Making The Right Move. Gillian Eades Telford

episodes to hospital became more frequent in her last years, and yet the stays were of short duration. Family was used as the first resource, followed by just a cleaning lady, until in the end, Mrs. Martino had 24-hour care. Poor elders without families are the people most at risk for being cared for in nursing homes.

      How to Get in Touch with Health Care Services

      The American Health Care Association suggests contacting the following resources for getting local information about nursing facilities. To get in touch with any of these health care services, check out the blue pages (government contacts) in your phone book:

      • Hospital discharge planner

      • Social workers

      • Geriatric case manager

      • State affiliate of the American Health Care Association

      • Local medical society

      • Eldercare Locator: Sponsored by the US Administration on Aging, this is a nationwide, toll-free service to help older adults and their caregivers find local services for elders. Call 1-800-677-1116 on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. est.

      • Area Agency on Aging (AOA): This is a federal agency that can provide you with a list of the long-term care choices in your state, including community services.

      • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): Call their 24-hour help line in the blue pages or visit their Web site <www.medicare.gov>.

      • State long-term care ombudsman program or health department: The long-term care ombudsman advocates for residents in nursing homes, board and care homes, and assisted-living facilities. They have state and local offices.

      • State Health Insurance Assistance program (SHIP): These are state programs that get money from the federal government to give free health insurance counseling and assistance to people with Medicare.

      • State Medical Assistance Office: This office gives information about state programs that help pay health and nursing home costs for people with low incomes and limited resources.

      • State Survey Agency: This agency helps with questions or complaints about the quality of care and the quality of life in a nursing home.

      To get in touch with local health care services in Canada, the health department at City Hall will usually refer you to your local health unit. Or call the local number for Health Canada (check in the federal section of the blue pages). They can tell you about nursing care accessibility across the provinces.

      The federal pension department can tell you about the Income Security programs of Human Resources Development Canada and the Canada Pension Plan, including cpp disability and Old Age Security.

      Don’t forget to also talk to your minister, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual advisor, as well as friends and neighbors who may have had direct experience using local nursing facilities. Many facilities have individual Web sites, and if they are not too busy, your local hospital may be able to give you some information.