Minding Our Elders®

Option of Hospice Care Freeing for Many

People who read my work on a regular basis know that I am grateful to hospice for the care of both of my parents. Without the skilled, compassionate care of the hospice staff, both of my parents would have suffered far more than they did. As it was, they’d both had long, slow declines and pain had become the focus of their days even though they received excellent care in the nursing home. When Dad and Mom qualified for hospice care, meaning that their physician considered their conditions terminal, I filled out the paperwork for each of them.

Read more about hospice and what they do:

 

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Know Your Hospitalization Codes or Risk Medicare Denial

Your mom has fallen in her home and you’re now sitting with her in the hospital. Nothing is broken, they said, but she suffered a back injury they want to monitor. They’d like to keep her in the hospital for observation. You say sure, why not? She stays several days and then is released to a rehab facility for follow-up care.  Medicare pays for the first 20 days a patient is in a rehab facility only if the patient is admitted and remains in the hospital for three days prior to treatment. But, according to AAPR, hospitals are increasingly leaving Medicare hospital patients “under observation” without officially admitting them.

Read more about hospitalization codes and Medicare coverage:

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Fighting Back: People with Alzheimer’s and Their Caregivers Face a Battle

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of Alzheimer’s disease is the feeling of helplessness that can overtake the lives of people diagnosed with the disease and those who love them.  Alzheimer’s disease cannot be prevented or cured at this time. Lifestyle changes and some medications may help some people stave off the destruction of the disease for a time, but in the end, the disease wins.

Read more about people fighting Alzheimer's:

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Administration on Aging programs provide assistance for caregivers nationwide

Nearly any family caregiver has felt isolated and alone at one time or another. For many, that feeling is chronic. Friends don’t understand the strain we are under. Some people get no support from their extended family or friends. Where can we turn when there seems to be nowhere to turn? Believe it or not, many resources are at your fingertips on the Administration on Aging website.

Read about the valuable resources on the AoA website:

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An Elder’s Fall Can Cause Lasting Trauma

Dear Carol: Reading your column has helped me care for my 83-year-old mom who has Alzheimer’s disease. Now, I’m writing with my own question. Mom fell while in the memory unit of a very good assisted living center. She had a urinary tract infection and the doctor thinks that’s what caused her fall. The UTI is now cleared up. When she fell, she cut her head badly, needing several staples to close the wound. She also suffered a back injury though no broken bones. The facility couldn’t care for her after she was released from the hospital, so she’s in a skilled nursing home. It’s been three weeks, yet she’s still confused and agitated, far worse than before the fall. Mostly she just sleeps, or sits and stares at nothing. Her physical injuries are healing but she seems to be getting worse overall. What is going on? – Mary Ann

Dear Mary Ann: Your mom’s been through significant physical, mental and emotional trauma that would be tough on someone much younger and not fighting dementia. I think you need to expect that her current condition is natural considering her age, her dementia diagnosis and all that she’s been through.

Read more about accepting Mom's new health status:

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Hospitalization of Elders and Dementia

Readers ask about the cognitive decline of a post-hospitalized elder. They want to know what happened. They want to know if their parent will ever be cognitively the same as he or she was before a hospitalization. I tell them that each case is unique, but according to many studies, some elders may not cognitively recover from the trauma.

Read more about dementia risk when elders are hospitalized:

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Know Your Hospitalization Codes or Risk Medicare Denial

Your mom has fallen in her home and you’re now sitting with her in the hospital. Nothing is broken, they said, but she suffered a back injury they want to monitor. They’d like to keep her in the hospital for observation. You say sure, why not? She stays several days and then is released to a rehab facility for follow-up care.Medicare pays for the first 20 days a patient is in a rehab facility only if the patient is admitted and remains in the hospital for three days prior to treatment. But, according to AAPR, hospitals are increasingly leaving Medicare hospital patients “under observation” without officially admitting them.

Read more about the Medicare "observation trap":

Purchase Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories – paperback or ebook