Hospice And Palliative Care To Empower Your Loved One

Greetings,In our last bi-monthly newsletter, I mentioned we had nominated one of our caregivers Jane, as the Caregiver of the Year for Visiting Angels nationwide. We were notified at the end of January, she was selected to move onto Round 2 of nominations! This round, we must submit video testimonials about Jane from the client, family members, office staff, and our owner Karen. By the time you read this, we will have submitted the video testimonials and will hear back by March 21st if Jane is a semi-finalist for this prestigious award. The winner of this years Caregiver of the Year award will be announced at the Visiting Angels 26th Annual Conference being held in June and will receive $5,000. There are many team members deserving of consideration for Caregiver of the Year, yet Janes exceptional qualities really stand out. Id like to share an excerpt from the written nominations highlighting Janes contribution.Jane has worked with our team for almost three years. She is dedicated to her work and committed to her clients. She is always on time and never calls out, no matter the weather conditions. The dignity of those in her care is a top priority for Jane while maintaining a positive attitude. Shes willing to go-with-the-flow in any circumstance. For example, when her client resists wearing oxygen and doesnt remember why they need to wear it, Jane knows how to navigate the situation with grace and patience. On the other hand, she holds her ground with difficult clients, and even though it may be uncomfortable, she handles it with respect and kindness.Nominating a caregiver of the year is not just a process, its an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary dedication and compassion of someone whose role is to serve others. Being a part of this journey of recognition has been rewarding because it highlights the invaluable contributions of caregivers nationwide and the importance of acknowledging their efforts. Its been a reminder of the power of appreciation and the significance of recognizing individuals who demonstrate excellence in their work. Im pleased to be a part of a nationally known and locally owned company, like Visiting Angels, who understands the importance and joy of recognizing others. In the end, nominating a caregiver is about acknowledging the countless acts of kindness and the immeasurable impact caregivers have on the lives of others. Whether or not Jane wins nationwide, she is our Visiting Angels of Medford, MA Caregiver of the Year 2023, and that is something to celebrate! I look forward to giving you another update regarding the award in May. All for now,Abby

The landscape of senior care is bracing for a storm. Over the next five years, the sectors of home care and assisted living will face severe headwinds, each for reasons as varied as they are challenging. These obstacles have the potential to reshape the industry and open up opportunities for alternative models like adult day services to thrive.Lets delve into the converging fronts that are forming this perfect storm.Home Care: A Perfect Storm BrewingThe home care industry, which has long stood as a bastion of personalized elderly care, is facing a staffing crisis. This challenge is not merely a forecast but a present reality. A significant driver of this shortage is the tightening of immigration policies.Historically, the home care workforce has been bolstered by immigrants, who often fill these vital roles. However, restrictive immigration laws are rapidly reducing this labor pool, leaving agencies scrambling to find caregivers.In addition, the home care model itself is inherently inefficient and expensive due to its one-on-one nature. While personalized care is highly beneficial for the recipient, its also labor-intensive and does not scale economically.As the costs of providing services rise, so too does the price for consumers, which is exacerbated by the current inflationary environment. Consequently, home care is becoming less accessible for the average family, with costs soaring beyond the reach of many.Assisted Living: The Constraining Grip of EconomicsOn the other side of the spectrum, assisted living facilities, which offer a middle ground between independence and nursing homes, are also in turmoil. New development, which has been the lifeblood of the industrys growth, is coming to a halt.This stagnation is attributed to inflationary pressures, which increase the cost of construction materials and labor, squeezing the margins of developers.Moreover, the rise in interest rates, as a measure to combat inflation, has a two-fold effect: it makes borrowing more expensive for new developments and acquisitions, and it decreases the affordability of these facilities for consumers.With higher costs to finance the development of new facilities, the prices are passed along to residents, many of whom are on fixed incomes and may not be able to afford increased costs.Adult Day Services: The Emerging ContenderIn the wake of these industry hardships, adult day services are positioned to disrupt the status quo. These services offer a compelling model that provides social interaction, care, and supervision during the day, allowing seniors to return to their homes in the evening.This model addresses several pain points of the current care options.Firstly, adult day services are more cost-effective. They do not require around-the-clock staffing or the high overhead associated with maintaining full residential facilities.Secondly, they are less labor-intensive on a per capita basis, mitigating the severity of the staffing crisis facing home care.Furthermore, adult day services can be an attractive option for seniors and their families who are seeking community engagement and medical oversight without relinquishing the comfort of home.The flexibility and lower costs can appeal to a broad range of seniors, making these services a growth sector in an otherwise constrained industry.Charting a New CourseAs the tides rise against home care and assisted living, innovative care models like adult day services may offer a safe harbor for the industry. By providing a more economical and scalable solution, they could potentially address the needs of a growing senior population amid the financial and logistical constraints facing other care options.Stakeholders in the senior care industry must navigate these headwinds with foresight and agility. Those who can adapt and diversify their offerings to include models like adult day services will likely weather the storm ahead.For families, these changes will require a careful consideration of the evolving landscape to make the best decisions for their loved ones.As the clouds gather, it is clear that the industry must prepare for change.The next five years will undoubtedly bring transformation, and within it, the opportunity to reimagine the future of senior care.

I spend a lot of time in the hospital. No, I am not fighting a rare disease or having some work done. In my line of work, it is well known that hospitals are full of people who need help figuring out the next right step. In my role as Advisor, Senior Living and Care with Senior Care Authority, I know a lot about helping people in difficult situations. It was during one of those hospital visits in late 2023 that I met David. I spend a lot of time in the hospital. No, I am not fighting a rare disease or having some work done. In my line of work, it is well known that hospitals are full of people who need help figuring out the next right step. In my role as Advisor, Senior Living and Care with Senior Care Authority, I know a lot about helping people in difficult situations. It was during one of those hospital visits in late 2023 that I met David.I was walking the halls with my social worker colleague when I noticed a man aimlessly wandering the hall behind a group of hospital residents. He was dressed in clothes that screamed, I am not a medical professional! but the group of eager physicians seemed content with their tagalong. I asked Mary about what I was seeing, and she said, Oh, thats just David.She went on to tell me that David was in what they refer to as health care limbo, and that is it more common than many know. A variety of factors can lead to patients being left in a hospital with no discharge options including language barriers, mental illness, or simply being abandoned by family. In Davids case, he had some new medical needs that his caregiver could no longer handle at home and his financial resources were limited for bringing in help. Because a hospital cannot discharge a patient without a safe place to go, David spent more than 9 months occupying a hospital bed long after being medically needed as the team of social workers and discharge planners tried to find a solution.Patients in health care limbo cost hospital systems upwards of $2,600 a day. In Davids case, his 325 day stay came with a nearly $850,000 price tag. Not to mention the toll it took on his well-being, spending his days in a clinical setting reserved for the sickest individuals. Mary and I decided to team up and find David a better alternative.Before anything could be done to assist David with finding a new home, he first needed a legal representative, someone to assist with making health care decisions in his best interest. A guardian is a surrogate decision maker appointed by the court for just these situations. While guardians are largely known for their help with minors, adult guardianship is a growing need, especially in Florida, the state with the second largest number of older adults, expected to grow to almost 33% of its entire population by the year 2030.The process to obtain a guardian for an adult includes a petition being filed by an attorney to deem competency to make a decision, a hearing is held and if deemed necessary, a guardian is appointed. Davids guardian was appointed. But, just because he had a guardian did not mean care could be found. In many cases patients in health care limbo, nursing facilities and assisted living communities are apprehensive about admitting a patient that has been in the hospital for an extended amount of time. These patients can be labeled as difficult or raise red flags, at no fault of their own. Just making phone calls and inquiring about openings was not enough in Davids case. The team needed to build a story of need so an assisted living community would consider taking a second look.  And I found just that community nestled in North Collier County. A new team of Executive Director and Sales Manager were open to meeting David and seeing how they could help. On their first visit, David was in the 4th-floor hospital lobby, watching the news and paging through the newspaper. He could have easily passed as a nervous family member awaiting news of his first grandchild. After spending time with David and learning about his needs, they saw that David needed out of the hospital and into a room of his own with comfy furnishings, home-cooked meals, and daily activities to stimulate his brain and body. They were on board!The thumbs-up from the community was a big hurdle, but not the biggest. We had to figure out how to pay for it. The process of applying for Medicaid is lengthy. If we waited for approval, David could spend another three to six months institutionalized. The team met and the plan was set.we would ask the hospital system to cover the cost of his care until Medicaid services could be approved. Hospital systems have what is known as a benevolent care program, with a purpose of supplementing the expenses of medical care, which could include writing off hospital bills, finding accommodations for a mother who needs a place to stay while her newborn is receiving life-saving care, funeral and burial arrangements, and in our case, paying for the assisted living community until Medicaid could be finalized.The hospital system approved our proposal, so our final stumbling block had been toppled. We planned discharge for the patient who has three full seasons on the intermediate care floor.On the day of discharge, the hospital staff threw David a going away party, with balloons, noise makers and his favorite meal of roast beef and mashed potatoes, made special by the hospital dining services. His doctors, therapists, nurses, discharge planners, custodians, and hospital administrators showed up to see him off. We found a transport company willing to donate their services to the man who had pulled on all our heart strings. His first full day at his new assisted living home was marked with eggs to order, cuddles with baby goats, and happy hour with dueling pianos. What a stark change from the clinical halls of the hospital to the homey living room of the assisted living community.I love what I do, but never more than when I was able to build a team of like-minded professionals with one goal: to find David a place to live that was warm, comfortable, and safe.