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I have seen a bunch of threads regarding issues around placement, and providing care for loved ones either due to financial or behavioral issues.



I was wondering if it would be possible to have a discussion thread created where people post how they managed to get care provided for their family member. Maybe include the contacts and resources you used or stumbled upon in your state or country.



I do not have much knowledge in this area, but it does break my heart to see others struggle. I understand the department of aging is a resource though.

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The people who generally face difficulty getting care help or placing their loved ones in a facility are those who pretty much are living month to month on their SS checks, or maybe with a small pension on top of it. They may be renters or have little equity in their home. They can't afford to pay in home caregivers, Medicare doesn't provide much help. Community Medicaid provided caregivers may be a possibility, but in reality, it is very difficult to get. The Dr's and nurses really don't provide any guidance or help. The Dr may tell you (the patient's family member) to call nursing homes, but when you call them, the answer is always "no openings" or get on a waitlist. It doesn't help if there isn't the money to private pay first and then go on Medicaid. Those with assets have an easier time of getting admission as they may be able to private pay first. So how do these people who need NH home care or will very soon but don't have a lot of money get the care they need? The answer a lot of the time is to send them to the hospital as a "social admit". This is sometimes easier said than done though, and many in the industry don't think it should be done. But in reality, in many cases there is no other alternative, other than maybe calling a state social worker (or APS). I stumbled across a nursing forum for RN's once and there was this whole long thread of hospital nurses berating family members who brought their demented loved one to the hospital. They didn't think it was right that otherwise healthy people that didn't need acute care were dropped off to them because family couldn't deal with them. The fact is though, it is incredibly difficult for family to place someone with little assets other than their SS check directly to a NH, if not impossible, and there are no other options available.
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This really does seem like a great idea if it would work since there really is not a lot of guidance for the caregiver who is basically left to struggle and figure it all out. I know nothing is easy but for something like this it really shouldn't be :(
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A place where people can post resources they have found would be interesting. Community groups and agencies that helped them. Could be searched by location and need. Creating such a thing would not be difficult per-se but becomes a logistical issue how to validate the information.
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To be fair you are dealing with a National website and a forum that includes members not only from America but internationally as well. Narrowing things down into the nitty-gritty rules and regs for each state/district/city is something that forum members will find useful or help with only if you happen to find someone in the same circumstances.
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None of which really touch on the difficulties dealing with administration and more creative means people have used to get care for a loved one. The articles are helpful, but often apporch the solution from a more standard situation. Granted no situation is standard but the articles seem to be more about the general scale.

It would be interesting to see what tricks, resources, programs, contacts those have found in their local state that helped them get placement or care. Maybe even agencies in the local area that provide respite care in the form of paying for daycare or caregivers for a time.

Could even be community driven akin to a wiki page so to speak.
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I see what you mean, maybe it is just best to answer in the moment.
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I have experience and had tried to start a similar discussion a while back but it didn't really take off. A see a lot of posts still from people who feel stuck because they've been told they (or their LO) don't qualify for Medicaid or a NH or have trouble getting into a NH or any help with caregiving, and don't have the resources for assisted living or paying in home help. Its a shame, and there doesn't seem to be a system in place or guidance at least in the USA. There are ways to get help I've learned, and sometimes you have to go about it in ways that are maybe frowned upon or not really outlined in any guide book to getting elderly care. Its really why I continue to post here, to try to help those in that position, a position I was once in.
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