Medicare Now Covers Conversations About End-of-Life Care
Medicare has made discussions with health care providers about end-of-life options a covered benefit.
Read moreMore and more families are squarely addressing the impending death of a loved one rather than treating it as something best not spoken of. Following are some new materials'”guidebooks, brochures, videos, and a Web site'”to help caregivers and the dying plan ahead and make the most of their remaining time. Many of these resources are from Last Acts, a campaign to improve end-of-life care.
A good place to start is the Last Acts Consumer/Family Resources for End-of-Life Care, a comprehensive resources guide to help family caregivers better care for those facing the end-of-life. The guide contains information from numerous organizations offering a variety of caregiver resources, including books, videos, Web sites and brochures. Each entry offers the resource title, producing organization, and information about how to order the item. The guide is available free of charge and copies can be ordered by sending an email to LastActs@aol.com. Or, download the guide in PDF format by going to: https://www.lastacts.org:80/files/publications/familyresources.pdf
Last Acts' Family Committee has developed a series of five free pamphlets to assist individuals confronted with the care of those facing the end of life. The 'Loss and Grieving' brochure series offers valuable information about grief geared toward five different audiences: caregivers, the elderly, health care providers, and children. The series is available free of charge and copies can be ordered by sending an email to LastActs@aol.com. Include name, postal mailing address, a phone number, the number of copies you would like, and the words 'Tips Brochure' in the subject line. To view the brochures in PDF file format and order them on the Web, click here.
The Center for Humane and Ethical Medical Care (CHEC) has created a 15-minute video called, 'Who Will Speak for Robert: The Importance of Having an Advanced Medical Directive.' The video is designed to stimulate discussion about advanced directives. The video comes in response to the recent court case involving an incapacitated man, Robert Wendland, and the difficulties his family faced deciding on his course of medical treatment. For more information and ordering details, contact Poonam Bhatla at the CHEC by phone at (310) 319-4189 or by e-mail at pbhatla@mednet.ucla.edu. To learn more about the case leading to this video and to download an order form, go to: https://www.finalchoices.calhealth.org/advance_directive.htm
Last Acts Partner Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) recently released an instructional video designed as a companion resource to its autobiographical workbook, 'A Guide to Recalling and Telling Your Life Story.' This workbook provides a series of questions and exercises designed to assist users in remembering their lives, allowing space for answers to be entered directly into the book. The video companion offers additional insight and practical suggestions for those who wish to tell their life story. The 20-minute tape also contains personal reflections from hospice clients who have found great value in sharing their lives with those they love. For information, go to the HFA Web site at: https://www.hospicefoundation.org/publications/guide.htm
Beyond Indigo is a Web site that focuses on death, dying, grief, loss and caregiving. On the Web since 1996, the site offers visitors grief tools and access to advice columns and articles related to grief, grieving, death and dying. Visitors will also find an active chat area to discuss death and dying issues with others. Beyond Indigo was recently listed by Forbes Magazine as Best of the Web for the death, dying and grief community for the second year in a row. To visit Beyond Indigo, go to: https://www.beyondindigo.com/index.php
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Medicare has made discussions with health care providers about end-of-life options a covered benefit.
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Read moreIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MOREIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
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READ MOREWe need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.
READ MOREDistinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.
READ MORELearn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.
READ MOREUnderstand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.
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READ MORELearn how a special needs trust can preserve assets for a person with disabilities without jeopardizing Medicaid and SSI, and how to plan for when caregivers are gone.
READ MOREExplore benefits for older veterans, including the VA’s disability pension benefit, aid and attendance, and long-term care coverage for veterans and surviving spouses.
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