“Got Medicare Advantage? Prepare for New Perks — and New Questions,” by Paula Span, New York Times “When Medicare’s open enrollment period begins on Oct. 15, the private insurers that underwrite Advantage plans — which already lure seniors with things traditional Medicare can’t cover, like eyeglasses, hearing aids and gym memberships — will be free to add a long list of new benefits. Among those the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will now allow, if they’re deemed health-related: Adult day care programs. Home aides to help with activities of daily living, like bathing and dressing. Palliative care at home
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“America Is Running Out of Family Caregivers, Just When It Needs Them Most,” by Clare Ansberry, Wall Street Journal “For generations, the nation has relied on family members to keep aging loved ones in their homes. Today, many Americans are growing older without family nearby, offering a glimpse of what the future may hold for the cohort of Americans who are approaching retirement. The caregiving crunch comes at a time when Americans reaching retirement age are in a squeeze unseen in generations. Their median incomes, including Social Security and retirement fund receipts, haven’t risen in years. They have high average
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“U.S. Medigap plans fall short on protections for pre-existing conditions,” by Mark Miller, Reuters “Thinking of adding a Medigap supplemental policy to your Medicare coverage? Beware: you could be charged higher rates or be turned away completely if you have a pre-existing condition.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): “Insurance” that ignores medical underwriting is welfare, not insurance. U.S. Medigap plans fall short on protections for pre-existing conditions #medigap #goldencareagent
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“Nursing home signs ‘groundbreaking contract,’ doles out bonuses to staffers for cutting back bed sores,” by Marty Stempniak, McKnight’s LTC News “One New York nursing home is trying an outside-the-box approach to keeping residents safe. Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, in Syracuse, NY, just inked a new contract with United Healthcare Workers East, which represents employees at the skilled nursing facility. Union employees are now eligible to receive lump sum bonuses for hitting quality benchmarks such as reducing pressure ulcers, falls with injury and rehospitalizations, according to an announcement made Wednesday.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for
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“CCRCs Move Away From Skilled Nursing As Demand Drops,” by Maggie Flynn, Skilled Nursing News “By the industry’s own definition, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) include skilled nursing care — but there is a growing trend of developing similar communities that lack such care, according to a report from the commercial real estate services firm CBRE.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): We reported a couple days ago that boomers are moving into their peak years for joining CCRCs, age 72. We observed it’ll be a much bigger problem when they start turning
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“Majority of older adults with probable dementia are likely unaware they have it, study suggests,” ScienceDaily “An analysis of information gathered for an ongoing and federally sponsored study of aging and disability adds to evidence that a substantial majority of older adults with probable dementia in the United States have never been professionally diagnosed or are unaware they have been.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Now, that is depressing. Majority of older adults with probable dementia are likely unaware they have it, study suggests #dementia #goldencareagent
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“A Growing Number of People Are Navigating Retirement Alone. This Woman Is Spearheading a Movement to Change That,” by Elizabeth O’Brien, Money “Carol Marak helped her aging parents for a total of six years, frequently driving the 125 miles between her home in Dallas and theirs in West, Texas, to shop, clean, cook and do other tasks for them. ‘I realized there are so many demands in giving care to an older person,’ says Marak, now 67. ‘I don’t have family to do that for me.’ So in February 2016, she started the Elder Orphans Facebook group, which has since
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“CDC: 14% of those 75+ have early symptom of Alzheimer’s,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living Fourteen percent of adults aged 75 or more years have subjective cognitive decline [SCD], one of the earliest noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. … Additionally, the CDC found that 10% of those aged 65 to 74, 11% of those aged 55 to 64, and 10% of those aged 45 to 54 had SCD.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): I’m dubious. Seems like a higher
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