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Aegis Lodge in Kirkland, WA.

People often put off moving their family members suffering from dementia (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lewy Body, Frontal Lobe or other) into a residential facility for a variety of reasons that often don’t hold up under closer inspection. Here are some of the most common reasons that people wait.

Reason #1: Waiting until mom gets worse to make a move.

Many families hope their loved one will never get worse, or wait from a directive from their primary care physician or the hospital (if a crisis happened before). Yes, a move may affect mom’s memory but it will allow her to enjoy the benefits of assisted living (companionship, activities, brain stimulation, good nutrition, nursing supervision) while she still can. It will also make her transition better if in the future she needs to move to the community’s memory care because:

  • Mom may now know the staff and be less reluctant to receive care
  • Mom will have a structured routine that will minimize her fears. She will also have more of a feeling of companionship rather than abandonment.
  • Mom will have by then some familiar faces and friends who will be transitioning with her
  • Most secured memory cares have a wait list and place the community’s own residents before placing a new resident

Reason #2: Mom wants to stay home.

If  your family is able to provide in home care, this may be an option. However, six out of 10 people suffering from dementia will wander out of their homes. What will happen if your loved one leaves the home in the middle of the night?

Providing yourself with peace of mind is as important as providing for their best care.

Home care can become expensive (on average, if you are paying for seven or more hours of in-home care, you could have your loved one in an assisted living environment with all the care provided and supervision 24/7), and it doesn’t provide the interaction and stimulation a retirement community could provide.

Short-term stays are a great way for seniors to “try” a community.  In today’s era, a senior community is more like a cruise ship rather than the old-style nursing homes.

Reason #3: Mom can’t afford it.

There are several ways to pay for assisted living and memory care communities.  For instance:

  • Aid and Attendance is part of an “Improved Pension” Benefit for veterans and surviving spouses that is largely unknown.  Aid and Attendance can help pay for care in the home, Nursing Home or Assisted Living facility.
  • Long-term care insurance can pay for a nursing facility or home care, and many policies also cover assisted living.
  • Some communities may convert to Medicaid but be careful when this promise is made.

Recently I heard of a family that had been promised to convert to Medicaid if their mom did a private pay stay at their community for a minimum of 2 years. The senior has been there over a year and then the community was sold to a different ownership group who has no intention to convert to Medicaid. Not only must this type of promise be in writing but you must also investigate the stability of the group you are choosing for providing care for your loved one.

Reason 4: Mom will hate me if I do this to her.

Although a move is not an easy transition, it is better to do it when you have a choice rather than being forced to do it (like if mom goes to the E.R. and they will only discharge her to a community).

It takes between 4-8 weeks to fully transition and feel comfortable in a new environment. Transitions are definitely harder when a senior is more progressed in dementia.  A sudden change at this stage may start behaviors that some senior living communities may not accept, thereby limiting your options.  A senior housing provider who has training in memory care can help you with the transition, from sending you email updates as needed or letting you know what time of the day your parent is in a better mood for a visit.

Recognizing that your parent needs a change to remain safe or healthy can be traumatic to both of you.  The best time to talk to your parent is long before it is actually necessary.  It is important not to rush the decision and to recognize that seniors want to hang onto their independence for as long as possible even though that may not be what is best for them.  The good news is that there are options out there to help your parent get the care needed and there are people to help you with the process.  Your parent needs you whether they admit it or not.  Continually reassure them that you are there for them and always will be.  Throughout the process, keep your sense of humor and keep the communication lines open.

Sandra Cook is the Marketing Director for Aegis Lodge in Kirkland, WA.  She can be reached at (425) 814-2841.

Contributing Author by — October 15, 2011 in Everything Else

Researchers at VA Puget Sound Health Care System have recently received widespread national coverage about their current Alzheimer’s research.  Dr. Suzanne Craft, a UW professor and Veteran’s Administration researcher with the study is cautiously optimistic about their findings.  The study has concentrated on research of a direct delivery system that provides insulin to the brain of study participants through an intranasal administration.  While the study results have been quite positive, Craft emphasizes that the study has so far been limited and needs larger scale testing over a longer period of time.  The current pilot study involved a sample of only 104 participants over a four month period.  Craft hopes to get funding for a larger study and begin additional research by next summer.  She puts the timeframe for knowing whether the direct insulin approach is a viable therapy for Alzheimer’s at three to four years.

The study results were published this month by the journal Archives of Neurology.

 

Additional story links:

New York Times

CNN

PBS

 

Study results in Archives of Neurology

Archives of Neurology

Bonnie Dickson by — September 26, 2011 in Everything Else
Tax-Aide Seeking Volunteers for the 2012 Season

By Larry Maxcy

AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer

Are you good with numbers? Or maybe math isn’t your thing, but you’re looking for a way to volunteer and give back to your community? Then the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program is looking for you!

AARP Tax-Aide, the nation’s largest free, volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service, is seeking volunteers across the state to help Washington taxpayers who are seeking assistance preparing and filing their 2011 tax returns.

AARP Tax-Aide volunteers receive free tax training and are reimbursed on a limited basis for qualified program-related expenses. Volunteers should be computer literate, since most AARP Tax-Aide sites provide e-filing for faster tax returns. While it is helpful if you have some experience in tax preparation (even in doing your own taxes); it is not absolutely necessary. We ask our volunteers to provide four to six hours per week from the first week in February until April 15 if at all possible.

We also have openings for volunteers who don’t want to prepare taxes, but who have technical or computer backgrounds, as well as for people to assist with scheduling and intake matters.

Last year, more than 1,100 Tax-Aide volunteers helped over 80,000 taxpayers across the state. They join the more than 35,000 Tax-Aide volunteers across the country, helping millions of taxpayers each year.

For more information on how you can join the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide team, visit our Web site at www.aarp.org/tavolunteer8 , or call our toll-free number, 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277). The deadline for applications is December 15, 2011.

Tax-Aide is a program of the AARP Foundation, offered in conjunction with the IRS.

Contributing Author by — September 26, 2011 in Everything Else

Ingrid McDonald/AARP Advocacy Director

Ingrid McDonald
AARP Advocacy Director

When it comes to long-term care, Washington state ranks second in the nation according to a recently released report issued by AARP in conjunction with the Commonwealth Fund and the SCAN Foundation.

The report, “Raising Expectations: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers,” provides a detailed comparison of how Washington measures up compared to other states on numerous indicators related to long-term care affordability and access, choice of setting and provider, quality of life and quality of care and support for family caregivers.

Here in the Evergreen State, 63 percent of all Medicaid and state funded long-term care funding is going to home and community-based services—that’s compared to a median rate for all states of 30 percent.

That’s good for people and for the state budget. People can stay independent with the help of a home care worker, Meals on Wheels, adult day health and other supports—rather than feeling like nursing home care is their only option. And fewer people using Medicaid to pay for expensive nursing home care means big savings for the state—up to $1 billion over the past decade.

The news is in and it’s good—if you need long-term care, Washington is one the best states in the nation to live in. But that status is at risk. In recent years the state legislature has cut back on home care hours and other supports that people need in order to stay out of nursing homes. With fewer home care hours, less support and higher health care costs, more and more people will give up their struggle to remain in their own homes and settle for expensive nursing home care because they feel it is their only option.

To continue our popular and cost-effective approach, Olympia lawmakers need to make it a priority to preserve funding for home care, family caregiver supports and the array of supports funded through the Senior Citizens Service Act.

But while the new report scores Washington’s long-term care system second only to Minnesota, there are still many areas that need improvement—particularly in the areas of affordability and quality.

As many are acutely aware, people who pay privately for home care or nursing home care are at risk of quickly exhausting their resources.  While these services are expensive in every state, the Scorecard report showed the average cost of nursing home care in the Washington is 221 percent of the average annual household income of Washingtonians age 65 and older—ranking us 23rd in the nation.

Though less extreme, the cost of home care services is also unaffordable for the typical user, averaging 93 percent of household income for older adults in the state, putting us at 30th in the nation.  Moreover, fewer people in Washington than in other states have private, long-term care insurance to protect them from these costs. On this front, Washington ranks 18th in the nation.

Quality is another concern, but there is little national data to compare how well states are serving people in their own homes or in the community. In Washington, we know there has been a recent steep increase in consumer complaints against adult family homes, an issue that lawmakers addressed last legislative session. In nursing home settings, the Scorecard ranked Washington low compared to many states on the percent of high-risk nursing home residents with pressure sores (29th), the percent of long-stay nursing home residents who were physically restrained (16th) and the turnover rate for employees in nursing homes (44th).  So when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable residents in nursing homes, clearly, there is more work to do.

The recently published Scorecard is cause for celebration—much good work has been done in Washington to promote high quality, person-centered long-term services and supports. Our struggle now is to improve our weak spots and maintain our investment in cost-effective home and community based services so we stay at the top of the chart.  For more information, visit www.aarp.org/wa.

 

For a related story click here.

Contributing Author by — September 26, 2011 in Everything Else