For centuries, providing care for a family member or friend in need was simply an act of love and loyalty from a child or sibling or spouse. However, as career and lifestyles cause family fragmentation, and medical advancements result in increased life expectancy, the demand for and range of caregiving services has increased dramatically.
- Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provides comprehensive services to eligible seniors (55-years of age and older) who prefer to live at home with medical, therapeutic, socialization and personal care or a supervised adult day-care setting.
- Project Independence, a subsidiary of PACE, is a specialized Medicaid program that offers those over the age of 65 with in-home services as an alternative to placement in a nursing home or other healthcare facility. Care managers assess each participant’s unique needs and then coordinate an individualized comprehensive care plan that provides community services.
- Channeling: Case managers assess each participant’s specific needs and then arrange for a coordinated, comprehensive care plan conducted by sub-contracted community agencies.
- Community Care for the Elderly offers several programs for older adults who are at risk for nursing home placement but are not eligible for Medicaid coverage.
- Medicaid Alzheimer’s Program (MAP) provides a range of healthcare and personal care services that meet the special needs of those with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders, as well as their families.
Also, as a lead agency designated by the State of Florida’s Community Care for the Elderly, MJHH administers several programs which are sponsored by the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs’ Alliance for Aging. Our Comprehensive Assessment and Review for Long-Term Care Services (CARES) Program arranges referrals and provides free assessments to determine eligibility.
Impact of Baby Boomers As baby boomers age they find themselves either as caregivers to elder parents or in need of assistance themselves. As accomplished individuals, often highly educated adult children who are themselves nearing retirement, they may be more demanding and discerning than previous generations but still often ill equipped to deal with the choices and emotional realities of senior care. MJHH sponsors regular community sessions to educate them regarding types of care, costs and community resources. I view our campuses as extremely active research laboratories, treating seniors in every phase of physical, emotional and financial need; and, as such we need to share that knowledge to help others plan for the possibilities and probabilities of aging. Additionally, MJHH offers Hospice, Respite Care, and Assisted Living facilities as caregiver options. Also, as baby boomers begin to leave the workforce in droves, it impacts our recruitment efforts on a daily basis. For many organizations turnover can be a significant issue, however, I am struck by the loyalty and caring nature of our employees. In my career, I had the experience of reversing roles and shadowing caregivers, and it has grounded me with a deep appreciation and acknowledgment of their unending and often unsung efforts. Regulatory Trends Ive encountered many opportunities to use my administrative and financial experience to ensure the quality provision of healthcare services, however there is a tremendous and frustrating amount of manpower expended to navigate the magnitude of regulatory processes we face. I would encourage our countrys policy makers to seek input from the provider frontlines to get a clear vision of the impact that current reimbursement trends have on the future of care. Granted, there will probably always be unlimited needs and limited resources; but prudent use of resources is vital to our future. I would suggest that most health care organizations have no argument with the goals of transparency and accountability however; punitive rather than incentive regulations serve to impede the quality of care delivery. We need open, honest communication so that we can better serve our aging, longer- living population with a full range of appropriate and compassionate senior care.
