what are they up to?

[BUGEYE]

my MIL is in a nursing home and my wife got a letter from the administrator stating that the centers for medicare/medicaid were making major changes in how they assess the residents.
the NH will be required to ask a lot of questions that seem strange.
two of the questions are,  are you having thoughts that you would be better off dead?  or,
have you thought about hurting yourself in some way?
is this a state thing, or federal?
why do they want this info?
is this a study preceding legalizing assisted suicide?

[jlchucker]

Don't know. My own mother's in a NH as well.  My younger brother is point of contact, taking care of all of her correspondence. He hasn't mentioned anything to me or my other brothers about this line of questioning.  My mother's NH was in some trouble with the State, not long ago.  They are being watched closely, and mom's getting good care.  If there's politics behind what you find out, everyone needs to know about it, and before the election, too.  There's far too much secrecy about everything these days, and a lot of it, healthcare related or not, is buried deep in that Obamacare law where it's not readily apparent to the voting, taxpaying public at large.  We're all getting older, and someday it may be us at the politicians' mercy, and not our parents.

[BBF]

I'm figuring 99.9% that politics is involved...................what isn't these days!

[wreckhog]

Post the letter here (after blacking out personal info). Would love to see it. Hard to comment otherwise. My experience has been that you sign releases for info, power of attorney, privacy stuff and most important, how you will pay.

I have done this for home hospice for cancer. If you don't know this already, that is legal assisted suicide. They give you pain killers. Then when that no longer works, you OD.

[Spirithawk]

I know the VA asks the same questions just about every visit. Answer yes to either and you'll find yourself losing benifits big time. Doing so means they consider you unable to make logical decisions on your own and that you are a risk both to yourself and others giving them free reign to make decisions for and against you.

[oldandslow]

My mother is in a NH and I am her personal represenative and also have her power of attorney. Social Security will not accept a POA and you have to be appointed as her PR. I spent almost a whole day in the SS office getting this done just to get a question answered. Then you get to fill out a questionaire every year showing how you spent their money. I haven't heard a word from Medicare. Medicaid is a state agency and I have heard nothing from them either.

Earlier this year SS called and wanted ti interview my mother. I told the guy that they would be wasting their time as she is senile and knows no one and doesn't even know where she is. He was pretty insistant. Before I could mention it he told me I could be present during the interview if I wished. I didn't bother to tell him if I weren't allowed to be there there would be no interview. The guy showed up on time and even brought her a bouquet of roses. He introduced himself and asked how she was doing. She told him she was fine. Then she ignored him. I think he was used to being treated that way by older people. Can't really blame her as she is almost totally blind and deaf. She's only 105 years old! Surely they weren't checking to see if she was still alive since she is in a NH. I could understand if she were living with me. I read about someone getting caught cashing a deceased person's SS checks once in awhile.

[scootrd]

Vermont asks the same questions when my grandmother went into a nursing home during the last year of her life from suffering a stroke and it became apparent she could no longer live by herself and required specialized medical care and professional physical therapy -
don't have a clue why they ask.

[lakota]

It may be due to the fact that many nursing homes have taken in people with mental issues that belong in a mental hospital instead of a nursing home that is not really equiped or staffed to handle these people's issues(money money money!). There have been cases of these residents murdering other residents. There has been increased pressure for nursing homes to change their methods of assessment to prevent these people from being admitted. This could be what this is all about. I read an article about this somwhere about a year ago I cant remember where you might be able to find it online. I get to deal with this first hand at my job. Two years ago I got called for a scizophrenic who had assulated staff and then baracaded himself in a room. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt.

Do some research you never know who they have living with your loved one.

[Conan The Librarian]

Man, like duh, man! Like back when we were harmlessly smoking the weed and dropping acid in the 70s man, we could see this huge problem looming with the baby boomers, dude. Like, we knew something needed to be done to prevent major hassles for geezers and geezerettes around 2010.

So dig this, man. All them mofos in congress did was let it escalate into a totally bad trip by doin nothin, man.

Now the decision is made: since we can't pay for it, or won't pay for it, then we just let them die. Like dig this thinking man. Like how can there be a health care crisis for agin' potheads when they die before they get any care? Like, dig the low cost and high consequences, man!

Meanwhile every time some joker gets thirty seconds late on his house payment he's begin' the mofos to bail him out. High cost, low consequences.

[BUGEYE]

I can see our country becoming like holland, where someone like my MIL "with dementia" can be killed.
the liberals want abortion on-demand and euthanasia for unproductive old folks.
we've got to take back our country. either at the voting booth, OR?

[BBF]

Bugeye
If I ever get into the condition that would mean tubes stuck in me, somebody has to wipe my a$$ and am in constant pain, I would love to have the liberty to say: Enough, turn me off.

[BUGEYE]

Bugeye
If I ever get into the condition that would mean tubes stuck in me, somebody has to wipe my a$$ and am in constant pain, I would love to have the liberty to say: Enough, turn me off.

I understand that.  my greatest fear is that uncle sam will want to make those descisions.

[BBF]

With Obamacare that is certainly a good possibility. We do this with long waiting periods here in Canada.

[nw_hunter]

I know the VA asks the same questions just about every visit. Answer yes to either and you'll find yourself losing benifits big time. Doing so means they consider you unable to make logical decisions on your own and that you are a risk both to yourself and others giving them free reign to make decisions for and against you.

Think about it,this all goes back to H.R. 2640 (The so called Veterans Disarmament Act)
If you remember..... Gun Owners of America  opposed it vigorously, and described its provisions for banning individuals, especially veterans, from owning guns as unreasonable.

"The core of the bill's problems is section 101(c)(1)(C), which makes you a 'prohibited person' on the basis of a 'medical finding of disability,' so long as a veteran had an 'opportunity' for some sort of 'hearing' before some 'lawful authority' (other than a court)," the organization said in a new criticism of the plan. "Presumably, this 'lawful authority' could even be the psychiatrist himself.

"By the way" The NRA and GW were behind this bill all the way!

Not everyone that goes to a nursing home are old folk that will be spending the rest of their lives there.
Nursing homes are also used for rehab treatment for short time patients. I was sent to one a few years ago after my hospital stay at the Portland Oregon VA to rehabilitate, after open heart surgery.

This could impact a lot of Veterans. (Something to think about)

 

[beerbelly]

The only question like that my VA asks, is whether I have had a fall since my last visit. Nothing about my mental stability. So I don’t think this is a VA wide thing. Likely  some do good dude in your VA.
                                      Beerbelly