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Long Term Care-Facts & Rights

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Section 1 - Assistive Technology
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Section 7 - Caregiver Resources
Patient Quality of Life: Should Doctors Guess It?
Incontinence Care
Section 8 - Children Seriously Ill
Children of The Chronically Ill
Siblings of Children with Special Health Needs
Guides To Disability Issues
End Stage Hospital & Home Care
Child With A Serious Illness
Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Camps-Special Needs Children
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Section 9 - For Kids
Section 10 - Family Resources
Section 11 - Patient Resources
Section 12 - Financial Aids
Section 13 - Insurance
Long Term Care Insurance
Section 14 - Legal
Section 15 - Long Term Care
Section 16 - Symptom Support
Section 17 - End of Life
Section 18 - Funeral Planning
Section 19 - After Death Occurs
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Caregiver Grief ~Article
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Long Term Care Insurance
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Forms, Checklist
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Rehab Tools-Assistive Tech. Categories
State Map-Ombudsman Program
NH Your Rights-Fact Sheets
Nursing Homes and Your Rights - Factsheets for some seriously ill or their caregivers.
Long Term Care-Facts & Rights
State & Federal Resources
Drug Resources
Grief & Sorrow
When death nears - Signs and Symptoms
Some Facts About Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
Things To Consider-Artificial Nutrition and Hydration

Long Term Care

Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, Your Rights and Other Resources

Your Rights
 
Find Ombudsman Program in your State plus read the list of things the program is there to help you with. 
 
These Fact Sheets from the National Ombusdman Program include information on issues affecting residents such as resident rights, malnutrition, the use of restraints, and changing the culture of nursing homes.  Plus there is a link to  ADVOCACY TIPS and FAMILY COUNCILS
 
When you move into a nursing home, you do not lose any rights granted to you as a citizen of the United States. You are still protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. You continue to have the right to (see page)
 
Family Councils(Who/What You Can Do) -A family council - or Relatives and Friends Council-is a group of committed families and friends working together to improve the quality of life of nursing home residents. Many voices are stronger than one. An effective way to bring about positive change in a nursing home is to join with others who care  about individual residents.  What they do, what you can do, handling unsupportive NH administrators.
 
Assisted Living
 
Assisted Living: Costs And Contracts  - A list of financial questions to ask.  These checklists have been developed by The Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living (CCAL), a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to representing the needs of consumers in assisted living facilities and educating consumers, professionals, and the general public about assisted living issues
 
A checklist of personal and health care questions to ask when you and your loved one visit an assisted living facility.
 
Assisted Living: Special Care Units Questions To ask - If your loved one is considering a move to assisted living, you need to find out about any special care services offered by the facility. This section is directed to family members or other interested persons, because it would be unusual for the person who needs a special care unit to be asking these questions. These questions should be asked in addition to previous questions.
 
Nursing Homes
 
Guilt - "In my Family We Care for our Own" Confronting Guilt over Placing Relatives in Nursing Homes-A tradition of "In my family we care for our own" developed before modern medical advances enabled very sick elderly to live much longer lives.
Jean Harker, an experienced caregiver through her years as a Hospice volunteer, provides insights into making the Nursing Home decision
Reasons for Entering a Nursing Home
Losses That Are Experienced
Reactions to Loss and Transition
Conclusion
Contact Information
 
Medicare-Alternatives To Nursing Home Care - Nursing Homes serve as permanent residences for people who are too frail or sick to live at home or as a temporary facility during a recovering period. However, many people need a nursing home level of care but would prefer to remain in their own home with the help of their family and friends, community services, and professional care agencies. The Medicare program offers limited access to two unique programs for certain beneficiaries who need a comprehensive medical and social service delivery system.
 
The purpose of this section is to provide visitors with information relating to Medicaid and Medicare certified nursing homes throughout the United States. It includes information on payment and patient rights, and a nursing home checklist which will help you evaluate the nursing homes that you visit.
Other Resources
 
Providing good food that represents the tastes of the home's resident population and meets all the nutritional requirements required by the Department of Health is a challenge. It is also one area that can make a huge difference in the quality of life for residents. What Can You Do?
 
Long Term Care-The Physician's Role Physician's Guide: To learn which elements of long-term care require physician involvement, become familiar with various care settings available for long-term care of patients, understand legal requirements for reimbursement of various long-term care services
 
Many relatives call FRIA to report little or no exercise or rehabilitation. Most of our complaints occur when residents are taken off a rehabilitation program because they have ceased to improve or can't follow instructions due to confusion. Medicare or Medicaid will not pay for a physical or occupational therapist under these conditions.  What Can You Do?
 
Overmedication~Recognizing Symptoms - Sometimes drugs are prescribed for nursing home residents to alleviate anxiety, angry behavior, screaming, delusions and paranoia. Under law, when these medications are used when less aggressive treatment could be effective, they are considered to be "chemical restraints." According to Department of Health regulations, all other methods of behavioral intervention must be tried to relieve the symptoms before drugs are used. Some symptoms of overmedication; What you should do.
 
Physician's Guide: Physical restraint devices (belts, vests, pelvic ties, specialized chairs, bed side rails) have been a mainstay in the care of forgetful and unsteady patients in the United States. Physicians have used these devices almost reflexively, believing that they provided safety for patients. So, the controversy and regulations regarding use of physical restraints may be perplexing to many physicians. Federal regulations; Safety concerns of families; physical constraints; practical approach to restraint reduction.
 
If pressure sores are not treated, they can lead to infection, surgery or amputation. Many professionals believe pressure sores are 100% preventable except in rare cases. Yet, FRIA gets many calls from relatives who have discovered these sores. They occur even in "good" nursing homes. Ways to prevent pressure sores; What you can do.
Also see:
 
Problem Resolution: Advocating For Your Relative -What to do before a problem occurs; define and document issues or problems; working out a solution, get support from appropriate sources.
 
Evaluating the resident, your involvement in the decisions, creating a safety plan
 
Share information about your experience with long term care facilities by responding this NCCNHR survey
Physician's Guide: To recognize the essential elements in the initial evaluation of nursing home patients, identify useful assessments for determining the functional status of nursing home patients,  learn recommended preventive care measures for nursing home patients
 
What Families Need to Know and Do - When There are Culture and Language Concerns - When placing a relative or friend who speaks little or no English or whose ethnic background differs from the majority of the residents in the home you are considering, you might want to ask.