Medicare question - "VITAS"

[Mick]

Is anyone familiar with this? The assisted living where my FIL is staying wants us to put him in the program. I've been trying to read about it online, and it seems like just about everything contradicts something else.

[VITE1]

How is his assisted living being paid for now?Medicare does not cover AL.

This appears to be an end of life program that is paid, 100%, by medicare.

[Big bob]

Better look at what they own and the local laws before doing anything. They can rob them blind.

[LisaJohn]

Sounds similar to the “program” that J and my sil were approached with for my mil. They politely declined after a little investigation.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by VITE1

How is his assisted living being paid for now?Medicare does not cover AL.

The AL facility is paid for by my FIL's SS, and his pension. This falls several thousand dollars short every month, so his kids make up the difference.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Better look at what they own and the local laws before doing anything. They can rob them blind.

He doesn't own anything any more, hasn't for years. We fear not the "look back".

[Mick]

Originally Posted by LisaJohn

Sounds similar to the “program” that J and my sil were approached with for my mil. They politely declined after a little investigation.

Do you know what caused them to decline it?

[slewfoot]

if you bring anyone into your home to assist, you damn well better remove all jewelry and anything small of value and set up cams because they will steal.

Happened to my mother in-law, Fortunately the bil was around to keep an eye as best he could. Several high dollar rings vanish before he took it all out.

[6spdC6]

Originally Posted by slewfoot

if you bring anyone into your home to assist, you damn well better remove all jewelry and anything small of value and set up cams because they will steal.

Happened to my mother in-law, Fortunately the bil was around to keep an eye as best he could. Several high dollar rings vanish before he took it all out.

I have seen a lot of that in my general area. They also will take some checks, normally from the back of your check book, and many times misuse your CC.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by slewfoot

if you bring anyone into your home to assist, you damn well better remove all jewelry and anything small of value and set up cams because they will steal.

Happened to my mother in-law, Fortunately the bil was around to keep an eye as best he could. Several high dollar rings vanish before he took it all out.

We learned that lesson when my Father was ill in 1999-2000. Lots of stuff magically disappeared before we caught on, and removed all remaining valuables.

My FIL has no checkbook, credit cards, or anything of any significant value. Lots of stuff with sentimental value, pictures, personal belongings and such. Nothing anyone would want to steal.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Mick

Is anyone familiar with this? The assisted living where my FIL is staying wants us to put him in the program. I've been trying to read about it online, and it seems like just about everything contradicts something else.

If this is what you're interested in, then rest easy:

https://www.vitas.com/

They're a hospice service provider, meaning, they help your loved one in their final months. Your F-I-L's doctor would write an order, and they'll send out a nurse, and other palliative care staff as necessary. Hospice is indeed 100% funded by Medicare, you will never receive a bill from them.

An old neighbor and friend works for them, and they were great when I was taking care of a loved one in my home. True professionals, and compassionate. Would recommend without hesitation. I would suspect anyone who works in that industry, where it is pretty much guaranteed to lose every patient, usually in 6 months or less is a special breed.

I'm not sure how the coordination with an assisted living home would work, but if they presented it to y'all as an option, I'd OK it. You'll at least get another set of medical eyes making sure your FIL is being taken care of, and you'll get the benefit of advice about what to do to help.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by Bill

If this is what you're interested in, then rest easy:

https://www.vitas.com/

They're a hospice service provider, meaning, they help your loved one in their final months. Your F-I-L's doctor would write an order, and they'll send out a nurse, and other palliative care staff as necessary. Hospice is indeed 100% funded by Medicare, you will never receive a bill from them.

An old neighbor and friend works for them, and they were great when I was taking care of a loved one in my home. True professionals, and compassionate. Would recommend without hesitation. I would suspect anyone who works in that industry, where it is pretty much guaranteed to lose every patient, usually in 6 months or less is a special breed.

I'm not sure how the coordination with an assisted living home would work, but if they presented it to y'all as an option, I'd OK it. You'll at least get another set of medical eyes making sure your FIL is being taken care of, and you'll get the benefit of advice about what to do to help.

Thanks. You hit the nail on the head of what my wife and I don't understand, which is how does this fit in with the care facility he is already in. IMO, the term "Assisted Living" is well over-used at this time, he is already receiving more or less "nursing home" type of care (he can't walk at all, can't get himself to the bathroom, etc.), so I'm not really sure what the Vitas folks would do.

[LisaJohn]

Originally Posted by Mick

Do you know what caused them to decline it?

They didn’t want to change and lose her current health insurance from her husbands(rip) employer. Medicare primary and humana secondary and drug coverage is better under her current plan. And she has an additional supplemental insurance from her retirement. She would have lost her primary care physician, who comes to the nursing home.

[theandies]

Originally Posted by Mick

Is anyone familiar with this? The assisted living where my FIL is staying wants us to put him in the program. I've been trying to read about it online, and it seems like just about everything contradicts something else.

If you're dealing with the government. Most of the time THEY don't even know what's going on. And we wonder why we are trillions in debt.
I feel for you. I'm sorry you have to deal with the most inept people on the planet. Government "workers".

There are three kinds of people in this world:

Those that do
Those that cannot do - teach
Those that cannot do or teach - become politicians and government "workers".

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Mick

Thanks. You hit the nail on the head of what my wife and I don't understand, which is how does this fit in with the care facility he is already in. IMO, the term "Assisted Living" is well over-used at this time, he is already receiving more or less "nursing home" type of care (he can't walk at all, can't get himself to the bathroom, etc.), so I'm not really sure what the Vitas folks would do.

As stated, you'll get an extra set of eyes, they'll prescribe and adjust meds as necessary (they have in house docs that consult by phone), and certainly when the time is close, they'll have their own nurses stay with him and administer pain meds/morphine, or whatever the situation calls for.

There are other things they offer that we didn't really need or take advantage of until right up to the end, like a CNA giving a sponge bath/dry shampoo hair wash, etc., which the nursing home staff are already doing.

A lot of what the nurse does is for YOU, as well as the patient, letting YOU know what to expect, what to do, what to watch out for, how to help, etc. I personally appreciated the resource, having someone to call to ask questions, discuss symptoms, meds, etc. You might not find this as helpful, since your loved one is already in a care environment, but as said, another set of eyes certainly can't hurt.