Options abound for post-retirement care
With aging comes the need to get extra help whether with issues surrounding one’s health or assistance with activities of daily living. Help can be as simple as having someone come into the home to clean and cook meals or as complex as diabetes management.
Consumer surveys reveal confusion around the issue of who pays home health care. For those 65 and over who are Medicare eligible, Medicare pays for in-home health care related to illness or injury for a prescribed amount of time as ordered by a doctor. For information about what Medicare pays for, visit medicare.gov.
Other in-home care services, such as ongoing assistance with ADLs (activities of daily living), live-in caregivers or daytime companions who cook a meal or do light housekeeping must be paid out of pocket or by a long-term care insurance policy. Helping to sort through the maze of home heath car options are companies that offer an array of services from figuring out what is Medicare eligible and recommending Medicare certified home health agencies to total geriatric care management.
California Home for Seniors is an all-around service company for seniors and young adults that provides home health, hospice, caregiver services as well a placement services to help seniors find assisted living, nursing homes, and Alzheimer’s communities.
“In addition, we assist seniors in applying for certain veteran benefits as well as Medi-Cal benefits. Most of our services, besides care giving, are either covered by insurance or free,” adds Arthur Mogilevski, company CEO.
Mogilevski says not only does the patient benefit from home care but so do family members. “This type of care relieves the family member from any heartache and stress associated with managing the care of their loved one.”
While there are many benefits to staying in one’s home and getting care, Mogilevski says it’s only a good option for those who need comprehensive help if it’s affordable.
“The comfort of living at home is the most ideal situation, but if the patient cannot afford a 24 hour caregiver it’s not the wisest health care decision,” he says. “Assisted living facilities and skilled nursing homes are better for residents who are looking to have a more interactive and social environment with the comfort of having a 24 hour caretaker on staff.”
— Rose Marie Mikolajczak for Primetime
