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By Julie Arndt
GolderCare Solutions

Happy New Year

It’s hard to believe another year is upon us. Watching the news, one can see that our world is in a state of turmoil. Our country is divided on what the government should and should not be doing. Healthcare reform is affecting all of us. There are seemingly less resources to help a growing number of people. Our elderly population is growing. A new year is known to be a great time to make resolutions. This is mine. I remind myself that we are so blessed to live in the heartland of America. Professionally, I’m committed to doing everything in my power to make sure that people who are faced with the decision to place their loved one in a nursing facility are aware of what their options are as relates to where to secure nursing home placement and how to best go about paying for care. There are obstacles unbeknownst to most of us that impede one’s ability to readily access benefits in a safe and timely way. There is SO much misinformation out there… people get lost.  This is compounded by professionals in the senior industry that don’t always point you in the right direction.  Well intended but, “finite” advice.

I’ve worked in the health care and senior industry for nearly 30 years. My co-director and I spend an extraordinary amount of time each month reaching out to consumers in the QCA and surrounding communities providing education about the perils of navigating the long term care system independently.  Keep in mind, increased needs of aging consumers coupled with State regulatory changes related to accessing public benefits is a recipe for people to fall through the cracks – and people do.

I feel compelled to share just a couple case examples as to why I have a strong commitment to ensuring folks don’t misstep in the face of long term care.

During one of our presentations, one of the attendees was on the verge of signing a reverse mortgage for her husband. She had very limited resources and had just placed her
husband in nursing care.  She hadn’t mentioned to anyone that she had no way to pay, but proceeded to do her own research.  She concluded a reverse mortgage was the only option.  Yikes. He was eligible for Medicaid now! Her home was exempt and she just needed assistance getting the application going.

Another situation, a gentleman client had repeatedly been denied Medicaid for his wife. His personal resources were dwindling and finally someone referred him to us. It didn’t take our staff long to review the Medicaid denials to read “between the lines” to ascertain that the reason she had been denied is because a “Miller Trust” that she had created to bring her income in line with Iowa Medicaid rules was never funded! The attorney who drafted the “Miller Trust” hadn’t instructed them on how to “fund” the trust to make it function correctly with Medicaid.

One more example, several years ago, we had someone present to our office who had spent down both her and her husband’s life savings after a major medical event necessitated he remain in long term ACUTE (hospital) care. They had blown through all his Medicare days and private insurance.  They were on their own. “Someone” (a professional) had told her that that they had to “spend down” to $2000 in order to qualify for Medicaid. What they failed to tell her is that this particular rule was applicable for a single person. She sold their home, spent all their savings, all her 401K… everything, based on this advice. The problem was this…it was erroneous advice! In this particular case, she could have likely saved everything, within the Medicaid Rules.

Stories like these give you some insight to why I’m committed to making sure people know what their options are before making big mistakes that have irrevocable consequences. With all that is going wrong in our world, I’m motivated to “step it up” and take measures to inform and empower people to get what they need when they need it most. It takes all of us doing one good thing at a time to make a difference!

Happy New Year and God Bless!

Julie Arndt is a licensed social worker working in the field of geriatrics for over twenty five years with expertise in medical case management and community based services.  You can reach Julie at GolderCare Solutions Unlimited, LLC 309-764-2273.