A New Model For Aging At Home: Care Management -- Every Step Of The Way

The vast majority of older Americans, 90 percent of them, want to age at home. Many have lived in their homes for decades, where they are surrounded by the familiar -- from photos on the wall to shops on the street -- and can visit or receive visits from family and neighbors. Today, there's no reason anyone should have to compromise on this wish for their later years. Thanks in large part to the growing popularity of Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) health care plans, we now have the ability to keep even the sickest elderly patients stable and comfortable at home. MLTC plans do this by coordinating all the various elements of an older person's care in a responsive and collaborative fashion, taking into account his or her psychosocial as well as physical well-being. They make sure doctor's appointments are made and kept; arrange necessary home care services from visiting nurses, home health aides, social workers and behavioral health counselors, as well as speech, occupational and physical therapists. They also connect people to community resources such as transportation and support organizations focused on vision impairment and other special needs. They support family caregivers and educate each individual to better manage his or her own health as well. The MLTC program offered by my company, VNSNY CHOICE Health Plans, provides members with an entire array of services that are overseen and revised as necessary by a nurse care coordinator/manager who is attentive to all the det...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news