“Tech Revolution Benefits the Aging,” by Sally Abrahms, Kiplinger “Imagine your frail father dons a virtual reality headset so he can ‘attend’ his grandson’s graduation and feel as if he’s really there. Or your mom, forgetful about her medicine, swallows a teensy sensor encased in medication that will relay the time she took the pill and the dosage to her smartphone. Perhaps your mother-in-law has dementia, which makes her agitated. A small robot she holds that acts like a cat, including purring, calms her instantly. Afraid she’ll wander? Your phone can alert you if she does.” LTC Comment (from Stephen
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“Will robots be taking care of us in our old age?,” by Denise Logeland, Next Avenue “Expect a caregiving environment rich in technology in the not-so-distant future. But along with that, there’ll be an emphasis on human connection to counter the devastating health effects of social isolation on older people.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): What to expect in caregiving innovation within five years, ten years, and in the “Jetsons” future. Will robots be taking care of us in our old age? #goldencareagent
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“Long-Term Care Insurers Steering Through Tough Times,” by Eleanor Laise, Kiplinger “Most consumers shopping for long-term care insurance worry about whether they’re healthy enough to qualify for coverage—and whether they can afford it. But the recent failure of two long-term-care insurers highlights a third concern: Will the insurer still be around when you make a claim, perhaps 20 or 30 years down the road?” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Usually quite positive about LTCI, Kiplinger takes a more negative tack in this article. Long-Term Care Insurers Steering Through Tough Times #goldencareagent #kiplinger
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“New Report Probes Hospital Patients’ Refusal of Home Care Services and the Impact on Readmissions and Outcomes,” United Hospital Fund “United Hospital Fund (UHF) and the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (the Alliance) today released a report titled, ‘I Can Take Care of Myself!’: Patients’ Refusals of Home Health Care Services, on the under-examined issue of patients who refuse home health care services when they are discharged from inpatient care. Such refusals can lead to higher rates of readmission to the hospital and a lower quality of life.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term
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“Caveats for Use of Long Term Care Experience Basic Tables,” Society of Actuaries “This memorandum is a supplement to the Long Term Care Experience Basic Table1 (‘Experience Table’) that was published by the Society of Actuaries (“SOA”) in April 2015 and revised in July 2015. Following the release of the Experience Table and the accompanying written report (“Report”), questions and comments were provided to the Society of Actuaries and/or authors regarding their usage. The primary purpose of this memorandum is to reinforce certain key caveats that were contained in the Report.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for
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“Americans Besieged by Debt,” The 2017 Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress Study “Nearly three quarters of Americans are struggling with debt and the burden is significant in terms of both size and duration, according to new findings from Northwestern Mutual’s 2017 Planning & Progress Study. Specifically: Of those Americans with debt, 4 in 10 (45%) spend up to half of their monthly income on debt repayment. Nearly half of Americans (47%) are carrying at least $25,000 in debt, with average debt of $37,000 excluding mortgage payments. Notably, more than 1 in 10 say their debt exceeds a staggering $100,000. More than
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“Alzheimer’s begins long before symptoms of memory loss appear, study suggests,” by Bradley J. Fikes, San Diego Union-Tribune “Alzheimer’s disease begins destroying the brain years before mental deterioration is detected, a new study suggests. This finding means there could be twice the number of people with the neurodegenerative disease in the United States — and worldwide — as currently believed.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Good news, bad news. Earlier detections meets potentially better treatment. But do we really want to know what’s coming? Well, I do, for whatever that’s worth. Alzheimer’s begins
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“AARP: States Lag In Keeping Medicaid Enrollees Out Of Nursing Homes,” by Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News “States are making tepid progress helping millions of elderly and disabled people on Medicaid avoid costly nursing home care by arranging home or community services for them instead, according to an AARP report released Wednesday.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): If HCBS really were cheaper than institutional care, it wouldn’t take federal incentives and regulatory harassment to get states to make the change. Medicaid programs are learning the lesson LTCI carriers confronted and solved two decades
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“You’re Probably Going to Need Medicaid,” by David Grabowski, Jonathan Gruber and Vincent Mor, New York Times “Roughly one in three people now turning 65 will require nursing home care at some point during his or her life. Over three-quarters of long-stay nursing home residents will eventually be covered by Medicaid. Many American voters think Medicaid is only for low-income adults and their children – for people who aren’t ‘like them.’ But Medicaid is not ‘somebody else’s’ insurance. It is insurance for all of our mothers and fathers and, eventually, for ourselves.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center
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