long term care

Long term care en USA

If you have a family member or friend who needs services due to their advanced age or disability, this post may be useful to you.

Long term care refers to long-term care for people who need ongoing help due to chronic illnesses, disabilities, or physical or cognitive impairment. It may include services such as nursing home care, home care, personal care, and specialized therapies. It is important for those who cannot care for themselves independently.

To qualify long term care, factors such as: The need for help with basic daily activities, the ability to live independently and financial situation. Specific requirements may vary by country, state, or healthcare provider.

If you live in the USA, you need to know that there are regulatory institutions for long term care: Below I present some of them:

Centers  for Medicare y Medicaid Services (CMS): This federal agency is responsible for regulating and overseeing the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which are two of the largest long-term care financing programs in the country. CMS establishes quality standards and regulations for health care providers.

Administration on Aging (AoA): This agency, part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, focuses on improving the quality of life and well-being of older adults. Through programs such as Senior Assistance (OAA), AoA provides funding and support at the state and local levels for a variety of services for seniors, including long-term care.

State Health Departments: State health departments also play an important role in regulating and overseeing long-term care services within their respective states. These departments may establish additional licensing, inspection, and quality requirements for health care providers.

You may wonder, who are the long term care service providers?

Among the main service providers for long term care in the USA are:

Nursing homes or skilled nursing centers, which offer personalized medical care and assistance to seniors who need long-term care including those with physical or cognitive disabilities are:.

Assisted living communities. Assisted Living Facilities

They offer housing and supportive services for older adults who need help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding, dressing, and taking medications, but still want to maintain some independence.

Home care services: Provide medical and non-medical care in the patient’s home, including assistance with housework, personal care, and specialized medical care.

Adult day care centers. They provide day care to seniors and people with disabilities, offering recreational activities, food services and personal care.

Intermediate Care Facilities Intermediate Care Facilities. They provide medical care andNursing to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Tips for applying for long term care

Request the application for the patient from the Medicaid Alliance through a telephone number

Have on hand a summary of the illnesses and service needs of the older adult, because an immediate family member will be interviewed by telephone by this mediating institution; this interview may take more than a month.

Depending on the score the senior obtains, he or she qualifies for services or will be placed on a waiting list.

The primary doctor plays a very important role since he provides the diagnosis data and the clinical stage of the person who needs the services. They must correspond to the data that the family member has provided about the patient.

If your request is approved, the Alliance sends the case to the Department of Older Adults (AoA), they will do another interview and this time it will be the final one who will approve the long term care services.

Having patience and persevering in this difficult but not impossible undertaking is all that is needed to obtain these benefits that help family members balance their lives by knowing that their family member has the necessary support to face old age, disability and loneliness.

 I hope this post has been useful to you, especially because it provides information about regulatory institutions, service providers and some tips for obtaining long term care. I wrote about this subject because, walked this way once, and currently work for elderly people.