Have you thought about any of these points recently?
- You want to grow old in your own home, but you know you need some help to make that happen.
- You also realize that at some point, you will want to know what your options are if you should need long-term care.
- You want to plan ahead because you want to make informed decisions.
- You don't want you or your family to have to make important decisions in a crisis.
You may have heard that there are resources to help you, but how do you find them? Where do you go to find the information you need?
Help is available and it's free. Ohio's thirteen PASSPORT administrative agencies offer free long-term care consultations, which provide older adults, their families and caregivers with unbiased information, resources and tools that will help them plan for and make informed decisions about their unique, long-term care needs.
A long-term care consultation can help you determine what setting is best for you, understand the cost of long-term care and your financial options, find appropriate housing, or enroll in home care and caregiver programs through community providers. A consultation also can help consumers connect to community resources that provide information about financial planning, legal assistance, elder rights, mental health, disease management, Medicare help, palliative care and more.
During a long-term care consultation, trained, professional staff will meet with you and your family for an in-home evaluation of your current situation and future options. They will explain services available, discuss eligibility requirements and financial resources required and help determine your needs and wishes. At the end of the consultation they will provide you with:
- Methods to maximize your independence, including information about support services in the community;
- Long-term care options, both private and public, that may meet your needs;
- A personalized list of factors to consider when deciding on long-term care options; and
- Explanations of the methods to use to apply for long-term care options.
Sometimes, a family requests a long-term care consultation when a crisis arises - an older family member has suffered an illness or injury and is about to be released from the hospital. Decisions must be made quickly about where a loved one will receive care, how it will be paid for and what his or her living arrangements will be for the long-term. A consultation before someone is discharged from a hospital or rehab facility provides the information you need to make the best decisions for your family member. Everyone is eligible for a long-term care consultation. There are no eligibility restrictions. Whether you are a caregiver for a loved one, are concerned about your own long-term care needs, or just planning for your future, a long-term care consultation may help you decide what is best for you.
Making decisions about long-term care can be stressful, especially if decisions need to be made quickly following a sudden illness or injury. Planning today for your future needs gives you the advantage of exploring all of the long-term care options available to you or your loved ones.
Call toll-free 1.866.243.5678 to be connected to the PASSPORT administrative agency serving your community.
This article was published in Senior Years and is used with the permission of the Lorain County Community Action Agency. It is reprinted with permission from The Alert, a publication of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
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