Category: Seniors health

As your loved one ages, you want to ensure that you do what’s best for them. This is especially true if they live with a chronic health condition or disability. The decision between home care and an assisted living community is challenging, as both services provide advantages for seniors who require assisted living in Philadelphia, PA. Let’s look at what home care offers and why it may be the right choice for your loved one.

 

What Is an Assisted Living Facility?

Assisted living is full-time, long-term care that provides care for seniors on-site. These provide care for those who need a lot of assistance with daily living but don’t need the medical assistance provided by a nursing home. Assisted living residents share common areas but generally have their own private residences. They also have access to services like housekeeping, transportation, and recreational activities.

 

What is Home Care?

Home care involves a senior living at home, either alone or with family members. A caregiver visits on a regular basis to provide needed personal care, housekeeping assistance, or minor medical needs. Because home care can be tailored to a senior’s specific needs, seniors can receive the same level of care in their home that they would receive from an assisted living facility.

 

What Are the Benefits In-Home Care over Assisted Living in Philadelphia?

Both home care and assisted living provide Philadelphia seniors with benefits as they age. The right option depends on your loved one’s needs. However, home care does provide unique benefits to seniors, including,

 

Aging at Home

Home care services allow seniors to age in their own homes, close to friends, family, and their community. This, in turn, decreases a senior’s likelihood of experiencing loneliness and isolation.

Home Care is Customizable

Because home care takes place at the senior’s home, the care is fully customizable. Seniors can receive only the services they need and find the right person to provide those services.

 

Home Care Is More Affordable than Assisted Living

Assisted living comes with a larger price tag than home care services. This is in part because they come with 24-hour care and on-site services (which your loved one may not necessarily need or want). Because you only pay for the services you need with home care, the costs are as customizable as the services you receive.

 

Home Care Provides Relief for Family Caregivers

Often family members are seniors’ primary caregivers. However, you often need time for yourself, whether for the doctor, your partner, or just downtime for self-care. Home care provides valuable respite care for primary caregivers to ensure they meet their own physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

Home Care Provides Companionship

One concern families have when a senior wants to age at home is that they may experience isolation. Home care services include companionship services, ensuring that seniors have someone to bond with and enjoy activities and meals with.

 

Are You Looking for Home Care or Assisted Living in Philadelphia, PA?

At AmeriBest Home Care, we want to empower you to choose the right care for you or your loved one. Whether you’re caring for elderly parents or someone with a disability, it’s important to consider your options carefully. Contact us today to discuss your options with one of our program coordinators.

 

Did you know that Medicare covers almost 3 million Pennsylvania residents? In addition to Traditional Medicare, seniors have at least 50 Medicare Advantage plans available to them, which can seem overwhelming. At AmeriBest Home Care, we strive to help seniors make the best choices for their home and health care. Here is our comprehensive guide to your options available through Medicare in Philadelphia PA.

Medicare Philadelphia PA: Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage

Original Medicare, or Traditional Medicare, includes hospitalization insurance (Part A) and medical insurance (Part B). The government pays for healthcare costs and a beneficiary can obtain care anywhere in the country so long as they accept Medicare. With Medicare Part A, if you or your spouse paid into Medicare through your wages, coverage is typically free. Medicare Part B typically has a monthly premium.

Original Medicare Part A and B cover hospitalization and most outpatient services. However, it doesn’t cover prescription drugs. Likewise, it doesn’t cover dental care or routine vision care.

Medicare Advantage is a private coverage alternative to Original Medicare. Where Original Medicare only includes hospitalization and medical coverage, Medicare Advantage often includes prescription coverage (Part D), as well as other supplemental benefits such as vision and dental.

Because Medicare Advantage is managed through private insurers, consumers have multiple options for coverage, based on their needs and services available in their area including HMOs (health maintenance organizations) and PPOs (preferred provider organizations).

Advantage plans cover the essential services of Medicare Part A and Part B. However, Advantage plans don’t cover hospice care. Fortunately, Original Medicare covers hospice, even if you’re enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

The costs for Medicare Advantage vary based on the insurance provider. Some plans offer integrated Part D, meaning that beneficiaries only pay premiums for Part B, just as they would with Original Medicare. While premiums are widely variable, they’re often less expensive for consumers than Original Medicare with the addition of Medigap coverage. When considering cost, it’s important to look at the out-of-pocket costs on Medicare Advantage plans, as these establish how much a patient must pay for care before Medicare picks up the costs.

 

Medigap

Medigap is supplemental coverage that helps to pick up the gaps left behind by Medicare Part A and Part B. This includes covering co-pays and deductibles as well as plans that cover emergency expenses when traveling outside of the country. If you’re enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B, you can purchase Medigap coverage.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a government-funded program that provides low-income and disabled Americans with health insurance coverage. Seniors who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, may receive full benefits under both programs (known as full-benefit dual-eligibles) or have Medicare but receive Medicaid to help pay expenses like Medicare premiums (called partial duals).

Are You Considering Options for Medicare in Philadelphia, PA?

At AmeriBest Home Care, we want to empower you to choose the right plan and care for you or your loved one. Whether you’re caring for elderly parents or someone with a disability, it’s important to consider your options carefully. Contact us today to discuss your options with one of our program coordinators.

If you or a loved one is aging, you may be looking for alternatives. Should you consider aging at home or an assisted living facility? What about independent living in Philadelphia PA? At AmeriBest Home Care, we’re committed to educating our communities on the alternatives available to them. Let’s look at the option of independent living and what it entails.

What Is Independent Living?

Independent living is a housing arrangement aimed at seniors aged 55 and older. These are living communities that offer services and amenities that seniors generally need as they age. While specifics vary by community, they typically offer,

• Home maintenance
• Transportation services
• Security
• Meal plans

Who Is Independent Living Ideal for?

For seniors who want to live independently and don’t need assistance with daily living activities, independent living is a good alternative. It provides additional security and allows seniors to live in neighborhoods with other seniors.

What Is the Cost of Independent Living?

The cost of independent living varies across different communities. In retirement communities, residents typically have the option to either rent or buy their homes, in addition to paying a monthly fee that covers maintenance and amenities, similar to a homeowner’s association fee.

On the other hand, Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCSRs) may charge additional fees, as they have nursing staff and provide dining credits, among other things. Prospective residents are often required to pay a large entrance fee to reserve a space and gain access to medical care, with monthly fees after moving in potentially reaching as high as $5,000. Whether CCSR is a suitable option depends on factors such as whether the individual lives alone or with someone else and the level of care they require, as well as whether they can afford the entrance fee and monthly fees. (Source)

Do Medicaid and Medicare Pay for Independent Living in Philadelphia PA?

Medicaid and Medicare don’t cover the costs for independent living communities. However, seniors who need help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) may qualify for financial assistance programs to help cover their care costs.

What Are the Alternatives to Independent Living?

Independent living isn’t the right choice for everyone. Fortunately, seniors have other options to independent living communities. Depending on a senior’s needs, some of these alternatives may be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Assisted living facilities provide a high level of care for seniors. While the highest cost option, the facilities can be the best choice for seniors who are unable to live independently and need 24-hour care.

Home care services allow seniors to age at home without needing to move to an independent community. Service providers like AmeriBest Home Care provide a variety of services that help seniors manage everything from meals and personal care to transportation.

Living with the family is another option for aging seniors. For seniors who are able to live independently without personal assistance, living with a child or other relative allows them to stay in their communities and close to family. Often family members will provide care when a senior loved one needs daily living assistance. For these caregivers, providers like AmeriBest Home Care can provide respite care to allow them to see to emergencies and other needs.

Are You Looking for Home Care or Independent Living in Philadelphia?

At AmeriBest Home Care, we want to empower you to choose the right care for you or your loved one. Whether you’re caring for elderly parents or someone with a disability, it’s important to consider your options carefully. Contact us today to discuss your options with one of our program coordinators.

It’s April, a month for gentle showers, planting flowers, and focusing on elderly and disabled people in minority communities. Yes, it’s National Minority Health Month. Let’s look at the unique challenges minorities face and how senior services in PA can help.

The Origins of National Minority Health Month

This month’s awareness focus has its origins in 1915, when Booker T. Washington sought to bring health awareness to African American communities. In 2002, the US Congress officially recognized his efforts and designated April as National Minority Health Month. The purpose of this month is to,

• Build awareness about the disproportionate burden of illness and premature death among people of color
• Encourage action through education, detection, and treatment

Why Addressing Health Disparities Matters

A 2011 study found that if preventable diseases such as hypertension and stroke were addressed in Latino and African American communities to the same degree as they were in non-Latino white communities, we would save almost $24 billion dollars in health care costs. While the amount of money alone is staggering, it points to something far more important: the number of people who suffer and die because of disparities in our healthcare system.

These are problems that persist over ten years after this study, as people of color are still more likely to be ignored or have their concerns dismissed. For example, black women are more likely to have complaints about pain being ignored compared to white women, which contributes to black women being more likely to die in childbirth compared to white women. Considering the risks that people of all ethnic and racial groups face as they age, such as osteoporosis and the increased risk of injury from falls, you can see how this disparity in treatment can result in poor outcomes for people of color.

How Senior Services in PA Help Overcome Health Care Disparities

At AmeriBest Home Care, we ensure that our caregivers provide help for seniors in Philadelphia that addresses all their concerns. As we tailor our services to the individual needs of patients and families, we listen to not only understand the care services they want but the care they receive currently and in the past from other health providers. Through attention and care, in-home care professionals can help seniors get the healthcare they need by,

• Ensuring healthcare providers understand the severity and impact of the condition in question
• Noting and relating symptoms that a patient displays regularly that they may not consider
• Acting as an advocate for care
• Supporting the prescribed care plan and delivering care at home

Are You Looking for Help for Seniors in Philadelphia, PA?

At AmeriBest Home Care, we want to empower you to choose the right care for you or your loved one. Whether you’re caring for elderly parents or someone with a disability, it’s important to consider your options carefully. Contact us today to discuss your options with one of our program coordinators.