The Long Term Care (LTC) Blog
Looming crisis in nursing home care
Rural and small market areas continue to experience growing “nursing home deserts,” an increasing crisis for local officials and beneficiaries facing access issues. The problem is two-fold. The closures stem from a mix of staffing shortages and lackluster Medicaid reimbursement—with the latter causing the first. Too many people think that Long-Term Care is free from…
Read MoreFamily Care Givers are Struggling
Family care givers are struggling and feel undervalued, according to an article published on the website The Street. It reports on a study conducted in September 2023 by Wakefield Research and sponsored by Otuska, a pharmaceutical company. It outlines the toll that caretaking can take on family members. To read the article, click here . Have you…
Read MoreWill you be in the news?
Many of you have read about or have seen news stories of seniors being evicted from a long-term care facility. It is a tragedy that some people spend down their savings paying for care at the end of life. Medicaid (government welfare) can help these folks, but it pays the facility far less than the…
Read MoreAmericans are focused on the wrong retirement risks
A study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that Americans cite market volatility as the top retirement risk, while longevity and health care costs actually present bigger risks. The study concluded that Americans need more education about retirement risks, as well as a source of secure income and long-term care planning. …
Read MoreHow to Pave a Smooth Path for Marriage in Your Golden Years
This article is posted with the permission of the author, Lydia Chan. After her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Ms. Chan struggled to balance the responsibilities of caregiving and her own life. She founded AlzheimersCaregiver.net as an online resource for fellow caregivers and seniors. In her spare time, Lydia writes articles about a range of caregiving…
Read MoreConstant drumbeat of costs often overwhelms caregivers
An article in the Wall Street Journal details how an AARP caregiving expert ends up broke and $120,000 in debt trying to care for her parents in need of long-term care. (“Caring for Older Relatives is So Expensive That Even AARP’s Expert Filed For Bankruptcy”, Wall Street Journal, 2-22-22). The article reads, “On average, caregivers…
Read MoreFinancial Planning for Alzheimer’s Disease
This article is posted with the permission of the author, Lydia Chan. After her Mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Ms. Chan struggled to balance the responsibilities of caregiving and her own life. She founded AlzheimersCaregiver.net as an online resource for fellow caregivers and seniors. In her spare time, Lydia writes articles about a range of caregiving topics.…
Read More156 Wisconsin assisted living facilities closed through September 1 of this year
381 assisted living facilities closed from 2019 through this September! WHY? They accepted Medicaid (welfare) whose reimbursement is less than the cost to care for their residents. If you lose money on every customer, can you make it up with volume? Of course not, it just gets worse! If you need Medicaid to pay for…
Read MoreFamily-Provided Care Can Work–Sometimes
The September, 2021 issue of the journal Health Affairs features a study that family-provided care (spouse or adult children) for dementia greatly diminishes the chances that the individual will need to enter a nursing home. However, full time caregiving will burn out the support team. Family simply cannot be expected to provide 24-7 care without…
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