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Elder CareTips:
Mastering The Eldercare Maze™
May 1, 2005
When You Have To
Find
a New Medicare Doctor
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As many of you know, I live and work
in Dallas, TX. For lo these many years I have relied on a
group of senior medical centers where my clients could get
quality medical care from geriatric specialists who would
accept Medicare without complaint and who were located in or
near the neighborhoods where my clients actually live. This
meant that older folks could drive themselves to their
regularly scheduled appointments on streets they knew.
Now, because Medicare payments to doctors are being reduced
again, these neighborhood centers are being closed down and
consolidated into one facility near a major downtown
hospital where the traffic is congested, the homeless roam,
and traffic is a nightmare of confusing one-way streets.
Chances are, many of my clients will need to find a new
doctor. This is a tragedy for them, and for their families.
For that matter, it's a minor tragedy for me, too. I attend
a lot of doctor appointments and I don't like driving in
that part of town either. But I can cope with it. Many
seniors can't.
So what do you do when you have to find a new doctor who
will take new Medicare patients? If you don't have a
recommendation from
someone you trust (the first option), and you don't have
access to
an eldercare specialist like me...the best option...(smile)
you'll have
to dig in and do some research. There are a few tools that
can make
it a bit easier, but nothing will replace good old fashioned
footwork.
Read The Rest...
you should be able to read this...
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it
deosn't
mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoetnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit
pclae. The rset
can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit
porbelm. Tihs
is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the
wrod as a
wlohe.
So much for making our kids learn how to spell!
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Elder CareTip:
Comfort Care |
Warmth is comforting, even in the middle
of the summer. If you or your elder can't sleep, try a hot
water bottle. A hot water bottle can be cuddled like a baby
or snuggled against your feet. It is much safer for the
elderly than a heating pad, which can get dangerously hot.
Wrap the bottle in a towel and pin it closed - much more
soothing than the bare rubber. Warm water, please - not
boiling.
| One of the most difficult
things to contend with in a hospital is the assumption
on the part of the staff that because you have lost
your gall bladder you have also lost your mind.
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Scripps Howard News Service
April 28, 2005
- SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An assisted living facility for the
elderly was raided by state game officials who seized 22
mutilated wild Canada geese that they suspected would be
cooked and fed to the residents.
The California Department of Fish and Game was investigating
the owner for trapping wild birds and mutilating them so
they couldn't fly away before they were needed to feed
elderly residents.
I have to admit that this story caught my
eye. Didn't the residents of this peculiar assisted living
ever have any visitors? Did not one person ever notice a
gaggle of wounded geese staggering about the yard?
I think I must be slipping, because never in a million years
would I have thought to include "look for wildlife on
the dinner menu" on an assisted living evaluation
checklist.
Nevertheless, this true story illustrates just
how careful you have to be when looking at a residential
care facility. Use your eyes, use your ears and your nose
and, most of all your common sense. If something doesn't
feel right, believe your feelings until they have been
proven absolutely wrong.
For the inside scoop on what to look for in an assisted
living (hint: it's not usually geese) you should read
The Insider's Guide To Assisted Living. Read it before
you look and you'll know so much you'll worry the manager.
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