I came home for a visit last night. Sarasota to Atlanta. Stop. Wait. Wait. Wait. OK - get on the plane to Boston. Wait. Wait. Wait (thank you iPOD for sanity). Got home at around 12:00 am, but didn't go to sleep until about 3:00 am. Was much to excited about being home after two weeks, in the cool weather, with my own things around me and my own bed - so delicious! I turned on the outside lights to see the colors, look at all the leaves down around the house, sniff the wood-smoke filled air; breathed in the cool night air. It tasted and felt delicious.
Found out today that MIL's insurance will only send her to a ratty "skilled" nursing home for rehab - which would be a complete drag for her. We have to decide what to do next. I have my leanings, DH must have his but since he is still in Florida, it's a bit difficult to review.
We'll see, we'll see. Health insurance is a tangled web. MIL choose a "cheaper" plan - and is paying for her savings with cheaper care. We should have known...maybe. I truly don't know if national health care would help in this situation, I believe not but I'm no expert. Dirty, lousy nursing homes are abundant and will continue to be so - I'm sure.
We had a lizard clinging to our windshield the other day, and DH yelled out - "now THATS a wednesday animal if I ever saw one". We took pictures and I am hoping to draw the bugger tonight but it's late already, and there are no magic pixies in the house to clean up after my dinner. Lizzy was kinda cute though and if I could draw it right, would be an interesting "Wednesday Animal" ( I mean, really - HWA means nothing - HAW is delightful - but I didn't correct DH, he was sweet to notice)
8 comments:
I should think national health care would pay for better nursing homes because people wouldn't have to stand for the crap that's out there now, many of which are no better than warehouses where people wait to die. Anyway, that's my two cents.
I think Wednesday Animal is simply perfect! Bravo to DH for playing along!!!
I hope MIL gets a nice clean caring place to recoup in. And glad to hear she is recouping.
Is she going to a 'nursing home' as a permanent thing because she will not be able to look after herself, or rehabilitation until she's well enough to go home? Here we have rehab units for recovering patients and many are available through the public system. Nursing homes are generally pretty poor unless you can afford something posh although there are ways around it as each private nursing home is required to have accommodation for a percentage of public patients. Another thing we have here for rehab patients is home nursing sponsored by the public system. Occupational therapy and nursing care in your own home. Its not 24/7 but its a Godsend if you're housebound. I hope it's just rehab and she'll be back on her feet and managing at home soon!
MIL is going to rehab but her plan only covers the low end of the rehab/skilled nursing care facilities. It's quite a confusing situation, but here in the US you have to have Medicare if over 65; and a supplemental plan to cover the gaps that Medicare doesn't cover. Medicare only covers 80% of your costs - so if you have a $100,000 dollar hospital bill...well, you get the picture. You'd better have 20 grand sitting around!
Ah, Wednesday Animal-((((hugs)))) to your husband.
The nursing home situation is absurd and makes me so very angry. I am not opposed to anyone making a nice profit, but taking advantage of a situation to make an obscene profit is not ok with me.
Often the "skilled care" is one nurse with a staff of people who couldn't move quickly enough to get jobs in the fast food industry. They aren't there because the love the customer, they are there because the customer can no longer complain.
Your MIL is lucky to have family to advocate for her-she's lucky to have YOU dear.
Ailing elderly parents and all the red tape that goes with them is a terrible web of frustration to have to deal with. I am glad you got to go home for some R&R. I hope you get your battery recharged for the next round of what life brings. HAW to you anyway.
That's too bad about the insurance, though I didnt know that. So her "gap" insurance is the one she chose a cheaper version of? I do know that both Mom and Dad went to a rehab place here as a transition between hospital and home and it worked quite well for them. Esp as they didnt like it there and thus were inspired to do the exercises etc. Here, there is only one choice anyway as far as I know at least in the basic area where the folks lived.
The coverage my MIL chose was a medicare substitution plan, a managed care one. We are working on getting her back into Medicare with a supplemental plan!
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