Short-term rehab can mean different things today for a family. It can be a short-term rehabilitation in a nursing home facility like what everyone hopes for or it can quickly go to an ugly turn and become a transition for long-term care.
Sometimes going home is no longer possible for your aging loved ones.
But why does this happen?
There are cases when an individual doesn’t respond as expected to the treatment or meet treatment goals. For example, a patient who suffered from a cerebrovascular accident might need a plan that would help increase the ability to comprehend written language. Another one, a patient who had a hip fracture, the initial rehab goal might be to teach the patient to walk again.
But patients respond differently from treatments. Some might only make slow and little progress towards initial goals while others make big progress right away. In case your loved one doesn’t make enough progress, your loved one may have to move to a long-term care facility.
Other Reasons Why Going Home is Not Possible
Environmental Barriers
The set up of your home might not be suitable for a family member who has difficulty in going around or doing things on his or her own. For example, your loved one now uses a wheelchair but lives in an apartment with no elevator. Or your bathroom and kitchen are not designed in ways that your loved one can safely manage on their own. Sometimes these can environmental barriers at home can be fixed so your loved one can come home later on.
Dementia
There are instances wherein the staff in a short-term facility notices signs of cognitive condition such as Dementia that you may not have noticed at home. The staff might tell you that it’s not safe for your loved one to go home.
Depression or Isolation
In case your loved one is lonely or has no one nearby to visit him and help him out once in a while, going home might just aggravate his emotions.
Your Limitations
You might not be able to give your loved one the time and care she needs because you have other responsibilities, your own physical problems or other limits on what you can do for them.
So what’s next when your aging parent’s short-term stay in a rehab facility didn’t go well as expected?
Since going home is no longer an option for your aging parent, it’s now time to move to a long-term care facility. But how can you make this transition easy for them? You need to start planning as soon as you already know hat your loved one is moving to a long-term care facility.
This might be too overwhelming for you since you’re suddenly facing something unexpected and something you haven’t prepared for. It can be really stressful for you and your aging loved one. Ask advice from the short-term rehab facility staff and others to make this transition easy for you and your loved ones.
Check out this infographic to learn more about the effects of caregiving and other enlightening facts about caregivers
For starters, here are ways that can help ease your loved one’s move from short-term rehab to long-term care.
Tips to Transition from Short-term Care to Long-Term Care
Deal with Emotions
You and your aging loved one might be frustrated or upset that his or her physical condition is not improving. But no matter how upsetting it is, don’t let your emotions get in the way since this is the time that your loved one would need a lot of emotional support.
Your loved one might resist the idea of moving to a long-term care facility and cling to false hopes. Understand that your family member has been independent and in control of his or her life, and losing that in an instant is upsetting so it’s best to stretch your patience and be gentle.
You can also ask recommendations from Agency on Aging, your loved one’s care manager or primary doctor regarding a transitional living counselor and other services or programs that can help your loved one get over the emotional challenges that go with losing independence.
Don’t feel guilty or that you are abandoning your aging parent, you are actually helping them get the proper and high-quality care that he or she needs in order to live with dignity and securely.
Talk about Finances
Moving into a long-term care facility is one thing and paying for it is another. Can your loved one afford to pay for long term care?
ALTCP cost of care shows that the average annual rate of a private room in a nursing home care is $100,379 while a semi-private room has an average annual rate of $88,348.
It’s important to discuss these matters with your aging parent considering that long-term care facilities will cost them a lot of money. Address the cost of care patiently and calmly – keep in mind that you and your loved one are still dealing with the failed short-term rehab and loss of independence.
You can start by asking if they have long-term care insurance. If they have a policy then that’s good news because it helps pay for long term care services and facilities not covered by health insurance and Medicare.
In case they don’t have coverage for long-term care, then that’s a problem. You might end up taking care of your loved one’s finances once his or her savings and assets are already used up. They can apply for Medicaid but they need to meet eligibility requirements first before they can receive benefits. But take note that Medicaid benefits are limited.
Create a Care Plan
It’s important that everyone is on the same page – you, your loved one, family members and the care team when discussing your loved one’s care needs. Everything should be discussed from your aging parent’s condition, treatment progress to recovery goals.
List down questions if you have any and raise this during the care planning discussion. It also pays to take down notes especially if your loved one can’t physically participate in the meeting. You can relay this to him or her later on and review everything that was discussed.
Start Planning Today
Nobody wants unexpected turns regarding our health, which can put your savings and loved ones in an awkward position. As early as possible, it’s best to anticipate the worst rather than be complacent. So plan ahead of time for short-term rehab and all the more for long-term care.
Don’t know where to start? We can help you plan for long-term care by discussing your coverage options and giving you objective advice so you can find the best policy for your care needs.
Start protecting yourself and your loved ones today. Call us at 800-3628837 or complete our online quote form.
