2015 Medicaid numbers are released!
Each year, certain numbers that affect MoHealthnet or Medicaid planning are released by the State implementing federal guidelines that each state must follow in order to participate in the Medicaid program. Some of these numbers are updated at different points of the year, but January 1 is probably the biggest change that is seen annually.... Read More
How to Voice a Grievance with a Nursing Home Facility
Residents and their families have a right to voice grievances without the fear of retaliation. Usually, when a family member or resident voices a grievances they are fearful of retaliation. When retaliation occurs it is often not in the form of physical abuse it is more covert, like not answering calls light as fast as... Read More
Questions to Ask Prior to Admission into a Long-Term Care Facility
When considering placing a loved one into long-term care there are several questions you should ask the facility. Will the facility honor my loved one’s durable power of attorney? If your loved one wants to withhold hydration and nutrition at the end of their life they need to know that the nursing home facility will... Read More
Individuals with Down’s Syndrome have a very high rate of developing Alzheimer’s
I came across an article from earlier this summer based upon a comment that a client made to me recently that I found very interesting. Apparently, individuals with Down’s Syndrome have a very high rate of developing Alzheimer’s disease and they develop this much earlier than the general population. According to the article, nearly 100%... Read More
Care Plan Meetings
Care plans are required in all federally funded long-term care facilities. Any facility who accepts Medicare or Medicaid are required to have care plan meeting. This means that Assisted Living and Residential Care facilities are not required to have care plan meetings since they do not provide Medicare or Medicaid (cash grant does not apply).... Read More
Helping seniors with estate planning and more.
Helping seniors with estate planning, probate, elder law, power of attorney documents and asset protection for long term care. On September 18, Mike Weeks was asked to present to the St. Charles Senior Citizen Advisory Committee Town Hall. The focus of the meeting was information that seniors need to know. Amongst the topics were... Read More
Alzheimer’s Studies
As an elder law attorney, I see first-hand the devastation that Alzheimer’s disease causes for patients and their caregiving families. For many years, the prevailing thought was that you can’t fully diagnose Alzheimer’s disease until after the patient has passed with an autopsy. In the last several years, MRI tests have been used that... Read More
Levels of facility based care
When the decision has been made to place a loved one into long-term care there are options available depending on care needs. Below are the different types of licensed care facilities. This doesn’t include independent living facilities, as they are not licensed by the Department of Senior Services (which doesn’t mean they aren’t great places-... Read More
What does Dementia really mean?
Dementia is an umbrella term. It describes the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by certain diseases or conditions. There are many different types of dementia although some are far more common than others. They are often named according to the condition that has caused the dementia. The most common type of dementia... Read More
Are you suffering from Caregiver Stress?
“Most Americans will be informal caregivers at some point during their lives. During a given year, there are more than 44 million Americans (21% of the adult population)who will provide care to an elderly or disabled person 18 years or older. Altogether, informal caregivers provide 80% of the long-term care in the United States.” US... Read More