Hospice... saver or killer?

Hospice care is seen for the most part as a great service that offers support for the terminally ill as well as for the family. It is their role to alleviate the patients’ suffering and make all possible to relief the distressing symptoms until the patient dies naturally at their own time.  Families trust that by using hospice care their love ones will suffer less and are in good and caring hands.  Unfortunately, not all professionals working in these facilities are ethical and as humane as they should be.  In the last couple years many articles have been published about euthanasia, this controversial subject became even hotter when it was linked to many hospice care centers in our country. Euthanasia is assisted suicide or death induced with medical assistance.  What makes this practice more terrifying is the fact that these centers are committing the crime without the patients’ approval.

There are multiple filed cases in our country where families are complaining of having their relatives’ death accelerated by inappropriately using sedatives, morphine overdose, and other medications.  For the most part these are patients that are severely disabled and they end up dying dehydrated.  There have been terrible scenarios where the victims are elders that are lucid and regardless they have been euthanized against their will.

These horrifying events have become the nightmare of many seriously ill patients and make the public wonder who to trust and where to look for help.  What can a terminally ill patient do when those who should protect them from a terrible and painful death through their care become their murderer?

For more information about hospice killings check out the website http://www.hospicepatients.org/euth-center.html

Respite Care Drama in California

There have been recent reports about the imminent closing of adult day cares centers in the California area.    Due to the state budget problems, the state is looking forward to cut the $169 million that is annually expended in these respite care centers.  Ironically, this initiative instead of saving money will actually create more expenses to the state as the clients of the 274 daycares that are facing closure, are forecasted to end up impatient in nursing homes and other facilities in as little as six months if they stop receiving the care they are getting at these respite centers.  In others words, the state is shifting the cost from Medi-Cal (which currently is paying for the daycare services) to manage care programs, and by doing that is condemning thousands of elders that are still able to enjoy their home and families to be removed from their environment into impatient forms of long term care.  

After seniors’ protest in front of San Francisco city hall, it is clear that these fragile citizens are ready to stand and fight so their rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act are not violated.  The dilemma has become an important issue for the San Francisco mayoral race, and those who aspire to become majors are debating their initiatives at the rallies.  However; no solution has been achieved and it all will be really determined on Nov 8, when a federal court in Oakland will hold a hearing about the case that has been filed as an effort to cut short the elimination of Medi-Cal financing for the centers.

Florida and the Affordable Health Care Act

          Our sunshine state is a very attractive place to live for the elderly due to its good weather conditions.  A huge percentage of our current population is retirees and the number for aging residents continues to rise.  Despite not just seniors are in need of long term care, a big portion of LTC is used by them. Because of our high number of elder citizens, along with the many other ill who require long term care, our state scores high in the utilization of these health services. With that being said, allow me to bring to my readers’ attention the fact that Florida holds the second place in the whole country for having the most uninsured residents.  Therefore, much of our LTC patients are insured through Medicare and Medicaid.  As a consequence of our poor state budget and incompetency, many of those who need LTC are not receiving proper care, and we are in desperate need of federal grants to help fund those programs.

           Well, going back to our incompetency…our light of hope was recently darkened by ruling the Affordable Health Care Act as unconstitutional!  A Pensacola federal judge decided that despite our current $3.7 billion budget deficit, the much needed assistance that the AHC act was offering us was simply against our constitution.   Those funds would have positively affected many health care areas, including LTC.  I find ironic that our governor, Mr. Scott, even referred to this federal funds as money that he didn’t wanted to “waste” from the federal government as this law was unconstitutional.  Waste? Really?  Our senior citizens are selling their assets, getting involved in unethical practices such as trading their life insurance policies in order to get some cash to barely afford their LTC bills, and struggling in so many other ways… and our governor still thinks that the AHC is a waste?  It is sad that the inept attitude, insensibility, and selfishness of some are condemning so many needed patients to struggle and poorly receive long term care.

"Federal Grants Decline." McKnights. 01 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://www.mcknights.com/nursing-home-residents-risk-losing-bed-holds/article/211609/>.

What does LTC means to me?

         Long term care is one of the biggest challenges for our healthcare system.  It is a necessary service and a fast growing branch of healthcare, yet much improvement needs to be done in the way care is provided and its affordability.   LTC is perceived as a form of care for elders; nevertheless, it is truly for anyone that requires assistance performing daily living activities.   

        There is a time in life where most of us will face the need to be assisted by others, either by a family member, or through one of the LTC programs.  This sort of health care providers specialized in making those difficult times easier.  Sadly, like in any industry where some employees and companies are better than others, long term care also has centers and caregivers that do an outstanding job, and those who lack compassion and provide a mediocre service.    When a patient is placed in long term care, it is critical that those who are in charge of their well-being are professionals that not only know how to care, but also sympathize and are willing to go the extra mile for these ill people.  It is often heard on the news about malpractice, maltreatment, and careless services in LTC facilities.  With the baby boomer generation aging and the fast growing demand for these services, it is important for all that are pursuing a career on this field to question whether they are suited for this profession and to continually develop a conscious and kind heart. It could be our parents, it could be ourselves, it could even be our children whom will be the next patients, so it is up to this new generation of professionals to change the processes, the negative image perceived by our communities, and to make long term care as stress free as possible. 

        Re-inventing the LTC industry and figuring out a way to provide quality care and to accommodate the raising demand while controlling costs is a challenge, but our government as well as the private sector will need to address this daring issue and we all need to take responsibility into it.  For now, purchasing long term care insurance might be a good start for those who can afford it, and for those who are caregivers, to remember constantly that these individuals that not only require medical assistance, but also love.