Tips for Long-Term Stage Home, Rehab or Long-Term Care Facility

• What is covered by Insurance/Medicare/Medicaid? There are many different requirements you have to meet before insurance will pay for help. Because each health challenge is different, every survivor/patient is going to have different abilities and therefore be eligible for different coverage through private insurance/Medicare/Medicaid. In some cases there is other assistance available; however, most of it will be based on the financial status of your loved one. The best place to begin looking for answers is with your loved one’s primary care physician.
• It is your primary care physician who orders tests, referrals to specialists, therapies, blood tests, and more. This is to help manage and coordinate care.
• Ask the doctor if you can receive home visits. This is especially valuable when your loved one has mobility and transportation issues. It took me four years to figure out that home visits were possible—four years of getting Mom and her wheelchair to and from the doctor for blood work and checkups and treatments. This information would have been invaluable early on.
• Every time your loved one has a medical issue that puts him or her in bed for awhile—as simple as the flu or a cold or as severe as a hospital visit—check with your primary care physician to see if you qualify for therapies or home health again.
• As long as you have a home health nurse or therapist, insurance will cover someone to come in and do grooming care, light housekeeping and sometimes meal preparations. This information is not usually offered, so ask for it whenever a home health nurse or therapy has been ordered. Take advantage of the help while you can; every little bit helps.
• Surrounding your loved one with familiar, comforting items from home can enhance recovery. Bring items such as a comfy blanket from your loved one’s bed, a favorite sweater, and one or two family pictures. This helps your loved one focus on positive things from home and can lead to a more pleasant and possibly even speedier recovery.