“Caregiving Caused Me to Divorce My Siblings,” by Robert L. Peta, NextAvenue Quote: “During the 15 years I spent as my mother’s primary caregiver, I heard this story endlessly from strangers and friends: ‘I’m caring for Mom (or Dad) and none of my siblings is lifting a finger.’ Sometimes, the deserted parent in the story had been an ogre; more often, they’d been, like my own mother, beloved by all her kids.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: We thank Lynn Voss of long-time Center friend and corporate member GoldenCare for tipping us to
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“What’s better for senior living and care — the market or government?,” by Stephen A. Moses, McKnight’s Senior Living Quote: “The senior living and care business encompasses a wide range of services, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and home care (including home care provided in the aforementioned settings). Private-market forces prevail in independent living and, somewhat less so but predominantly, in assisted living. Government funding and regulation prevail in home care, skilled nursing and, less so but significantly, in assisted living. By most measures, the more market-based independent and assisted living sectors fare better economically over
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“3 States Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care,” by Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News Quote: “‘If they’re not able to pull so much money away from care and spend it on staffing and actual services, it should make a big difference,’ said Charlene Harrington, professor emeritus at the University of California-San Francisco’s School of Nursing who has spent four decades studying nursing home reimbursement and regulation. ‘I would expect the quality of care would improve substantially.’ ‘The actual effect will be just the opposite,’ said Andrew Aronson, president and CEO of the Health Care Association of New
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“So far, more than 200,000 apply for exemption from the state’s long-term-care fund,” by Elizabeth Hovde, Washington Policy Center Quote: “Exemption Statistics as of Oct. 21, 2021 Total exemption applications received: 227,402 Approved applications: 61,785 Incomplete applications: 624 Total applications processed: 62,409 Applications processed as percentage of total: 27.4% “We continue to urge lawmakers to repeal this flawed long-term-care law in the next legislative session. Amendments and delays can’t fix the WA Cares Fund, especially since lawmakers have disrupted the insurance market the way that they have. And it is clear people don’t want this law: It is not patient-centered and its payroll tax burdens household budgets.” LTC Comment, Stephen A.
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“‘Fairly large contingent’ of National Guard will alleviate ‘healthcare backups’ at long-term care facilities,” by Kathleen Steele Galvin, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “‘A fairly large contingent’ of the National Guard will be enlisted to help with a statewide long-term care worker shortage that is hampering hospitals’ ability to transfer people with COVID-19 patients to post-acute facilities, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced Friday at a press conference. The soldiers will receive training to work in long-term care settings, he said.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Think maybe the caregiver shortage is getting serious?    
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“Are You Ready to Move Your Aging Parent Into Your Home?,” by Bruce Horowitz, AARP Quote: “While no list of questions can be comprehensive — particularly during an ongoing pandemic — this represents an important start before embarking on a life-changing act that will deeply affect everyone involved. Perhaps the single most unasked question, according to Gary Powell, founder and executive director of The Caregiver Foundation, is: ‘Can I really do this?’” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Do you still get the objection “my kids will take care of me?” If so, show them this article.
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“My Perfect World,” by Robyn Stone, Leading Age LTSS Center Quote: “I’m wondering how we can possibly devise policies that address the growing need for long-term services and supports among older adults when we don’t have a housing policy that addresses the need to provide all Americans with viable housing options throughout their lifespans.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Answer: you can’t devise policies to achieve that goal. That kind of arrogance created long-term care’s problems. The Soviet Union proved central planning doesn’t work. For details, see Ludvig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, and Murray
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“For most seniors, there’s no place like home,” by Kathleen Steele Galvin, McKnight’s Senior Living Quote: “An overwhelming number of seniors want to stay in their own homes rather than move to an assisted living community, according to recent data from the American Advisors Group. A survey of 1,552 participants ages 60 to 75 from all regions of the United States, 92% of the respondents said they would prefer to live their later years in their current home instead of moving to an assisted living community. Eighty percent said they want to live in their own home for the rest of
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“The Troubling Trend of ‘Gray Sheeting’ Life Insurance Policies,” by Wm. Scott Page, Advisor Magazine Quote: “An underground market of buyers and sellers within the life insurance industry is taking advantage of an inefficient marketplace to systematically underpay for life insurance policies. This phenomenon is what we call gray sheeting. The good news is that it’s easy to avoid having your policy gray sheeted, by having it appraised before you put it on the market. For years, some in the insurance industry have been trying to convince agents and advisors who are counseling clients about selling a life insurance policy
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“My incredible shrinking lifespan,” by Gary Tetz, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “With so much still to say to the long-term care profession, I’m realizing I better write fast, because I may not have many years left. Less all the time, according to a study from Oxford University.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Let LTC humorist Gary Tetz lighten your Friday mood. Then have a fine weekend.             Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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