“Fewer Americans Are Delaying Major Life Events Because of Money Worries,” Advisor Magazine Quote: “A new survey found that the number of American adults that have postponed at least one important life decision in the last year for financial reasons has fallen to 35 percent. This is an improvement from the 51 percent in a similar 2015 survey when Americans were still recovering from the recession.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Maybe now is a good time to redouble efforts to encourage the important life decision of planning for long-term care. Fewer Americans
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“Why Yelp Could be Superior to Five-Star Ratings for Nursing Homes,” by Maggie Flynn, Skilled Nursing News Quote: “Researchers at the University of Southern California believe Yelp nursing home reviews are a useful tool in helping prospective residents or their family members make decisions about facilities, The New York Times reported Friday. Though reviews posted on Yelp and other online platforms such as Google or the recently acquired Caring.com are not perfect, the issue is Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website, Dr. Anna Rahman of the University of Southern California told the Times. ‘After 20 years and all the money spent
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“Death rate from falls increases 31% over 9 years,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living Quote: “The death rate from falls among adults aged 65 or more years increased 31% from 2007 to 2016, according to newly published federal data. And it’s growing the fastest among those aged 85 or more years. … Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among people who are at least 65 years old, according to the report. Deaths from unintentional injuries are the seventh-leading cause of death among older adults, and falls account for the largest percentage of those deaths, the CDC
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“Why Families Need a Plan for Caregiving,” by Kimberly Lankford, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Quote: “Kamilah Williams-Kemp, 43, is the head of Northwestern Mutual’s long-term-care insurance business. She was the primary caregiver for her mother last year.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The personal story of one of our own in the LTCI business. Why Families Need a Plan for Caregiving #caregiving #goldencareagent
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“Official Gives Hints About Medicare Advantage LTC Benefits,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “Starting in 2019, Medicare Advantage plans can cover adult day care services, and in-home help with activities such as dressing, bathing and managing medications, a top Trump administration official said Wednesday. Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), talked about the Medicare Advantage program’s new benefits flexibility at a Medicare conference at CMS headquarters, in Baltimore.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): More details on CMS’s allowing MA plans to cover LTC. Official Gives
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“Nearly 25% of Americans Over 85 Need Personal Care,” by Tim Regan, Senior Housing News Quote: “It’s no secret that the need for caregiving services tends to grow with age, but a newly released report from the federal Administration for Community Living sheds light on just how many older adults in the U.S. need personal care. The percentage of older adults age 85 and older needing help with personal care was 22% between January and June of last year. That’s more than twice the amount of people between the ages of 75 and 84 (9%) and more than six times
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“Maybe Traditional Medicare Should Cover Chronic Care: Hearing Witnesses,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “Medicare Advantage program managers recently announced that they want to let issuers add chronic care benefits to the 2019 benefits packages. Witnesses who appeared today at a hearing in Washington on the Medicare Advantage program welcomed the idea of adding chronic care benefits to the benefits package, but some suggested that limiting access to those benefits to Medicare Advantage plan enrollees might be unfair to people who stick with the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):
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“Financial abuse against the elderly most often committed by those closest to them,” by Bruce Kelly, InvestmentNews Quote: “While 68% of older investors believe that a stranger would be the likely perpetrator of financial exploitation against them, the reality is starkly different, according to Wells Fargo & Co., which released the results of its elder needs survey on Tuesday morning. Two-thirds of financial crimes against the elderly are committed by those who are closest to the victims, the survey found.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Heirs impoverishing parents to qualify them for
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