AgeWiseLiving.com for a complimentary "get acquainted" conversation. I'm here to help!

Jen Devine, LMSW, has been working for Caring People Home Care since 2007. Jen graduated from Adelphi University with her Masters in Social Work and received a certificate in Geriatric Care Management from Hunter College. She has experience in Emergency Services, Discharge Planning, Long Term Care, and Home Care. For more information about Caring People Home Care go to www.CaringPeopleInc.com.

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