A New Resource for Finding Information about the Quality of Nursing Homes

General Posted by anthony Date November 26, 2012

I recently came across a resource for family and friends faced with having to find a nursing home for a loved one.åÊ The Informed Patient Institute (IPI) is a non-profit organization that has identified and evaluated all of the nursing home report cards in the country.åÊ IPI doesn’t rate individual nursing homes, but they’ll tell you who does.

What is a nursing home report card?åÊ They are online reports that provide comparative information on how well nursing homes do on a range of topics such as state inspections, quality of care, complaints, staffing and in some statesÛÓresident or family satisfaction and charges.åÊ The report cards are sponsored by state governments, the federal government or non-profit or commercial organizations.

IPI has developed a rating system that tells you which report cards are better than others, saving you time and effort as you research your options.åÊ They grade the report cards on a scale of A to F and also tell you what is good about each site and what could be improved.åÊ Over 60 national and state sites have recently been reviewed.

States vary in how many resources are available, though the federal government’s Nursing Home Compare (rated a ÛÏBÛ by IPI) is available nationwide.åÊ In California, for example, residents can also access CalQualityCare.org (http://www.calqualitycare.org/) an IPI top-rated site that offers a wide range of information about nursing homes in a consumer-friendly fashion.åÊ The California site also tells you which homes are superior and which homes are poor.

In some states, visitors to the site can also find a ÛÏTip SheetÛ that outlines what to do if you have a concern about quality in a nursing home.åÊ In plain language, the Tip Sheet walks you through the steps to take, from talking to the nursing home staff about your concern, to going to the local Long Term Care Ombudsman, to filing a complaint with the state or other oversight bodies.åÊ Tip Sheets are also available about concerns with hospitals and doctors.åÊ They are currently available in California, Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania and IPI is working on developing them in other states before the end of the year.

Finally, the site also includes links and short descriptions of a range of national and local organizations that provide consumer information about quality and patient safety in a variety of health care settingsÛÓ including nursing homes.

The Informed Patient Institute is a Maryland-based non-profit organization that provides credible online information about health care quality and patient safety for consumers.åÊ For more information and to see their nursing home report card ratings, visit: www.informedpatientinstitute.org.

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Good Lifestyle Behaviors May Enhance Life Expectancy Among Our Oldest

General Posted by anthony Date November 21, 2012

Encouraging favorable lifestyle behaviors even at advanced ages may enhance life expectancy.åÊ

A new study of seniors age 75 or older found that participants who were active physically, mentally, and socially were most likely to live past age 90. Researchers found that active seniors lived an average of 5.4 years longer than their inactive peers. åÊåÊ

The study found that individuals who lived the longest participated in some sort of physical activity, which included swimming, walking, or gymnastics, didnÛªt smoke, engaged in leisure activities, which included reading books or newspapers, doing crossword puzzles, or painting, and had a large social network.åÊ

Women with the healthy profile lived an average of 5 years longer and men with the healthy profile lived an average of 6 years longer than their peers who did not exhibit these healthy behaviors. Increases in lifespan were also seen in those with chronic conditions. Individuals with chronic conditions and a low risk profile lived 5 years longer than their peers with a high risk profile.

The study followed 1810 adults age 75 and older over an 18 year period. Participants were questioned on a variety of topics including several social, physical, and lifestyle factors. By the time the study concluded, 92 percent of participants had passed away.

When just comparing individuals with a rich social network to those with a limited or poor social network, individuals with a rich social network lived at least 1.6 years longer than their peers without these social connections.

So how cool is that? I mean physical activity, broad social networks, lifelong learning. I have witnessed these and other attributes in seniors leading quality lives. Yes even those in nursing homes. You see most of this quality of life stuff is in our control.

Choose to control it and live longer.

Read the complete findings in the British Medical Journal.

Financial Ruin Possible for Seniors with Dementia (VIDEO)

General Posted by anthony Date November 20, 2012

[embed_youtube”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/tE9tkyTif6U”]

Financial Ruin Possible for Seniors with Dementia

General Posted by anthony Date November 19, 2012

A new study asserts that If seniors have to pay a higher portion of their medical costs, it could lead to their financial ruin, especially if they have dementia.åÊ

There is no doubt that healthcare costs are rising and the public has to shoulder more of the burden. Various Medicare reform proposals have suggested that seniors should pay a higher percentage of their healthcare costs.åÊ

To identify how much Medicare beneficiaries spend on healthcare costs in the last five years of life, a National Institute of Aging study analyzed data over six years from 3,209 individuals with Medicare coverage. They found that out-of-pocket spending for individuals or their spouses dying of dementia was more than twice the average when compared to spending on those dying of gastrointestinal disease or cancer.åÊ

The bulk of these costs were related to nursing home expenses, which accounted for 56% of average spending in those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.åÊ

The study was published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

So you know my litany by now. Educated Aging. Plan now for a quality of life as you age. And that means financial planning. Even having long term care insurance may not be enough. You want to start looking to protect your assets.åÊ

There is nothing in my opinion more degrading than spending your whole life building a nest egg only to see it taken away should you enter a nursing home. Remember nursing home care is only covered by Medicare in certain circumstances for a limited time period.åÊ

Do effective estate planning
Consider long-term care insurance
åÊ

If not, you face going broke and then hoping you qualify for Medicaid to pay for your nursing home care.

Better yet, stay healthy. Sure you can’t avoid accidents and hidden medical catastrophes but you can prepare yourself best you can to live a healthy quality of life as you age. It will pay for itself.åÊ