Preparing for aging and care is not easy and many do not anticipate the costs associated with long-term care. Some of us assume that relatives will be able to provide care, however this doesn’t always pan out. Those who are not prepared for long-term care costs are left wondering how they will afford their care or the care of a loved one. Whether assisted living, in-home care or a nursing home is the type of long-term care needed, the costs can be overwhelming. Nursing homes on O‘ahu can charge $6,000 to $10,000 per month. This is why it is important for families to explore all of their options.
For example, a program called the Community Care Foster Family Home Program under the State of Hawai‘i offers long-term care in licensed adult foster homes within the community. The cost for this program ranges from $3,000 to $5,500 per month. This is half the cost of a nursing home. Moreover, Medicaid covers the cost for care and services under the program for those who qualify.
For more information, visit online at humanservices.hawaii.gov/ssd/home/adult-services, scroll down and click on the Adult Foster Care Program tab.
Nightingale Case Management, Inc. has been a part of the CCFFH Program for over 12 years. For a free assessment and consultation, please contact: (808) 484-2205, nightingalecmi@hotmail.com, or visit www.nightingalecasemanagement.com.
The holiday season has arrived — a time of year that is steeped in tradition. We’d like to suggest that you start a new tradition. It actually starts with breaking the old tradition of trudging to an office when you need to do business with Social Security.
When Betty Lau (victim’s name changed) of Kaimuki opened her mail, she could not believe how lucky she was to find out that she won the $3-million Australian Lottery. The official looking letter explained that an unnamed company bought her a ticket as a promotional program and the enclosed Gold Credit Card from VISA contained the prize money. With the plastic card in hand, Betty felt confident this lottery was legitimate. Betty then read that the card had to be activated with a payment in order for her to gain access to the funds she had won. She was told, however, that any funds she paid would be put right back on the credit card. However, after making payment after payment, she received yet another notice that there was one more fee she had to pay in order for her to get access to the money. She had the feeling of playing a slot machine that kept showing “bar” “bar” cherry”— one more spin (or, in this case, payment) and she would win big. For the next three months, Betty sent more than $150,000 in an attempt to activate the card. It was only when she went through her entire savings account that she was forced to stop pursuing this fantasy.
Cataracts affect more than 24 million Americans, with nearly 115,000 of them right here in Hawai‘i. A cataract is when the normally clear lens of the eye starts to become cloudy, which blocks and distorts light necessary for the retina to process images.
In these situations, it’s important to consider alternate interventions for the elderly — especially for those with joint pain and medical conditions that restrict land training. A recent study from University of California, San Francisco found that water exercises were more effective in improving balance than land exercises.
Are you aware of the caution about drinking cola drinks? According to a 2007 study, “carbonated beverage consumption has been linked with diabetes, hypertension and kidney stones, all risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cola beverages, in particular, contain phosphoric acid and have been associated with urinary changes that promote kidney stones.”(1) Drinking two or more colas per day was associated with increased risk of CKD.