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Long-Term Care And In-Home Care

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Questions:

Are there any state or federal grants available to assist paying for my loved one to move into an assisted living, as their income alone will not support the monthly cost?
My mother-in-law needs a personal care worker to help her with meal preparation, light cleaning, errands, etc. Do you have an idea how much this type of personal care would cost?
My mother requires assistance at home. What questions do I need to have answered to determine my loved one’s needs?
My mother is the POA for my grandmother who is in a nursing home. They are changing her medication but we were unaware she was even on this medication. and cannot answer why she is on this medication. What steps should we take to obtain this information?
Can you help provide some additional information about long-term care insurance?

Questions and Answers:

My parents have an income of approximately $22,800 per year. I am trying to determine if there are any Federal or State grants that would allow my parents to move into an assisted living facility. Most of the facilities I have contacted cost between $1500 and $2000 per person per month. This amount is simply beyond what they can afford. Also, if such grants are available, what are the criteria to qualify?
According to the Virginia Department of Social Services, an auxiliary grant is "a supplement to income for recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and certain other aged, blind, or disabled individuals residing in a licensed assisted living facility or an approved adult foster care home." If these criteria apply to your parents, they may qualify for an auxiliary grant.

To determine eligibility and to find more information about other possible funding sources, contact your local Department of Social Services. To locate your parents' local Department of Social Services, visit www.seniornavigator.org type in the topic, affordable housing, and their zip code.
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My mother-in-law needs a personal care worker to help her with meal preparation, light cleaning, errands, etc. Do you have an idea how much this type of personal care would cost?
In Virginia, the average cost for general companion service is $13 per hour. This fee is closer to $15 an hour to include such services as meal preparation and house cleaning. In some cases, an agency may offer a sliding fee scale based on your mother-in-law's income. Generally, services provided through the local Department of Social Services or the local Area Agency on Aging have a sliding fee.

To locate a personal care provider in your area, visit www.seniornavigator.org and search using the topic "personal care" and your zip code. This will give you access not only to names and phone numbers, but also fees, eligibility requirements, and more.
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My elderly mother requires assistance at home. How do I evaluate the needs of a caregiver for her? What questions do I need to have answered to determine my mom's needs?
There are many agencies that are available to assess the needs of older individuals. Your local Area Agency on Aging is one place that can perform an assessment and can help you in understanding the results of the assessment. Once the assessor determines your mother's functional status and what her exact needs are, he/she can provide information about services that are available to meet those needs. The assessor can also inform you of eligibility requirements for the services and can assist in applying for them, if necessary.

The most standard tool for such an assessment is called the Uniform Assessment Instrument (UAI). The UAI covers demographics/contacts, formal services currently in use, financial resources, physical environment, and functional status. These areas constitute the short form, which is completed for everyone needing an assessment. A more in-depth assessment includes physical health and psycho-social assessment (including cognitive function, behavior patterns, etc).

To find the Area Agency on Aging nearest you, visit www.seniornavigator.org, type in the topic Area Agency on Aging and your ZIP code.
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My grandmother who lives nursing home, cannot read or write so my mother serves as her power of attorney. Recently, my mom was notified that the nursing home was changing my grandmother’s medication from Prozac to Zoloft. The problem is that my mother was never notified that she was taking Prozac to begin with. When my mom asked how long my grandmother had been on the medication, they indicated they did not know nor did they know who initially prescribed the medication and who initially diagnosed her with depression. The facility has not been forthcoming with any answers. What steps should we take to obtain this information that seems to be eluding us?
First, you and your mother should set up a meeting with the Director of Nursing and share your concerns to ascertain if he/she can answer your questions. If that proves to be unsuccessful, you may wish to send the Administrator a letter to request the information you are seeking as well as a meeting to discuss the answers. You and your mother could also speak with the nursing home’s attending physician and perhaps the current psychologists.

If you run into difficulties in obtaining the answers you need, it may be best to request a copy of your grandmother’s medical records and either review them yourself or have an attorney, legal aide, or ombudsman assist you. An ombudsman should be assigned to your grandmother’s nursing home; it is required that the contact information for the ombudsman be posted in the facility.
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I am 64 years old and my wife is 57. We have been recently discussing long-term care insurance options and we are in need of some additional information. Can you help?
A great place to start is your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA). Each AAA has a Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program or VICAP that has been developed by The Virginia Department for the Aging and the Bureau of Insurance to offer free counseling to older adults (over 60 years of age) and their families in understanding issues involving Medicare, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Medicaid, medical bills and long-term care insurance. VICAP counselors can help explain what options are available when it comes to long-term care insurance and how to go about being an informed consumer if you think it is a good option for you and your wife.

The “Own Your Own Future” campaign was recently launched in Virginia to encourage individuals to plan ahead for their long-term care needs. It provides information on long-term care insurance and other means of long-term care planning. Individuals who call the toll-free number 1-866-PLAN-LTC receive a long-term care 'tool kit' listing resources available to them, including contact information for the Virginia Department for the Aging, local Area Agencies on Aging, the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance, a Virginia Long-Term Care Guide and other resources.

It might also be beneficial for either you or your wife to attend a long-term care insurance seminar that educates participants about the subject without sales pressure. Seminars may be offered by your local Parks and Recreation Department or through your local school system’s Adult Education.

When you have a better understanding of what long-term care is you will want to look for an agent who is a specialist in long-term care insurance. It may be helpful to work with an agent that has a long-term care certification, such as the CLTC (Certified in Long Term Care) designation. He/she should be able to fully educate you on the types of long-term care insurance and how the policies work. An agent should also explore your preference.
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