home health care

As The Covid Health Emergency Ends, Medicare Will Stop Paying for Many Skilled Nursing Stays

As the Covid-19 public health emergency ends, many older adults who need a post-hospital stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) will be in for an unpleasant surprise: Traditional Medicare may not pay. The change, one among dozens that affect older adults, restores rules from before the pandemic. But they are complicated and will shock many patients and their families, [...]

By |2023-05-11T10:22:26-04:00May 11th, 2023|nursing homes|0 Comments

The US Predicts Big Increases In Skilled Nursing And Long-Term Care Costs

New government projections estimate significant increases in both overall and out-of-pocket costs for home care, nursing facilities, and continuing care communities (CCRCs) through this decade. The projected steep rise in costs will lead to tough decisions for both consumers and government. The latest annual projections, by analysts at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) forecast overall health [...]

By |2023-04-04T09:59:47-04:00April 4th, 2023|Health Care, Uncategorized|0 Comments

One Reason We Can’t Find Homecare Workers: Their Growing Fear Of Violence

The fear of violence against home care aides, nurses, and therapists may be adding to the already-severe shortage of care workers and adding to the burden on family caregivers. In our increasingly aggressive society, home care workers say they are being assaulted by angry and frustrated family members as well as people in the neighborhoods they visit. In some cases, [...]

By |2023-02-21T11:15:54-05:00February 21st, 2023|aging in place|0 Comments

What The End Of The Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Will Mean for Older Adults

President Biden’s announcement that the Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11 will have a significant impact on older adults. Some changes will be immediate, others won’t occur for nearly two years. Some may improve care for older adults, others could cost seniors more money and end some important benefits they received during the pandemic. Biden’s decision [...]

By |2023-02-01T13:20:13-05:00February 1st, 2023|Health Care|0 Comments

Families Must Provide More Medical Care At Home, But With Little Training

More than ever, family members are required to play a major role in caring for their loved ones. But they are being asked to do increasingly complex medical tasks with little or no training. The result: Greater risk to patients and enormous avoidable stress for those family caregivers. A new study attempts to identify the barriers to good caregiver training. [...]

By |2022-05-23T11:53:03-04:00May 23rd, 2022|family caregivers|0 Comments

Biden’s Plan To Expand Broadband Will Be A Huge Help To Older Adults

On Monday, President Biden announced a deal with 20 Internet service providers, such as AT&T and Comcast, to provide high-speed broadband  to low-income households for no more than $30-a-month. That’s less than half the average 2021 cost of $61 and far less in many areas. That initiative, and an even bigger companion program to build out broadband in communities that [...]

By |2022-05-12T11:14:07-04:00May 12th, 2022|Health Care|0 Comments

Are Critics of Private Equity Nursing Home Ownership Living In The Past?

It has become popular among many Democrats to call for investigations of nursing home ownership by private equity firms. But industry experts tell me that, increasingly, big investors in senior services are abandoning nursing facilities in favor of the far more lucrative home health business and, in some cases, private-pay senior housing. And the shift isn’t just happening with private [...]

By |2022-04-27T15:01:16-04:00April 27th, 2022|nursing homes, Uncategorized|1 Comment

How Nursing Home Staff Shortages Are Hurting Hospital Care

By now, you’ve probably heard about the desperate shortage of nurses and aides in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. This workforce crisis not only hurts their residents, it also is creating severe backups in hospitals, putting both patients and the facilities themselves at risk and increasing health care costs. As those staffing shortages course through the entire health care [...]

By |2022-02-17T12:00:01-05:00February 17th, 2022|Health Care|0 Comments

Home Care Agencies And Workers Are The Next Ground Zero For COVID-19

Nursing homes and other senior living facilities are not the only places where COVID-19 is creating a health care crisis for frail older adults and their care providers. The other setting at risk: private homes, where the vast majority of older adults get both personal and post-acute care.  And the pandemic is creating enormous challenges for those seniors, their families, [...]

By |2020-04-16T14:04:43-04:00April 16th, 2020|aging in place|5 Comments

Is Medicare’s New PDGM Home Care Payment Making It Harder To Get Physical Therapy?

No, PDGM is not a new disease. It is, instead, the way Medicare now pays for home health care. Shorthand for The Patient-Driven Groupings Model, PDGM is the Trump Administration’s latest effort to reduce Medicare costs. And it appears to be making it much harder for some patients living at home to receive occupational, physical, and speech therapy. PDGM is [...]

By |2020-02-14T10:22:54-05:00February 14th, 2020|Medicare|1 Comment