Use the internet to find senior housing, by Kim Komando

Newark, OH(Zone 5b)

I thought this information might be helpful to some of your caring for parents and others who may require long-term facility type care. It's reprinted from Kim Komando's January 1, 2005 newsletter. Her website is http://komando.com

Use the Internet to Find Senior Housing

Before the Internet, finding housing for the elderly was often done
through word of mouth or the Yellow Pages. Now you can do much of the
preliminary work online.

There are scores of Web sites dealing with senior housing. But this
can easily lead to information overload. So you'll want to focus your
research on three areas: types of facilities, location and financing.

Senior housing does not necessarily mean a nursing home. There are
retirement communities for those 55 and over with active lifestyles.
Residents who need some help with shopping, dressing and bathing should
look into assisted living facilities. And then there are nursing homes,
which provide round-the-clock medical care.

The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging
provides an excellent overview on independent, assisted living and
nursing facilities, as well as variations. Web sites run by the AARP
and Senior Resource have more in-depth information, including how to
choose a facility. These sites can be found at, respectively:
http://www.aoa.gov/eldfam/Housing/Housing.asp
http://www.aarp.org/life/housingchoices/
http://www.seniorresource.com/house.htm

Location is also important. Some regions, states and municipalities
have more programs and benefits for seniors than others. The Retirement
Living Information Center (http://www.retirementliving.com) provides
tax information, a guide to state aging agencies and resource materials
for free. Additional information and resources are available for a
lifetime membership fee of $20.

When searching for facilities, you can use an online Yellow Pages
directory, such as Yahoo! (http://yp.yahoo.com/). But that will only
provide cursory information. Medicare's nursing home locator
(http://snipurl.com/7djv) lists facilities, number of beds and
ownership information. You can search by ZIP code, city or state. But
this kind of statistical information does not indicate the type of care
you will receive.

When your life is in someone else's hands, you'll obviously want the
best care possible. The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation
Facilities (http://www.carf.org) is an independent, non-profit
accrediting body. It assigns four levels of accreditation to adult day
services as well as assisted, independent and nursing facilities.

Any kind of care is expensive. Assisted living facilities can run
$10,000 per year for day services, or $60,000 for round-the-clock care.
That can quickly eat through retirement money.

Fortunately, federal and state governments provide assistance for long-
term care. Medicare will cover nursing or home health care in some
cases. But the majority of people who can't afford long-term care fall
under the Medicaid program.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program. Each state has different
eligibility requirements. Qualification requirements can be confusing.
So the Web site run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
provides local contacts to help you get through the red tape:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/consumer.asp

Once you have narrowed your choices to a few, it's time to visit the
facilities. This is often an emotional experience, and it's easy to
forget pertinent questions.

ElderWeb http://www.elderweb.com/?PageID=2804 has an extensive
checklist that compares up to three facilities on first impressions,
services, safety, costs and other criteria. Print it out and take it
with you. Be sure to take notes on the morale of the staff and those
who live there.

The Internet is a great resource of information, but it should be
coupled with personal sources. Talk to doctors, nurses and volunteers
at your local senior center. Each state has an ombudsman program that
acts as an advocate for long-term care. Your local ombudsman
http://www.ltcombudsman.org/static_pages/ombudsmen.cfm can provide
personal assistance and information in a way the Internet cannot.

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