Who will take care of the elderly?
By Theresa Dilks
The year is 2002 and the number of people coming of age, that is, reaching
retirement age, is astonishing. The reason? The "baby-boomers" are
getting old. They have taken care of their parents and now it is time for someone
to take care of the "baby-boomers." Will it be their children? Live-in
nurses? How about retirement - assisted living homes? Their lives will be changing
and their families will need information about nursing homes, assisted living
or programs that meet the needs for elderly family members to live at home with
their children.
When it is time to make the decision about an elderly family member, keep in
mind his/her doctor can often supply information needed by you and your family
member. I experienced this very situation with my grandmother. Doctors can also
frequently assist in helping place your elderly member in a "decent"
assisted living/nursing home. Over the years there have been stories of abuse
in some homes and doctors are often aware of this information.
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Foundation has a wonderful
website, www.aarp.org, and magazine that
can prove helpful to many families. These sources offer helpful information
about caring for your elderly member at home; can point to discounts on medical
supplies and prescriptions; help keep one informed about legislation and what
affects it will have on your elderly family member; plus assist on ideas about
insurance, financial planning and more.
One can also contact the Elder Care Locator Line (800-677-1116) that can answer
just about any question regarding programs such as visiting nurses or therapists.
This help line can also answer questions regarding home security programs such
as LifeLine, LifeAssure, etc., that allow your elderly member to alert a medical
team should they fall or become ill when no one is around.
Some families simply will not consider the option of placing an elderly family
member in a nursing home. Why not? Many people find the stories of neglect and
abuse too atrocious, some elderly cannot qualify for Medicaid, usually due to
their higher economic living status, and the monthly cost can end up on his
or her family’s shoulders, and some simply cannot bear the idea of "putting
an elderly member away" until their death.
That was the last thing Jim and Pat would consider when Pat's mother came to
live with them. Pat stated firmly, "I would never give that a thought."
Jim added, "She is my mother (in-law), too, and it would not cross my mind
to put her in a home." Jim and Pat take Pat’s mother to Bingo on
Saturday nights; her mother also visits other children at different times of
the year; plus Pat and Jim provided Internet access to chat rooms and magazines
to keep their relative’s mind working. "If you let them sit there
and look out the window, they become vegetables," said Pat about older
citizens, " You must keep their minds stimulated and their body will follow
suit."
John and Shirley thought the same way. John would simply never consider putting
his mother in a home. “My mother once told me when a friend of hers was
put in a nursing home, ‘She took care of six children and six children
could not take care of one mother.’” I told her, "That will
never happen to you." He was right. John's mother lived to be 93 years
old and died at home with her children surrounding her. They all took turns
in helping out where needed and being with her on her last day was their reward.
Many do not know that if Medicare is the only health insurance an elderly family
member has, it is possible to apply for Medicaid to help supplement a nursing
home’s expenses. This knowledge is valuable because the expense of a nursing
home, if this is the choice, can prove quite large. For example, according to
the website of The Brian Center Nursing Care, which operates in the state of
Georgia, costs at this facility run approximately $37,000 a year per person
compared to the state average of $35,800.00 a year per person. However, the
good news is that Medicare can pay 14% of that total. (See The ajc.com Nursing
Home Guide at http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/nursinghomes/database/.)
Without other financial help, what is a family to do? The AARP Foundation can
help a family with financial planning by suggesting government financial institutions
that can help with all or a portion of the monthly payments related to nursing
homes.
There are also other options such as "day care" for the elderly. Bethel
Gardens in Powder Springs, Ga. offers one such program operating as a private
service and costing $50.00 per day per person.
There are also visiting nurse/therapist/aid programs that are brief visit services.
Medicare will pay for this service. This can prove to be a good program when
coupled with the LifeLine or LifeAssure
program. The visiting professional would be with the elderly family member for
approximately 1-2 hours daily and would feel secure for the remaining hours
with knowledge they can contact help at any time with a service like First Alert.
There are still other options, such as hiring a high school or college student
needing extra money to be a companion for a few hours a day or hiring a nursing
student working his/her way through college. These individuals would charge
less per day compared to a licensed professional.
Knowing a family and their elderly member can find help with finances and care
eases minds and makes the transition of placing a family member in a nursing/assisted
living home, hiring some sort of "day care" or spreading the care
amongst family members easier.
According to the AARP Foundation, the best strategy is planning your retirement
years early on. Suggestions for such planning are researching nursing/assisted
living homes, looking into health insurance programs and finding the right financial
program to supplement Medicare. Good planning now can make all the difference
when one reaches retirement age. This decision should not be difficult for you
or your elderly family member when that time does come.
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Copyright © 2002 by Theresa Dilks. All rights reserved.
Theresa Dilks is a native of New Jersey and has been living in Georgia for nine
years. An amateur writer with many stories to tell, Theresa's peers encouraged
her to write and publish her articles.
The Magazine’s writers welcome your feedback. Please be sure to reference the specific article in your response.
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