November is LTC Awareness Month

Every month is some type of awareness month. In many cases, a single month may represent awareness for several different medical or health conditions.

November is LTC Awareness Month. LTC = Long-Term Care

If you celebrate Thanksgiving in November, remember that these holidays may be a good time to discuss end-of-life care and other issues when you have the means and the luxury to openly discuss your wishes in front of family members. There are so many different forms of LTC, so it's important to be aware of all the options that exist for those who develop health conditions and require some level of home care, assisted living, or skilled nursing.

Don't forget that you can also purchase LTC insurance, since traditional health insurance may not cover all your LTC expenses.

November is Home Care and Hospice Month

November is Home Care and Hospice Month. Here's some information from a recent press release:

BUTLER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today officially launches Home Care and Hospice Month and VNA of Western Pennsylvania is excited to celebrate the many health-related services that can be brought into a person’s home to help restore health and maintain independence. Home Care and Hospice Month also provides a special opportunity to thank the hundreds upon thousands of healthcare professionals in the area who make home care and hospice services a reality. These professionals dedicate their lives to visiting patients in their homes and provide them with high-quality, cost-effective medical services.

“As the population of Pennsylvania ages, the need for long-term care increases,” says Kristy Wright, CEO and President of VNA of Western Pennsylvania. “As we celebrate Home Care and Hospice Month, we want to bring to light the many benefits that these healthcare services provide. Home care allows patients to receive high-quality, cost effective healthcare while remaining independent at home. In doing so, home care decreases the need for an extended hospital stay or the possibility of moving into assisted living or nursing home facility.”

Click here to read the press release.

America's Best Nursing Homes

The February edition of US News has a section titled, "America's Best Nursing Homes" and it lists some of the top nursing homes in various states. If you're thinking about long-term care for yourself or for a loved one, then you may want to look at this list.

In my region, some of the top nursing homes (according to US News) include:

• Crosslands in Kennett Square, PA
• Calvary Fellowship Homes in Lancaster, PA
• Holy Name Friary in Ringwood, NJ
  
• Cokesbury Village in Hockessin, DE
• Our Lady of Hope Residence in Latham, NY

There are 173 nursing homes listed and some scored a total of 15 stars while others scored a total of 14 stars in 3 different categories. All the homes listed scored 5 stars overall, the highest rating by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

You can also view the Medicare.gov - Nursing Home Compare website to do some research about different nursing homes in your area (www.medicare.gov/nhcompare).

AMDA 2009 Annual Symposium

AMDA is having its annual symposium in Charlotte, North Carolina this year. Today was the first day of the meeting and the theme this year is, "Partnering for Success: The Sky's the Limit." Major national meetings are still very popular ways for doctors to get their continuing medical education (CME).

Collaboration and partnering are such important principles within the long-term care (LTC) setting. The medical director needs to know how to guide an interdisciplinary team in the management of challenging issues in nursing homes and other LTC facilities. As the population ages and more older adults are requiring some type of LTC.