Senior Health Care

New Survey on Cost of New York Nursing Home Stays

Published on: April 11, 2013 | by Ettinger Law Firm

All medical care is expensive. Many people are shocked when they get a medical bill covering costs for even minor incidents, emergency room visits, or very short hospital stays. Consider then what the costs must be for care that occurs every day for month or years–it is staggering. That is the prism through which nursing home costs should be examined. While the traditional skilled nursing home does not necessarily provide the same comprehensive care as an actual hospital, the costs of ensuring around-the-clock access to certain medical treatments is incredibly expensive.

NY Nursing Home Study

The shocking nature of those expenses were recently verified in a new study. The NY Daily News reported this week on the findings. The results of Genworth’s annual “Cost of Care” survey were revealed, confirming that there is almost nowhere more expensive to receive long-term care than New York. For example, according to the study, on average, a single room in an elder care facility in Manhattan costs a mind-boggling $180,000 per year. And this cost is not some anomaly for that borough. The average yearly cost for a senior in Queens is about $140,000, and a Long Island resident should expect to pay $160,000 each year.

New Study: Dementia Costs Expected to Double In A Few Decades

Published on: April 4, 2013 | by Ettinger Law Firm

The New York Times reported this week on troubling new information which suggests we should expect a wave of dementia and similar cognitive conditions in the coming years. Considering the prevalence of these debilitating brain injuries already, it is critical not to underestimate the effect this change will have on so many families and communities. The most recent examination was financed by the federal government and led by the RAND Corporation. The project focused on calculating the financial impact of dementia. The results are alarming.

Shocking Dementia Cost

Most understand that many medical issues comes with tremendous costs. The financial impact of cancer, heart disease, and similar conditions have been well documented. This latest effort is the most thorough look at dementia. The authors found that in 2010 the direct health care expenses for dementia were about $109 billion. That includes payments for things like nursing home care, which account for about 75% of the total. Consider that this is significantly more per year than spent on all cases of heart disease or even cancer.

Audit Raises Questions About New York Medicaid Financial Situation

Published on: March 22, 2013 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Reuters published a story this week on the latest audit of the New York Medicaid system which has given leverage to those hoping to use financial worry to trim the system and the state budget overall.

We have previously discussed the audit by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which found that the federal government overpaid the state by billions of dollars in recent years. The actual audit is still not yet complete, but federal officials are set to conclude by the end of this month. It is only then that the full scope of the situation will be known and the effect considered. The story notes how the overpayment may ultimately wreck havoc on the state’s financial health just as some were hoping things were finally settling down.

All of this has placed a pall over the current work in Albany where legislators are working to approve the state’s next budget–around $140 billion.

New Database to Search New York Nursing Home Statistics

Published on: March 18, 2013 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Sunshine is often the best medicine–particularly when it comes to worries about quality of care and value of public services. When community members are able to easily find out information which explains how much services cost, error rates, and similar details, then efficiency and overall quality will likely improve. That is the idea behind a new “Sunshine Week” project that is being unrolled this week by state officials. As discussed in Business Journal story, the initiative is spearheaded by Governor Cuomo’s office in order to raise awareness of the value of open government.

The project is actually a series of unveilings, all focused on providing data in easily understood formats for residents. Conveniently, the data is all available of a new website: The New York Open Data Portal.

The goal is comprehensive, intending to provide a single location for community members to obtain information about virtually every area of government services, from county-based crime statistics to recommended fishing and river locations. Some aspects of the project may be valuable to area senior citizens and their families. For example, you can view a spreadsheet that lists the specific expenditures from the Office of Aging based on fiscal year and county.

Low Expectations for Federal Long-Term Care Commission

Published on: March 1, 2013 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Last year federal legislation was passed affecting elder care issues. In particular, the new law eliminated a floundering attempt to create a national long-term care insurance program. At the same time, the law also called for the creation of a commission to study issues of senior care financing, delivery, and workforce needs. Known as the “Long-Term Care Commission,” the general idea was that the diverse Commission would investigate the issues, create policy proposals, and submit the ideas to Congress to spur possible legislation.

The Status Update

Unfortunately, as a recent Forbes story shares, the Commission is still in dock and there are serious doubts as to whether it will be able to achieve its mission at all. The first issue is that the slate of 15 people to sit on the panel have yet to be decided upon. Apparently the White House has yet to make its three choices, and nothing can be done until the roster is actually complete.

New York Elder Abuse Caught on Tape in the Bronx

Published on: February 25, 2013 | by Ettinger Law Firm

The challenges of securing appropriate long-term care are often only understood at the exact moment when that care is needed. After a sudden medical emergency, accident, or other change in condition, many families discover that an elder loved one is in need of long-term help to get by each day. These families then face two difficult questIons: (1) How are we going to pay for it?; (2) How do we know that the quality of the caregivers is sufficient?

For one thing, the financing of long-term care can be secured in many different ways. A NY elder law attorney can explain what options are available in your specific case. Those options may involve insurance, the use of Medicaid Asset Protection trusts, or other unique strategies to save funds even when on the nursing home doorstep. There is no getting around the fact that elder care is quite expensive–startling so–but planning ahead with professionals can save significant sums.

But paying for care is only part of the battle. It is also critical that family members ensure their love ones actually receive the care they deserve, no matter what facility they enter. Sadly, without proper oversight, seniors may face severe neglect or outright abuse by those charged with their well being.

Elder Financial Exploitation: Prevention & Reporting Abuse

Published on: December 21, 2012 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Earlier this week we shared information on the new guide from ElderCare Locator. The brochure (available here) provides helpful tips for all New York families to ensure theft from seniors is stopped. As noted, the problem is widespread, affecting as many as one in ten elderly community members. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tackle the problem. But it is also worthwhile to be reminded of the basics.

Prevention

Education is the key to stopping senior financial exploitation in its tracks. If all elderly community members are trained in the most common scams and keep a close eye on all financial details, then the chance of theft going unnoticed is drastically reduced. Beyond that, the best way to prevent abuse is by use of third-party support. For example, the AARP provides a wealth of information on various “money managers” who help seniors with day-to-day financial transactions. They may be particularly helpful for those who have just lost a partner. Often one partner in a relationship will handle more of the financial details, if that partner passes away, then the other is often placed in a difficult financial situation without the experience to keep things in order. To learn more about money managers take a look at the AARP website on the subject: www.aarpmmp.org

Senior Embezzlement Case Reminder of Need for Third-Party Oversight

Published on: December 14, 2012 | by Ettinger Law Firm

One of the biggest mistakes that many New Yorkers make in their elder law and estate planning matters is placing too much trust in the actions of others to handle things fairly without legal preparation. This common error is understandable, as it is human nature to trust those closest to us, particularly friends and family members. However, the sad reality is that the vast majority of senior financial exploitation, estate feuds, and similar troubling situations are caused by the actions those closest to a senior.

One recent criminal case is a testament to how these matters sometimes shake out. According to a report, an adult woman is facing criminal charges after allegedly taking over $140,000 from her own father in his golden years. Apparently, the senior’s health took a turn, and he was eventually placed into a long-term care facility. At that time his adult daughter was named guardian over his affairs. This position gave her a power of attorney, allowing her access to all of his finances.

Unfortunately, instead of acting prudently to ensure the man’s well-being, the daughter used her new role only to benefit herself. The woman allegedly used her father’s funds inappropriately, spending money at casinos, nail salons, on car leases, and more. She even paid off her own payday loans using her father’s funds. The embezzlement apparently lasted a year and a half before she was stopped in March of this year. For that entire time, none of the man’s nursing home bills were paid. Essentially, the daughter took the money intended for his care and spent it on herself.

Don’t Wait for Disaster to Plan for the Future

Published on: November 16, 2012 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Hurricane Sandy brought with it many preparedness lessons. Everyone leads a busy life, and it is easy to procrastinate on matters that do not have immediate ramifications. Update the will or drive Mom to her doctor’s appointment? No contest. Often it is only when something is barrelling down on us–like a hurricane–that we act to get certain affairs in order. Sometimes, there is simply not enough time to properly plan before disaster strikes.

For example, stories have emerged regarding the lack of planning exhibited by a nursing home in Queens, leading to suffering and chaos among residents. The New York Times recently reported on the fiasco at the long-term care facility. According to reports by several familiar with the incident–including some facility employees–the owners of the home were far from prepared for the major weather event. The facility is near the water, and in the midst of the storm, most of the first floor windows were blown out. Rising waters then seeped into the area, flooding everything. Many of the residents were upstairs at the time, and the water took out the power. At first the caregivers assumed the back-up generators would have things up and running again. They didn’t. That is because the generators were on the first floor and were swept up in the flooding. On top of that, the owners and operators of the facility had not stocked up enough food for the disaster, and the kitchen itself was on the first floor. This all meant that very vulnerable senior residents were forced to wait hours in the cold without food, water, or access to certain electronic devices they desperately needed for health and well-being purposes.

But it gets even worse.

Remember our Seniors in Sandy’s Aftermath

Published on: November 6, 2012 | by Ettinger Law Firm

Our city continues to dig itself out of the worst weather situation in modern memory. Hurricane Sandy tore through our area with a vengence last week, decimating areas near the water and leaving millions struggling to slowly re-gain a sense of normalcy. At these times, the elder law attorneys at our firm remind local residents to keep a close eye on all friends and family members who might need a little extra support following this disaster: our seniors.

These sorts of weather-event are hard on everyone. But they are particularly risky for vulnerable seniors, many of whom rely on nursing care and at-home support to get by each day. For these elderly community members, even going to the store requires significant work, and so it is was not easy for them to take all of the steps to prepare for the disaster and stock up for the long clean-up afterwards. This is true both for seniors who live at home as well as those who are in assisted-living facilities.

Unfortunately, some stories have already rolled out regarding some evacuation problems with a few nursing homes right near the harbor. According to reports in the Huffington Post, at least six facilities in the must-evacuate zone were actually told by city officials to stay in the nursing home. A caregiver explained afterwards that it was incredibly scary, as all residents were forced onto the higher floors with flooding taking over the lower levels. The flooding took out some back-up generators, and so the residents and nursing home staff members have had quite a time piecing things together following the storm.