Long Term Care and Dementia

[jared herbert]

I see you live in Iowa as do I. Years ago I had a grandparent that had a similar problem, insurance company refused to pay her valid claims. The company had her buffaloed for some time but my aunt eventually figured out what was going on. A call to the state insurance commissioner and the problem was solved quite quickly. I hope your problem can be solved like this. Insurance always seems to work very well as long as you are paying the company but it seems like the reverse doesn’t work so well.

[Tom M King]

How is elder care handled in countries that have universal health care? Maybe some of our Canadian members know.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Food for thought, Social Security is a form of elder care. Grips me to have to pay taxes on half of it, when for most of my working life (self employed) I couldn't deduct payments from my gross income. Tom, I'm sure you are in the same boat.

[Warren Lake]

Tom I wrote a paragraph or two last night and deleted. If our education system was smart it would have taught us things we need to know and one of the most important would be elder care, a thing we will all face. Ive done that from late 2015 for my mom, then the old cabinetmaker then back to my mom. One of his sons died at 32 and the other was scizophrenic, he had no one but he had already become my father long before. A thing that happened without either of use realizing it. Or maybe he tricked me, he was the smartest man ive ever known. I stopped working and was there for them. Id the same again only better now that ive learned so much.

After he passed focused on my mom and his son. Been a long road and lucky for the most part but you have to be on the system all the time. If an elder doesnt have an advocate for them constantly I hate to think what would happen.

I may write up more. It was all learn as I go. A doctor who was not smart caused damage to my mom with his bad choice. Then a doctor at a top hospital in Toronto that was very smart we worked and he solved the issue. If any of you know anyone that is having mini strokes make damn sure you get them checked for sleep apnia. Once that was figured out there was never another mini stroke for years till the end. Too bad some damage had been done from the past.

Im not much for labels, even after my mom was labelled with Dimensia around 90 she great to 94 1/2. More sane than any woman in my family and a better memory than me. She was joy, covid made a number of new challenges and it nearly killed her keeping us away from her. Then a whole adventure from that alone too long to go into. It became very clear the only reason she stayed alive was that one of us was there every day. Lucky we were in a good Long Term care home. We had tried three Retirements to get to one which did the job but mom labelled it as a clip joint. Another one we tried first she said she thought it was fake, I looked at her and said it reminded me of Las Vegas and got a smile.

Mom ended up in a different area so we no longer went to that one top Toronto Hospital so even hospital care changed and had to watch that. We nearly lost her one night just because of an emergency room doctor who wrote her off. A CCAC lady and Geriatric nurse listened to me that she had bounced back from stuff in the past they over road the doctor. Didnt even know that was possible but when I said we have to learn the work the system we do.

Three weeks later She was ready and being sent to a new Dimensia home. When I picked her up a nurse told me she didnt want to give her back. How nice was that.

The Dimensia place was great but it cost a Martin Table saw. Lucky in one week got a call and had to move her to long term. That was a blessing. The home was no hell but the group of ladies were amazing and worked together so well. We had many more good years. All that after emergency room guy wrote her off.

For Long Term the system is broken. The Pellicans that run it bring in some gaggle of people every year. Helps get them votes. So lets say 350,000 new people come in. There are not even enough spaces in Long Term for the people who have worked and paid into the system their whole life. Right now the niece that helped me care for the old guy is barely keeping sane caring for a mom with Alzeheimers in her family home. Her mom should have been in long term likely two years ago. She has seen a friend she taught the whole process get their parent in faster. o she is away from her family and has to hire full time to be able to get back to her own home and be with her husband or son. She is a tough woman and still has broken down some times.

I didnt read all above but there are days of the week up here there is an Employment law show. Infomercial I guess but the people are are smart as hell. Background one of them was in the system so knows the inside and out of how the companies avoid paying. I dont listen to it but past times it was on and I heard a bit it was clear alot of companies have to stop playing the game fast. When a lawyer who came from their side of the fence and is smarter than them is involved amazing how fast things change.

We have to fight for too much stuff in life that is supposed to be there to take care of us. Someone posted above who they contacted and things shaped up.

Ive had to stand up to too much over the years but stuff learned taught me enough I could help others.

I once had a lawyers ongoing propane pricing cut in half. He had fought with them and got no where. He was too nice, I stooped to their level.

In the years after if i hired him he refused to bill me.

[Mel Fulks]

Warren, good work there. I’ve written ‘term papers’ that were shorter….that’s how I “broke into woodworking ! “. You are a good son and
friend.

[Murray Roblin]

Hi Bruce,
We're beginning this process for a family member. Stroke, healing but still substantial care required. The financial advisor who helped us acquire the policy suggested documentation, escalation, and plan to use a lawyer. We shouldn't expect it to go to court, just that the insurance company has a calculus for how much the payout will cost them vs. how much trouble we cause.
As someone above noted, LTCs with the benefit structure we have are not being underwritten now.
Best to you.
Murray

[Warren Lake]

For some ball park numbers here Retirement homes are around or were approx 4,500.00 a month, it varies around and money goes up for every little thing. Dimensia care place would have been over 7,000.00 a month. The long Term Care is gov funded so they pay part and that cost 2,700.00 per month.

[Jim Becker]

For some ball park numbers here Retirement homes are around or were approx 4,500.00 a month, it varies around and money goes up for every little thing. Dimensia care place would have been over 7,000.00 a month. The long Term Care is gov funded so they pay part and that cost 2,700.00 per month.

That's consistent with my experience with my mother...and I was thankful that the 'rents did the endowed entry to the life-care community and that greatly mitigated care costs as her needs progressed. One other note about this is that after a period of time, there may be eligibility for some help from Medicaid, depending on the state, etc. In Florida where the 'rents lived, that could only kick in after a year if needs could be proven.

[Scott Clausen]

My sympathies on anyone going through this. To the OP I think it is time to lawyer up to get their attention.

On a similar note I have done a lot of reading on alzheimer's and the relationship with diet, possibly. There are some the are calling it type III diabetes now. The thinking is that ongoing high insulin levels from a high carbohydrate diet that cause insulin resistance and later T2D lead to the plaques. I will be gone before the science is in on this but have switched to a very low carb way of eating just in case it proves out.

[Warren Lake]

15 years ago coast to coast late night made statements that all our health originates in our gut. They have looked into all kind of illnesses originating there and made discoveries. Heard we have brain neurons there? Dont get that however they say promising finds and learning going on.