Alzheimer’s Care Case Study
Introduction
Alzheimer’s care is a brain condition that is majorly known for its role in interfering with an individual’s ability to retain memory as well as maintain their cognitive skills. Also known as dementia, the prevalence is significant among the older population, and one of the characteristics of the condition is that it is incurable. Its nature, therefore, demands adequate care for the patient who is only possible in the appropriate environment and with adequate funding. The options for care of patients available varied depending on the state of the condition, family preferences and the available resources for managing the disorder. As such, planning forms the essential part for the family members and the patients themselves since the decisions made in the earlier stages of the diagnosis influences the manner in which the rest of the life of the patient characterizes. In disorder, the effects are progressive, and the patient is in a position to make some choices, plans, and decisions in their initial stages of the diagnosis. In the case of Don and Mary, the circumstances of their situation are normal for almost all the affected patients and their families and loved ones. The story features a retired couple that is over 65 years of age which is the age at which the condition is more prevalent. The family is faced with a decision to make regarding the way to manage Mary’s illness in consideration of the effect that the treatment to which she is subjected affects the husband. Moreover, an informed choice on the methods of long-term therapy has to be made in regards to some factors including price, efficacy and the chances of positive results which acts as the parameters for making the decision.
Long-term care options for Don and Mary
According to recent research, the most effective ways of establishing care for Alzheimer’s patients can be collectively called residential care. Under residential care, some options exist for patients as well as their spouses regarding choice on the one to be employed in determining the best course of action for both the patient and the spouse. Within the residential care as a long-term plan, the option available for the couple are continuing care retirement communities, assisted living facilities, group homes, and nursing homes.
Continuing care retirement communities
For such communities, a house or an apartment is availed for persons living with Alzheimer’s in which they could live and also get care at the same time. In such residences, there are levels of patients representing independent ones and the very dependent ones alike. The advantage that such a center gives the patient over others is that the movement of a patient in levels is more comfortable and more convenient in case the state of the disorder changes. An independent patient can move from his or her wing to the dependent side if the status of the illness demands it. Moreover, access to families is guaranteed since the family members who opt to care for their affected kin could have the option of personally handling the care of their loved ones in the dependent section.
Assisted living facilities
The facilities referred to herein are specially designed in the units of occupation for people who may need help with daily tasks. In some assisted facilities, adjustments made in aid of patients of dementia are available. As are the facilities so are caretakers who may be present in some instances to care for the patients. For such rooms, payment is made for the rooms and in some cases, for extra services rendered by the assisting caretakers who carry out activities for the patients from time to time.
Group homes
Of the affordable kind, group homes consist of homes in which people who cannot afford to care for themselves live. The occupants of the houses are served by two or more staff members who also live in the quarters in which at least one caretaker must be at all times. As is with all other residence centers, private arrangements are made on the way to pay for the care given and the burden, therefore, falls on the family members to pay.
Nursing homes
Unlike all the other three residences, nursing homes house patients that are helpless in that their ability to function is compromised by the presence of infections and disorders in their body systems. In some nursing homes, individual units constructed in separate wings of the house exist with the staff members therein trained to deal with Alzheimer’s disease correctly. Since it is a private arrangement, the patients have to pay for the care they get in the hospital in which case the institution accepts payments in the form of Medicaid and long-term insurance policies.
Eligibility for admission into long-term care centers
In a way, the care centers described above are medical and therefore permit admissions into their environments based on a particular criterion. However, a specific means of determining the severity of a mental condition is yet to be established leaving most establishments to their means. One factor, fortunately, has been accepted is the reliance upon records of medical examination to determine the relationship between cognitive abilities and the measures of memory gap. However, concerns have risen recently over the application of the medical criteria as a means of determining the eligibility of an individual for admission into a care center. Instead, functional eligibility criteria are relied upon as a measure given that it enables the care providers to find out on the ability of the patient in performing the activities of daily living. Even then, accuracy cannot be guaranteed hence the preference by doctors to integrate both the medical and functionality parameters to improve the chances of skill for the admitting institutions.
Funding mechanisms available for the care of Mary
Managing dementia is not a cheap affair and requires more resources than what most people would care to believe. It is therefore entirely possible that bath Don and Mary would be financially drained or even incapable of getting the best care they can for the patient. However, some options could be looked at by the couple to accord them a chance at adequately funding the treatment. Some of those options include insurance, employee benefits, personal assets, retirement benefits, government assistance and community support services. It is prudent to note that inclusion of own resources in the battle to control dementia may be a financially terrible idea. The downside to using personal assets stems from the fact that as much as recovery is not guaranteed, dependents of the patient must remain with a significant portion of the assets to live or even survive in some cases.
Applying for government help on the other hand though easing the burden on the patient and the family, is subject to bureaucratic approval and therefore takes a lot of time to materialize. The difficulty in applying the initial two options leaves the couple with the choice of dipping their fingers into their own pockets without having to use their assets. Being that both of them are retired, the best place to start would be using up their retirement benefits which would be inadequate given the cost associated with the treatment. To fill the gap that arises, the couple then has to turn to insurance firms to which they are subscribed after which their employee benefits must follow. However, their savings have dwindled and since they can no longer afford to raise money from any of the suggestions proposed above, the couple must, therefore, rely on the support of the government and support groups in funding Mary’s care.
Apart from Medicare, the government also gives additional benefits to people who have dementia. However, the age of Mary doesn’t allow her to qualify for social disability, but she still has the eligibility to enjoy supplemental social income, veteran benefits, tax and benefits deductions and Medicaid. The downside to the treatment supported by government funds is a limitation. The patient is limited to individual institutions with certain facilities regardless of the employees’ preferences. The freedom to specify requirements are no longer applicable and judging by the amount set aside and the number of applicants, the services that it could afford are not at all encouraging.
Despite the apparent challenges regarding emotional toil and the financial constraints that the family is going through, the family must have had a plan of some sorts in their earlier years. However, the program does not seem to have been enough if some actions had been included in their plans. For one, acquisition of an insurance policy commemorate with their income could have been the first step in securing their financial future. Additionally, prioritizing emergency savings over having a travel itinerary would have resulted in a better fiscal ending.