“Long term care and technology are becoming more comfortable partners in the drive to improve the lives of seniors and to create new economic efficiencies. But the form of this push for high-tech solutions is moving beyond just the latest advances in software for electronic health records (EHRs) and telemedicine to other specialized fields, like sensor technology. It is here, experts say, that real promise is being shown in advancing from relatively basic sensors that track heart rates and oxygen flows to more precise and in-depth health monitoring for seniors living independently and in skilled nursing care or assisted living
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“Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller today announced the Commonwealth Court approval of petitions to liquidate Penn Treaty Network America Insurance Company and American Network Insurance Company, with policyholder claims to be paid through the state guaranty association system, subject to statutory limits and conditions. . . . Commissioner Miller said the two companies have approximately 76,000 policyholders nationwide, with 9,000 residing in Pennsylvania. More than 98 percent of Penn Treaty and American Network’s policies are long term care insurance. . . . ‘Policyholder claims will continue to be covered by the state guaranty association system pursuant to law, and policy claims
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“Karla DeMoe Hornstein is the only one of the six DeMoe children of Tioga, a small oil town in western North Dakota, without a mutated gene for early onset of Alzheimer’s. “That distinction has left Karla, 58, essentially the guardian of an extended family in which each member has a 50% chance of inheriting a genetic mutation that leads to early Alzheimer’s. It claimed their grandmother, their father, an aunt and uncle. In the past few years, her brother died at 54 and sister at 56 of causes related to Alzheimer’s. Another brother lives in a nursing home and two
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“More than half of new long-term care insurance claims in 2016 were for people who received care in their homes, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. That’s a 3% increase from 2012.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): So why do the media keep referring to “nursing home insurance?” Most Long-Term Care Insurance Claims Are for Home Care #goldencareagent
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“In the worst-case scenario, you don’t have the option of long-term care insurance. This can be a daunting prospect, but it’s not the end of the world. Salter suggests two solutions that will provide monthly income that can go toward the cost of care. The first is cash value for life insurance, which is essentially the cash amount offered to the policy owner by the issuing life carrier upon cancellation of the contract. The second is taking out a reverse mortgage on the elderly family member’s house.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): How
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“Older people who suffer a hip fracture face a much higher risk of death soon after the injury, but the risk persists over the longer term, a large study indicates. Researchers found that the risk of death among people over 60 nearly tripled during the first year following a hip fracture. However, hip fractures were also still linked to a nearly twofold increased risk of dying eight years or more after the injury.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): A stark reminder of the danger of falls. Hip Fracture’s Link to Early Death May
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“Demand is growing for quality home-based care for the elderly, driven by an aging population. Most workers so far in this specialized field, however, haven’t experienced quality pay or benefits. Honor Technology Inc., a San Francisco-based startup, is attempting to fill both needs, offering quality service in home-based elderly care but also quality jobs for the people who make up this expanding workforce. The company offers a customized care plan for each customer and easy-to-use scheduling and communication tools that the seniors or their families can use through an app on a mobile device or by telephone. To its trained
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